Author: Chris Robinson

Online courses might not have been introduced as alternatives to classical education, but recent developments portray clear benefits for this style of education. To that effect, I have done my homework and am prepared to tell you all how online courses could be exactly what you need in your hospitality career!

1. Huge Variety of Courses​

So you have decided you want to study online, that’s great! Knowledge is power, right? However, you may notice that choosing the right course for you could be the biggest hurdle you will have to face. There is a huge variety of online courses on the internet available literally at your fingertips. From extensive online bachelor courses to cheap short online courses and even a huge amount of free online courses. You can learn thousands of new skills from the comfort of your own home! And speaking about comfort.

2. Convenience and Accessibility​

As I mentioned previously, the reason why online courses have gotten so much attention lately is that they can be done even during some of the most restricted and difficult times we have faced in the past few months. The fact that you can access your online courses from wherever platform you see fit is a phenomenal advantage that cannot be rivaled by conventional education (if you don’t believe me, try fitting a university professor into a laptop bag!). Aside from the obvious comfort benefits, this has, online courses also make planning around your schedule much simpler, as you can fit the online courses around what you need to do rather than vice versa.

3. You Don't Have to Quit Your Job to Partake in One​

Now undertaking education is a difficult choice. From the costs vs benefits analysis alone, you may see that the scales are balancing quite precariously. However, what often tips the balance in this decision is that, in most cases, conventional education will be a huge disruption to those who are employed at the time. As most classrooms run at a fixed schedule, many students who are working will need to quit their job or, at the very least, take a large period off. However, in the case of the grand majority of online courses, you can take the modules entirely at your own pace and in your own time, meaning that you can theoretically do both! How’s that for having your cake and eating it too?

4. Learn and Retain More​

While there seems to be a built-in perception that online courses are somehow less valuable than conventional education, many studies have proven the opposite.  An IBM study has shown that students participating in online courses end the course having learned 5 times more than their in-class counterparts. This disparity has been credited to giving the students the ability to work faster through modules they know well and to go slower in areas where they might struggle. In addition, The Research Institute of America has theorized that online learning increases student retention of information by 25-60%!

5. Environmentally Friendly​

One of the less obvious, but equally important benefits of online learning is that it is significantly cleaner to the environment than its in-person counterpart. When you think about it, this is pretty obvious: The lack of a commute contributes to fewer transport emissions, the lack of a premise means fewer resources spent maintaining a school, and lastly none of that pesky homework paper ending up in a landfill!

6. Cheaper​

While this is not universally true for all courses offered by all institutions- online courses are, in general, much cheaper than studying in a classroom. There are two reasons for this: The first is practicality. In-person courses require the payment of working hours to a professor as well as building/classroom and physical resources to maintain the classroom setting. On the other hand, online classrooms simply require the initial capital to create the course as well as the expenses of maintaining it.  

Secondly, while your options of classroom courses are fairly wide, it can never beat the vastness of the internet. The huge variety of courses online means that you can find a suitable course no matter what your budget is; even if it is nothing at all!

7. Faster Feedback​

Okay, again this is relatively dependent on the courses that you choose. However, in general, feedback on online courses tends to be much quicker than conventional learning. This is generally because smaller assessments can be marked automatically without teacher input (thus results are instant) And for much larger assessments, the teacher is generally able to get through the individual assessments much quicker due to the flexible deadlines (meaningless to mark in one sitting) and less time spent in front of the classroom.

8. Increase Your Tech Skills​

Like it or not, we are in the 21st century, and thus tech has become an integral part of society. This has been extremely beneficial for those who are more adaptive, but for those of us who are still resisting to this day, tech has become so intimidating that it may be difficult to learn to adapt. A good stepping stone into becoming a tech wizard is to change your learning style to E-learning and get used to the online environment through online courses. 

Just exposing yourself to online portals, note-taking tools, instant messaging with your teachers, and video conferencing apps (for the courses that are putting a more classroom aspect into their syllabus) will get you more comfortable with the basics of modern technology. And if you are ever looking for something to boost your skills, even more, there will always be an online class for it! 

Are you interested in taking your education online? Well, you’re in luck! Hospitality Academy offers a wide range of online hospitality courses for you to take your career to new heights, just send us an email at academy@pihospitalityacademy.com to inquire.