Advantages of online courses

Online courses have numerous advantages over tradition face-to-face courses:

1. students have more choice of courses (including disabled students); courses can attract more students
2. students don't have to travel to class, hence saving time, money, and the environment
3. the student grouping is more diverse, including students from different cultures, students with disabilities, etc.
4. students can retain more anonymity, thus reducing the opportunity for discrimination
5. students are not distracted by others' physical presence
6. students can fit learning in alongside their other commitments (i.e. work, children) more easily
7. students can work at their own pace, taking as much time as they need for each activity
8. students and tutor usually construct a stronger sense of shared community, since there is generally more interaction between students themselves
9. students can focus on the aspects of the course which are most relevant to them personally
10. students idiosyncratic learning styles can be accommodated more easily
11. the information discussed in the course can include the latest developments; often the tutor can learn as much from the students as vice versa
12. students have more time to reflect before articulating their ideas
13. the tutor and the students have access to a fully searchable record of written contributions