4 Reasons Why You Should be Studying Online

Call it what you want, revision, study, Chinese water torture. It is something that you have to do, whether you like it or not. But what if there was a better solution to the question of how to study?

It does not have to be all hard work. Online revision can be a very effective way to help exam preparation and expand the knowledge base you have on your area of study. The benefits of online study are becoming more apparent as digital communications becomes more streamlined through our desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones.

Speaking on this issue to CBS AOL, advisor Regina Lewis said that “online learning has become enormously popular in recent years. Approximately 4 million students are involved in distance or online coursework at U.S. colleges and universities according to The Distance Education and Training Council.”

The whole area of students spending more time studying online or undertaking full degree programs online is one that is only going to increase in the years ahead. The 4 main reasons why we think people are using the internet to revise and study are:

1. Easily Accessible

The ability to be in multiple locations but study from the same set of online notes is a major advantage. There are also many other reasons why students will benefit from online study materials. If you are unable to attend university or college in the traditional way, you may already be conducting a large part of your studies online. Technology has made our world smaller and improved accessibility to your study resources, as well as making it possible for you to be in multiple locations but continue using the same resources.

2. Speed

If you are on a tight schedule, using online resources is a very fast way of reaching the information you need in a timely fashion. Instead of going all the way into your college library, you can access digitised versions of your reference materials from the comfort of your front room.

3. Productivity

Thanks to online study platforms, you can maximise your productivity by making use of digital tools to organise, create and share your study materials. Also, by being able to communicate with classmates, no matter where they are based, you can easily share or cross-reference lecture notes.

4. Effectiveness

We are sure that personalised study is effective as students who prepare for their exams through online revision and study do perform to a higher academic standard. Backing this fact is a 2009 study performed by the American Department of Education, which showed that “Students who took all or part of their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction.” Also, according to a recent article on US News, Marc Loudon, a professor at Purdue University who used to be sceptic about the effectiveness of online study until he tested the performance of 226 students, found that those who “engaged in online homework on top of their class lectures and textbook homework had a full-grade higher average than their peers who studied without the aid of the online tool”.

What do you think? Are you an advocate of using online to sharpen your study skills? And if you have not tried it yet, why not try giving it a go and seeing if it works for you too? We say it is worth a try!