If you’re a respiratory therapist who would love to have more time to yourself, taking some of your required courses online can help. Your job is already demanding, and at the end of the day, the last thing you probably want is to drive somewhere to sit in a cold building while listening to a presentation for an hour or two. Your weekends are precious, and you probably have other plans. However, required credits can’t be skipped – that’s why online courses are an excellent solution.
Here are the best reasons to start taking your required courses online whenever possible.
Online live courses meet requirements
Not long ago, a new rule was implemented requiring online courses to be instructed in a manner where participants have the opportunity to ask the instructor questions live. In other words, prerecorded courses no longer fly under the radar to meet live course requirements.
The good news is that online course providers, like Last Minute CEUs, go to great lengths to ensure they meet all legal requirements for live courses. Classes start at 8:00 AM and run through 9:00 PM (CT) Monday through Friday, so you can tailor your learning experience around your schedule. You can also buy courses in a 12-pack bundle or pay a one-time fee for yearly access.
Online respiratory therapy education is effective
The opportunity for interactivity is one of the biggest reasons online education is so effective. Studies have shown that interactive workshops are more effective than plain didactic lectures, and many online courses are designed to be interactive. This structure serves respiratory therapists greatly.
An online course doesn’t have to be interactive to be effective, however. Plenty of courses get the job done when they exist as replays of live classes, webinars, or even just stand-alone presentations.
Here’s why people tend to learn better through online education:
- No stress. Since online courses run on flexible schedules and can often be viewed anytime, it eliminates the stress of having to make it work, which makes it easier to absorb the content of the lessons.
- Comfort. When people can take courses online from the comfort of their own homes, they’re more likely to take in the information, give their undivided attention, and not resist getting started in the first place. There’s something about being forced to drive to an office building or community college just to listen to a lecture that automatically creates resistance.
- The ability to pause and rewind. In a live lecture, you can’t pause and go back to a point you missed. This makes it hard to take notes because while you write, you miss what’s being said. With online courses, pre-recorded lessons can be rewound and listened to an infinite number of times. Live lessons have the benefit of an instructor who can answer questions if you miss anything during the presentation.
- Class recordings. Some online live courses allow learners to rewatch the class as many times as they want. When this option is available, it helps refresh concepts and clarify misunderstandings and other small details that weren’t picked up the first time. Most people don’t retain 100% of the information they take in the first time, and reviewing is necessary to solidify important points.
- More engagement. A standard classroom environment can be pretty boring. The typical lecture consists of an instructor who stands at the front of the room and speaks while presenting slides from a projector that may or may not even be visible to everyone in the room. Online presentations provide a mix of visuals, including slides, video, and audio that all work together to form an interactive presentation. Since there is no projector involved, all the imagery is bright and vivid for everyone taking the course.
- Fast test grading. When people submit tests and quizzes online, they can be graded instantly if they are multiple choice. If there are any fill-in-the-blank answers, they will be typed, which makes it easier for instructors to read and grade. Some courses even allow learners to take their tests online until they pass. You can’t do that in person.
- Cost-effective prices. Since creators of online courses don’t carry any real overhead, they’re cheaper to produce, which translates to a lower cost for learners.
Earn your next CEUs online
Now you know all the best reasons to earn your CEUs online, so next time you’re looking for a course, check out what’s available online. You’ll be pleased to see how affordable and easy it is to take your required courses online.