If one undergoes the study of ancient india, schools like takshashila were famous for providing education of the highest level. The mode of education was mostly verbal and very little was passed down in writing. Then we had an era of text books. They were supposed to be religious to the core. We needed to master the content of textbooks to gain knowledge. Well the text book was physical evidence that a person is trying to learn something. There would generally be a tutor, who would on his own attempts, try and make the students understand the content of the textbook. This era lasted quite a long time and is continuing today also.
With the introduction of the web, there has been a revolution in all the fields, and education has not been left untouched to say the least. We now have online internet based coaching for various subjects. Students instead of physically going to a tutors house, can log on to a web site and start their learning.
To see the effect of net on the education sphere, I would like to quote one example in particular : that of management entrance CAT, GMAT which were generally taken in paper and pencil format are being conducted over the medium of internet since the past two years.
Why is this sudden shift from physical to online ???? the answer lies below :
Cost:
This is one of the main reason why online education is affordable than a brick and mortar form. The advantages of the cost reduction are gained by both the manufacturer (tutor) and the student.
Ease Of Time :
With the internet you don’t have to go for your classes from 5-6 in evening only, you can log on to the internet and gain access of your study materials 24 X 7.
Ease Of Location :
With the ease of internet, a person residing in a remote place can get access to the website from the comfort of his home.
Well, you may argue that all good things have a black spot, so what is the catch here. None I would say, but there are some constrains that will not enable a user to use the benefits to the maximum. Like low bandwith of the internet connection, no accessibility of the internet, power cuts in rural areas, these are a few hindrances on the way to a fruitful online training.