For the last year or so, learning online has made the headlines. Virtual learning was opted for to help prevent the spread of the virus.
The restrictions remained for a while until higher education learning reopened schools. In some countries and states, education is still undertaken online.
The question remains of how accessible it is. This article seeks to understand whether everyone can access online education
1. Location wise
E-learning has made it possible to connect students from different locations to study from one platform.
Teachers can teach from their homes and students can attend the classes regardless of their locations.
It has made it possible for international students to take courses from big institutions abroad.
It saves the need to relocate and incur extra costs of attaining the same education that would be offered physically from school.
It is therefore prudent to say that e-learning has made education more accessible to students who would rather have had a challenge in accessing the education due to location.
2. Accessibility of learning platforms
For virtual learning to be effective, the learning platforms should be available and accessible to all.
There are many institutions offering education online.
Some courses are being offered for free and some at a cost. For the necessary certifications, you shall have to switch to a payable course.
The very many platforms online make it hard for students to wisely choose where to study.
Schools that had to shift from physical schools to online learning are way better at offering education simply because they have a well-established education system and regulations.
We can thus ensure that the platforms are accessible to students.
3. Is online education accessible financially?
Education has always been expensive and demands a lot of financial commitments.
Traditional education made it even difficult to access education for low-income families.
Governments chipped in by offering students loans and other forms of financial aid to help students from humble backgrounds.
The financial position of e-learning has significantly elevated the dispensation of education.
It costs less, of course, this depends on the type of course and the institution offering the course.
4. Other requirements
For anyone to access online education, you need to have some tangible gadgets. This includes a computer, or a laptop, or a tablet.
While it might seem too obvious and available to most people, some students cannot afford to get a computer.
The educational sector has tried to make these electronic gadgets accessible to all, by doing price regulations and supplying them to school.
This, of course, is not at the disposal of everyone. Some students have had to put off their studies for a while.
E-learning has boosted the tech industries and it has led to higher production of computers.
The price of a good electronic gadget will vary. For those who want to spend lots of money, there are high-end computers and for the students who are strict on finances, you can secure a good affordable computer.
If you want to be up to date with the latest computers that are affordable, I suggest you first see US electronic stores.
Look at the store and what they have to sell, if you are not sure if you shall be making the right purchase, read shopping store reviews and see what other customers have to say about the gadget you want to buy.
After all, we are after quality education at affordable rates.
5. Persons with disabilities
We cannot wrap this discussion up before taking an assessment of the accessibility of online education to persons with disabilities.
It was quite easier to shift from school studies to online studies for regular students. However, can the same be said about students with disabilities?
Well, it is two-way. Students who previously had challenges with navigating within the school’s premises have been given an advantage because now they can study remotely without worrying about the transition.
Accessing online education for deaf and blind students is still a challenge. The law guarantees everyone the right to fair and equitable education and them being left out raises a lot of concerns.
Conclusion:
It is reasonably fair to say that online education is accessible. Anyone willing to learn online can simply enroll in a course.
There are more and more courses being introduced online.
On the other hand, some aspects of online education have made it difficult for everyone to study online.
We hope that our educational experts find a way to better and advance online learning to make it inclusive and accessible to everyone.
