6 Quintessential Steps to Enrol for the Right Digital Academic Course in 2020

In today’s era of digital advancement in the realm of academics, things have truly changed for the better. Students are no more required to knock on their professors’ doors every single time to get their queries resolved. One can visit online sites, get enrolled in online courses, and receive verified academic degrees on the go.

But that's not all. There are other challenges and concerns one must acknowledge. Unless you are aware of the strategies to be implemented to enrol in a digital academic course securely, it won’t take you anywhere. It isn’t recommended to trust any digital platform blindly.

So, take some time out to read this blog, go through its key essentials, and know how to sign up for the perfectly rewarding academic courses online.

1. Conduct background research

First things first, before seeking assignment help or enrolling for academic courses online, invest enough time in conducting thorough background research. Here are the essentials you need to consider.

• See if the platform you are rooting for is a globally recognised forum.
• Make sure the website covers all courses and study materials related to the academic sub-discipline you are pursuing.
• Visit unbiased review websites and figure out the feedback the concerned platform has acquired - good, mediocre, or the best.

2. Always compare online courses before enrolling

One must always take time to compare at least 3-4 good sites and figure out the one worth counting on. Here are a few good suggestions in terms of comparing certain platforms with their contemporaries. Take note and follow the same for successful outcomes.

Compare:

LinkedIn Learning vs. PluralSight

Udemy vs. Udacity

Coursera vs. HubSpot Academy

Khan Academy vs. Codeacademy

edX vs. General Assembly

While comparing, you need to consider certain parameters to analyse all reviews better. Here’s what you need to know.

• Price and privacy policies
• The aspect of timely deliverance of online lessons
• Number of successful students associated with the course
• Number of students associated with the platform who have passed out successfully
• The supplementary study materials and recognised certifications provided by the platforms
• The registered office’s address

3. See whether the forum promotes learning by doing

You might find platforms that would only issue certifications and hand over the document to you at the end of the academic course. Hilary Dawson, associate writer and program coordinator at MyAssignmenthelp, recommends students to opt for digital platforms that have the provisions for theoretical and practical learning.

Ask yourself whether it would serve the purpose behind "learning" something or not. Take “computer programming” for example. Do you think you would learn enough by simply being a part of a couple of online courses and receiving a certificate from the academic institute?

The answer is NO. There are so many aspects associated. From coding to getting the hang of different programming languages, you need to explore various facets. So, enrol for online courses that allow you to learn and execute your learning across practical domains at the same time. Unless you are fully aware of the crux of the matter related to your course of study, implementing all lessons learned or the skill-set needed for a particular job would be difficult to ensure.

4. See if the forum connects learners to employers

Mere certification and a pat on the back won't work in today's world. Do you know that there are 3 billion employed people across the globe while 205 million are still unemployed? You can only imagine the difference and the alarming gap between global employment and unemployment. There is a reason why the number of CDR submitted to the Engineers Australia portal has increased dramatically. Not only in engineering, but people are also competing religiously to bag lucrative jobs across other domains.

This makes it all the more important for individuals to take the context of job placement seriously. If you are paying for a course and investing time and effort, you need to make it worthwhile in the long run.

Here are a few reputable online academic course platforms (according to the Medium magazine) that connect students to employers at the end of a course. 

• Linkedin Learning: The platform offers more than 4,000 classes in creative skills, technology, and businesses, closely supervised by industry professionals.
• Future Learn: It is a private company that offers distance learning courses to millions of learners across the globe. At present, it has more than 8 million registered learners.
• Hack Design: This is yet another mentionable online platform. If you are an aspiring designer, then opt for this forum. Hack Design connects learners to top designers across the world. The experts are dedicated to teaching new terminologies, technicalities, and tools for world class designing.

While these are only three of the most sought-after digitised platforms for online courses, you may opt for other names such as Academic Earth, Skillshare and Udemy.

5. See what resources are used during academic programs

In this era of digital advancement in the field of academics, you must not settle for anything other than the best. And by the term 'best', it means an infrastructure worth paying for.

Pay heed to these suggestions before making a move.

• See if the platform offers informative video tutorials.
• Check and confirm whether the tutors are active on video call sharing platforms regularly.
• It is equally crucial to know whether the platform keeps posting about the latest course materials and other updates on the website or via SMS services on the go.

The idea is to be associated with a forum that is proactively involved in online education and learning business. This would reflect nothing but their dedication and responsibility towards the learners who are investing their time and money to enrich their knowledge bank and skills.

6. You may also opt for peer-to-peer learning

Peer to peer learning refers to the style of education, where students get to teach other students under interactive environments. This is said to be one of the most effective formats when it comes to modern-age teaching. Peer learning, these days, is also embraced across all major workplaces around the world. So, this could be your opportunity to gear up for the professional world outside.

Moreover, if you get to collaborate with other learners online and share a common academic platform to brainstorm over different subject matters, it will only make you smarter. In addition, your scopes for acquiring maximum knowledge on a particular topic shall broaden.

Key Takeaways

Online learning has been one of the most talked-about phenomena for a while, and things are only projected to improve with each passing day. So, the next time you look for a productive and rewarding platform for online certification and degree courses, consider each of the points mentioned above.

Here’s a glimpse of the same for quick reference.

• Invest sufficient time in conducting thorough background research.
• Always compare various online courses before signing up for one.
• It is important to verify whether the forum promotes practical lessons as well.
• Check and verify if the platform connects you to the employers of your niche.
• Observe and analyse what academic tools and resources are used by the website.
• Opting for peer to peer online learning courses is a great option as well.

Good luck!