The best way to learn from an expert is to listen to them in person, but that isn’t always possible. If you can’t be in the same room as your favorite guru, what’s the next best thing? Online learning platforms offer live video streams where experts share their knowledge with students all over the world. The benefit of these platforms over using written books and recordings is that they allow students and experts to communicate more directly, fostering more meaningful interactions and richer lessons learned. Here are the top three benefits of using online learning platforms over other types of learning resources.
The need for online education
This may come as a surprise, but not all successful businesses were started by people who had college degrees. To that point, many business people don’t have a strong academic background to build their business knowledge. For example, Richard Branson has dyslexia and Mark Cuban didn’t finish his first two years of college before dropping out to become an entrepreneur.
While neither of these factors stopped these men from building billion-dollar empires, they have inspired others with similar backgrounds to think outside of their comfort zone when it comes to education. Online learning platforms are one such alternative form of teaching and learning that has been embraced by numerous successful entrepreneurs. As a whole, online learners report feeling more satisfied with their educational experience than traditional students—especially as they relate to time and cost savings!
The risk of an expensive mistake
Many small business owners still don’t realize that they can learn a new skill or gain knowledge by outsourcing their training to an online platform. The downside of going it alone is massive, though: not only do you risk making an expensive mistake, but you also miss out on access to a larger network of resources than one person can provide. No matter what your business is, use today’s technology to take advantage of these affordable and convenient online learning platforms.
Even free courses provide value
One of today’s biggest issues is that people feel like they can’t afford to make a mistake in their careers. They want to be successful right away and they don’t want to spend money on courses or online platforms because what if it doesn’t work out? The reality, though, is that these learning platforms offer trial periods where you can try out a course for free.
Quality criteria – What to look for in an online course
When selecting an online learning platforms course, there are a number of factors to consider. The following qualities can help you select a high-quality course: Expertise: Is your instructor or facilitator an expert in their field? Do they have a track record of success? A well-respected course should be led by an expert who has proven themselves in their field.
At Smart Sparrow, we’ve vetted our instructors thoroughly and made sure they have years of experience in what they teach. Accessibility: Does your selected learning platform provide multiple ways to access information? Are students able to interact with instructors and fellow students both during and after class? In addition, to live events, many courses now offer supplemental eBooks, podcasts, and archived classes that allow students to learn on their own schedule.
How to find the right online learning platform?
One of my favorite websites is Udemy. With more than 70,000 courses, it offers a huge variety of interesting online classes on any topic you can imagine. Browse and enroll in a variety of courses that interest you to determine what kind of platform best fits your needs and budget. Many platforms also allow for live interaction with instructors through video-conferencing services such as Skype or Google Hangouts.
You’ll even find a number of sites dedicated to language learning, including Duolingo and Rosetta Stone. Resources like these will help you learn and practice anywhere; they’re really convenient when you don’t have access to a classroom or teacher right at hand! Don’t know where to begin?
emerging online learning platforms
- NetworkUstad
- WhatGuru
- Onlineclasstime
Other resources and platforms
Coursera EdX Khan Academy iTunes U MIT Open CourseWare YouTube EDU. You can even post on Quora or Reddit, although these platforms should be used sparingly (if you have a great answer and/or add value to an active community). It’s also important that your content is unique, not just rehashed information from other sources. For example, if you find useful information about starting a business in Entrepreneur magazine, don’t repost it verbatim on your website; instead, summarize it in one paragraph with your own two cents and link back to Entrepreneur for further reading.
