Mobile Apps In Online Learning
Ever since the internet and gadgets have evolved, the accessibility to information has risen exponentially. Now, anyone has the power to access any type of information to educate, entertain, and pursue different hobbies and careers in various industries. 50 years ago, one had to travel for a few hours to reach colleges and schools to acquire a post-graduate, graduate, or even a high school education. In this smartphone generation, all you need is a willingness to learn and a stable internet connection in order to learn anything you wish from relevant resources and teachers. The aesthetics of smartphones have made it our go-to tool for everything we do. The average smartphone screen size and battery capacity are increasing every year. We can go wireless for a more extended period of time and use smartphones more effectively and productively. Smartphones have also revolutionized online learning activities. All the online resources and famous brands have their mobile applications so that students can learn with unlimited flexibility and portability. Let's dive deep into exploring the role of mobile apps in online learning.
7 Benefits Of Mobile Apps In Online Learning
1. Productive Time Utilization
This is my personal favorite advantage given by mobile applications to the online learning industry. It is incredibly tiresome and sometimes frustrating to make children study. Every morning, many children don't even want to attend classes. Moreover, dropping them off at the school gate and picking them up every day takes up time and resources from the parents. This is when mobile applications can be a lifesaver because they allow kids to use their time effectively. Usually, kids have a fascination with smart gadgets, like smartphones and tablets. So this way, they get to learn and study about specific topics by interacting with the mobile application. These applications have puzzles, games, sudoku, and a number of games to help educate children. This way during the weekends or leisure time apps can keep children occupied and educate them through these interactive learning procedures.
2. Easy Accessibility
Mobile applications have enabled next-level accessibility to information. If you are traveling or not able to attend class, you can still log into your dashboard from the mobile application and access the module, videos, and material from anywhere at any time. All you ever need is a stable internet connection and a suitable environment to study. Conversely, if you attend a school or college, you have to access the library and go at a particular time to get an education. Not with mobile apps. This type of flexible accessibility makes the learning process more enjoyable and comfortable for students.
3. Assurance Of Comprehensive Education
Through learning from mobile applications, children can perform better on their exams and make better grades. Whenever individuals are associated with an institution, college, or school, the individuals have to manage their schedules in accordance with the institution. This means, due to any legitimate reason, if an individual misses classes, they have to learn on their own. Also, sometimes students are not attentive when in class and they miss information. In the end, they have to cope with self-learning to be able to score better on their exams. This is when mobile applications can help them learn effectively. They can learn at their own pace. They can attend pre-recorded classes at their convenience and ask any questions through the app. Whenever they are mentally ready, they can focus on what has been communicated in the lecture so they gain a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter and make better grades on their exams.
With conventional education, the students have to be dependent on the tutors and visit their desks to get their questions answered. With a mobile application, you can search for topics anytime, anywhere to find relevant videos and study material to clear your doubts and answer your questions. This can help enhance your overall studying experience and improve the quality of knowledge gathered because you are in full control of almost everything.
4. Interactive Learning Experience
Mobile applications also host live training sessions from tutors on special occasions, and each student can attend the live stream and partake in interactive learning sessions. During the live Q&A sessions, students can ask questions directly in the comments section and the teacher can solve them immediately. In this way, all the other students will be able to learn about other questions and refer to the solutions as well, just like in a regular classroom setting. This is why mobile applications ensure interactive communication between students and teachers. Moreover, teachers on these mobile applications have special privileges, such as tracking a student's performance. So, whenever a teacher wants to understand the growth of a particular student, they can easily access that data and understand how the student has been performing in a specific subject or how they have performed on an exam. If there are any specific instructions and messages from the teacher, they can send them on these mobile applications and have a one-on-one interaction or group conversation with students.
5. Bespoke Modules
Some mobile applications, like Lynda, Coursera, upGrad, and BYJU's, allow you to choose a specific subject or course as per your choice. For example, if you want to prepare for the engineering entrance exam, you can choose which subjects you want to focus on. Along with technical subjects, you can explore new hobbies like gardening, picture editing, and eBook writing by learning information from these platforms. This way you can build your virtual school and choose which subjects and courses you want to focus on instead of being forced to study specific subjects. Needless to say, you can always connect with a tutor if you want to ask something about the course and/or topic discussed in the course modules. By allowing you to create your own course library, these apps ensure an efficient online learning experience for students.
6. Reduced Educational Costs
Not everyone can afford the college tuition fees needed in order to gain admission. Educational mobile applications, however, provide a platform for students to learn from experienced teachers by paying nominal sign up fees as compared to college fees and still access a wide range of courses. On some applications, people can also choose to pay per course. Furthermore, people don't have to travel a long distance to attend classes at colleges. They also don’t have to shift to a nearby hostel or opt for a residential course since everything is available on the app. So, the cost of relocation, lodging, boarding, or transportation is not an issue.
7. Career Growth
This is the most effective advantage of learning from reputed mobile applications. We all attend schools and colleges to get a degree so that we can get jobs and earn a living. We also study further to get promoted and get high-paying jobs. Mobile applications that share courses and materials also provide course completion certificates. Sometimes, they also mention grades on the certificates, which you can include on your resume and LinkedIn profile. Hence, you can explore better career opportunities and get a high-paying job by choosing your course appropriately from these mobile applications.
Conclusion
What do you think about the points discussed in this article? Feel free to drop views in the comments below and let me know your feedback about the role of mobile apps in online learning.