What is

Online learning

Online learning is a method of education whereby students learn in a fully virtual environment. First introduced in the 1990s with the creation of the internet and utilized in distance learning, online learning (also called e-learning) is most prevalent in higher education, enabling students from different geographical areas to engage with an academic institution and other students online and learn flexibly, at their own pace, while working towards a degree or certificate.

Online learning refers to an internet-based learning environment that can connect students of diverse backgrounds who boast different perspectives. A higher education institution will use a learning management system, or LMS, to facilitate online learning, which can take the form of asynchronous learning (where students are not required to be online at the same time, and utilize discussion threads and e-mails to complete coursework) or synchronous learning (where students must be online at the same time).