Online Learning Platform Vs. Online Course Platforms

 

Introduction:

First of all, we should understand what does online education mean. In online or virtual education, the most important element is the use of the internet to spread information and education.

Online learning refers to the idea of using virtual tools for learning and practicing. At the end of the day, an online course resolves the distance between you and your teachers.

Online education on virtual space has started heating up. Now everyone can access free or paid information with respect to any course or subject digitally with the help of a good internet connection and a laptop.

Corporate and creative professionals to entrepreneurs all have shown their keen interest in introducing new learning platforms and providing better education systems online for interested learners.

These virtual learning opportunities were easily accessible to people, and provide an option to learn and add information to their knowledge by sitting in the comfort of their houses.

Keen learners are also benefiting academically and professionally through these virtual courses.

The learning world has introduced two terms to users is Online learning platforms and online course platforms. These terms are sometimes used synonymously but their meaning is actually different.

After the novel COVID 19 virus hit worldwide, there was a drastic change in the world of teaching and learning due to quarantine rules. All physical teaching classes and institutions changed to Virtual learning platforms. Online networking and technology saved our education system and students kept getting opportunities to learn & practice. With this change the learning platforms caught hype. Many courses development platforms and learning platforms started offering people an opportunity to upgrade their knowledge and skills. Online educational platforms allow the students and learners to interact with teaching professionals via the internet. It also allows the students to use virtual conferencing software like zoom Meeting etc. to interact with their mentor face-to-face along with learning online through the internet. In this article, we will briefly touch upon the points differentiating online learning platforms from online course platforms. We will also discuss some advantages and benefits of both.

ONLINE LEARNING PLATFORM

• Virtual learning is a blessing for people who want to learn from home or do extra courses in their part-time job to enlighten themselves.
• Online learning platforms are more student & learner-oriented than virtual courses platforms.
• Teachers and professionals put up information in video format with added textual notes.
• Virtual learning platforms provide Education space from universities, school professionals, home tutors with good qualifications and promote small businesses to grow too.
• These learning sites are well designed and updated with qualities like Learning Dashboards, score reviewers, daily progress updates to help students get a check on their study patterns.
• They use ‘Gamification’ a process of awarding progression in order to provide motivation to continue and provide gratification. This is usually seen as:

1. Points awarded for completing steps
2. Badges
3. Leader boards

• This is done in order to keep students engaged with the courses and content. Incentivizing the progression plays a major role to do so.
• Learners can compare marks and progress to provide a bit of healthy competition through leader boards.

A good learning platform provides features to:

• Track your progress
• Pickup from where you left off
• Potentially get a certification of the course you benefited from.

The recent up-gradation of some learning platforms includes turning these into Mobile apps. This will allow a smoother user interface and students can navigate through information easily, enhancing their learning process. These apps offer both free and paid exclusive features to every learner. These platforms are slowly getting attraction from advertisers and entrepreneurs. The online learning platform is cheaper than an online courses platform.

Learning apps offer non-certified & certified courses, they also help in providing extra knowledge for your school subjects or university subjects. They also provide information about non-professional skills like home cooking, celebrity master classes, easy drawing artworks, playing guitar or other music instruments, at-home workout, etc., unlike Online course platforms which provide more professional-based data/courses.

ONLINE COURSE PLATFORM.

• This platform provides users with an interface to create and introduce new courses.
• These platforms provide millions of new courses and use the help of professional personal trainers, speakers, and influencers to create a database that can help learners to have the best quality knowledge.
• These apps provide more professional certified courses for which they may or may not charge.
• They’re business-enabling apps and websites. They have a high number of investors and entrepreneurs interested in putting time and money into them.
• Entrepreneurs and investors who love these apps and their content have built viable communities and courses on them.
• Some of these sites also enable their users to create web pages. This provides students with a comprehensive learning experience.
• We can upload content in any format that is audio, video, or images.
• Online course platform provides quizzes, discussion forums, allows users to put up suggestions and comments, and provide course completion certificate to the user to complete the duration successfully.
• Many platforms do not provide users the ability to download the content due to copyright issues and infringement.
• These apps keep growing and new courses are kept being introduced into their databases. Their scope for further growth and enrichment is highly promising to the users and students as well.

FAQs.

1. Why do virtual education platforms like online learning and online courses are getting more popular in recent days?

Ans: With COVID virus infection affecting the whole world, there came a drastic change in the world of teaching and learning due to quarantine rules. All physical teaching classes and institutions changed to Virtual learning platforms and online course providers.

2. Name some of the top-ranked online learning platforms?

Ans: Recently many entrepreneurs and teaching professionals are coming up with new & improved e-learning apps. Some of the many popular e-learning apps are:

• Udemy(overall)
• Skillshare(for developing skills and creativity)
• Coursera(for courses and higher learning)
• EdX(for pedigree)
• Udacity(for tech learning)
• Pluralsight(for data learning)

3. Do professional companies actually give consideration to certification given by online learning platforms?

Ans: Mostly, If you receive a course certificate accredited by a good institution or a university it is very well considered. Any e-learning certificate from a non-accredited application or website will only add to your CV & experience but it will provide any solid credibility to your application.

4. How are entrepreneurs getting more involved in evolving these online course platforms?

Ans: Online course platforms are business enabling apps and websites that have a high number of investors and entrepreneurs interested in putting time and money into them. Entrepreneurs and investors who love these apps and their content have built viable communities and courses on them.