Summary

This article discusses the growing need for universities to develop online programs, focusing on the benefits of expanding access to education and meeting the demands of modern learners.

Did you know that preference for online education has gone up post-pandemic? According to a survey, students’ positive views about online learning have increased from 86% pre-pandemic to 94% in 2022. In addition, 83% of students have said that they would prefer to learn online again in the future. 

An increase in preference and positive attitude towards online learning creates a need for online program development in universities. Apart from them, other important reasons also create a need for the same. Read on to learn about them.

Table of Contents:

What Are The Reasons to Develop An Online Program In Universities?

1. No Need To Relocate

For campus-based education, students need to move closer to the campus, sometimes from another state or country, which can be very costly. Even the classes are scheduled at a specific time, and this rigidity can be challenging to deal with for students with work responsibilities. 

Unlike campus-based education, online programs allow students to learn from their homes without relocation. They are flexible and allow students to learn at a time of their convenience, carry out their work duties, and maintain a work-study-life balance. 

Apart from the students, the faculty can also teach from their homes in online programs.

2. Cost-Effective Solution

Physical college textbooks are becoming even more expensive, with a reported 7% increase in their prices from 2020-23. In this scenario, only online programs can reduce the burden of textbook expenses on undergrad students.

Online programs allow students to opt for much cheaper online textbook alternatives. In addition, they help students save a lot of money associated with in-class education, like lab fees, commuting fees, hostel fees, parking fees, etc.

Though online program development can be a costly investment for universities initially, it offers high long-term returns. 

3. Comfortable And Personalized Experience

In traditional classrooms, some students can feel anxious about speaking in front of people. However, online classrooms take away the stress and anxiety associated with public speaking.

They provide students with a comfortable environment to share their views and participate in discussions easily. With online education, programs can easily be personalized to meet the learning needs of students. Personalized learning or education is a major attraction for students as it allows them to study at a convenient pace as per their preferred learning style. 

4. Improves Communication And Collaboration

Online programs can sometimes appear drab and boring, but the good thing is that they can be made interesting with the help of interactive activities, such as:

  • Discussion Boards: On discussion boards, students put forth their ideas about a topic, which are then discussed by the entire class.
  • Group Projects: In group projects, students team up to solve a case study, create an innovative product, or carry out research on a topic. 

All these online activities will improve the interaction of students with their peers and professors and equip them with the ability to think critically and clearly communicate their ideas. 

5. Improves Time Management

Unlike traditional courses, where students need to attend classes on a scheduled day and time, in online courses, students are responsible for going through their course material.

In addition, while students can work on assignments at their convenience, they still need to finish and upload them by the deadlines given by their professors. Thus, online programs are helpful in inculcating the virtue of self-accountability, enriching knowledge, and sharpening students’ time-management skills.

6. Promotes Diversity

In 2021-22, 948,519 students from across the globe enrolled in a degree course in the US. This number will continue to increase in the coming years. If you want to capture the market of international students, you will need to upgrade with time. Nowadays, online learning courses are in high demand, thanks to digitalization. 

Having online courses will cultivate a diverse culture among students at your university. Students will gain knowledge about other cultures, which will broaden their perspectives. At the same time, they will have the opportunity to network with people from across the globe.  

7. Refines Technical Skills

In a typical classroom scenario, students have to sit for back-to-back classes, and this can be exhausting and make them feel not up to doing anything. Fortunately, breaks can be taken between classes, thus making attending online programs a refreshing experience. 

When students aren’t tired, they feel up to learning new things. For example, students can work on their existing technical skills or learn new technical skills, which are pre-requisite for success in most jobs today. 

8. Enhances Quality Of Courses

You can easily update your online courses with new information with the help of a learning management system (LMS). Regularly updating gives you a competitive edge and ensures that the students in your university are up-to-date with the current developments in their field of study. 

Online programs provide the faculty in your university with the means to attach additional study links to the course material. It also helps them supplement their lessons with other online educational resources. 

9. Quick And Timely Feedback

In traditional courses, students need to wait for weeks before they get feedback on their assignments. Unlike this, in online courses, students can upload their assignments online, and professors can check and review them and revert back with valuable feedback.

Feedback allows students to know what they need to improve on, what they are getting right, and which topics they need to review again. It improves their understanding of concepts. 

10. Review Lectures At Leisure

Unlike physical lectures, online lectures can be recorded and made available on a common portal. As a result, students who miss some classes can catch up by going through the recorded lectures.

Moreover, students can also view the recorded lectures to gain clarity in their understanding of concepts. Thus, online programs, unlike conventional programs, allow students to review lectures at their leisure. 

The End Note

Online programs can enhance the faculty’s overall teaching experience and students’ learning experience. They can make your university stand out from the competition, achieve academic excellence, and widen its reach to international horizons. 

All the above reasons and benefits necessitate the need for online program development in your university. Since online program development can be a time-and-resource-intensive task, taking help from Hurix can make it a hassle-free experience. 

Hurix designs and provides custom learning solutions for educational institutions. Besides providing WCAG-compliant multimedia-rich content with assessments in different languages, Hurix provides the services of a learning management system. In addition, Hurix is the trusted preference of education companies like Wiley, Cambridge University Press, Carnegie Learning, etc.

To expedite your online program development process, connect with Hurix. 

Also Read – 10 Reasons Every University Must Invest in Online Program Development