By Katherine Sandler
Online education has proliferated in recent years. As higher education institutions expand course offerings and flexibility within those programs for busy professionals, online learning has taken root and become a mainstream option.
The Graf Method at Berges can now be learned online. Berges has created an online learning environment for all grammar and conversation level courses. Taking a Berges course online brings convenience and accessibility to starting or continuing Spanish language studies.
Online learning propagates many benefits today, and the Berges style of education and the new learning portal provides the digital student an updated and interactive opportunity to learn Spanish.
Online learning fits any lifestyle
Online learning fits any person’s lifestyle—be it student, parent, professional or some combination of those. Learning in a virtual classroom affords the learner flexibility to learn conveniently and not restructure daily schedules and arrangements that were made in advance.
Access class anywhere
When considering adding a course to the daily schedule, adjusting and figuring out logistics can add unintended stress and reworking a lifestyle. Whether on vacation, traveling for work, relocation, etc., students have the ability to fit learning into their lives and take the class on the go with them, wherever they may find themselves.
Save time and money commuting to class
Students who partake in online learning save time and money because commuting doesn’t become a hassle. Public transit delays and fares, traffic, parking tolls and other issues that arise are a negligible factor when showing up for class online.
Internet access can create more opportunity for learning vocab
Students can search for words, topics and supplemental explanations as they learn. For instance, when students begin conversing in Spanish, looking up words in English to use their Spanish equivalent is helpful when speaking. Students don’t have to rely on the teacher to tell them the words they are missing, instead they can attempt to fill in the blanks on their own.
Research while attending class
With the internet at a student's fingertips, they can quickly research their own questions, find examples about topics of discussion or figure out other queries a student may have that they may feel too shy to ask. Words can be copy/pasted into web browsers to look up their meanings on the spot, and just in time to answer a question the teacher posed.
Only three tools are needed to start an online education
Only three items are needed to connect a student to the virtual classroom. A device with a screen, an internet connection and a charger (just in case) are all it takes to make a student present in class.
Typing in Spanish is a leg up
Learning a language in an online environment helps students understand and communicate faster and in a modern way with their peers because typing in Spanish is important when communicating today as most documents and conversations happen in email, text and in word processors. By practicing typing through the virtual whiteboard, students will gain a better grounding about how to type in Spanish.
Content available conveniently and easily
Virtual learning’s main advantage to the traditional classroom is that students can access content to study anywhere and on any device. If the student were not able to attend that week's session, they can schedule their make-up class when another live lecture is being held, as Berges already offers for their classroom experience.
Katherine Sandler is a former student at Berges.