There is a radical change in the landscape of online education programs offered by colleges. Online universities are moving towards a learning environment that is more transparent and innovative. Educational institutions are embracing the opportunities afforded by the advancement of telecommunication technology, and are coming up with newer trends with every passing year.

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Let us take a look at some current technological trends that are used by online colleges and universities to make distance learning more effective.

• Flipped classrooms:  This is a basic yet effective teaching technique. While completing their homework, students often come across the issue of being stuck on a couple of problems which require a teacher’s assistance. Flipped classrooms turn everything around as they allow students to complete their assignments under the supervision of their professors. These professors will help the students complete their coursework through a live chat. Meanwhile, classroom lectures can be conducted through separate video tutorials or prescheduled online lectures. Many online colleges and universities   have adopted this trend for their specific programs.
• Virtual learning environment: It replaces the brick-and-mortar college campuses with comprehensive software or application that extends both the administrative and the classroom experience. VLE (Virtual learning environment) became popular with the emergence of distance learning. Online colleges and university programs  took advantage of VLEs (Blackboard, Canvas, Renweb, etc.) to handle various teaching components such as maintaining grade-books, allotting scores, and even marking attendance of students present in an online classroom.
• Collaborative learning:  Isolation can be challenging for some students who may drift away while staying confined to their rooms. Also known as “community learning” or “cooperative learning,” collaborative learning is offered by online colleges, and it uses video conferencing and IM (instant messaging) techniques to bring students on a single platform. Students can engage with each other and solve mutual queries. Collaborative learning also helps them learn various problem-solving techniques.
• Hybrid learning:  Also known as blended learning, hybrid learning uses both, online and on-campus resources. It is advantageous for students who have enrolled for online university programs  but can still visit the campus to discuss their program with the professors. It is an innovative approach for students who find online learning too isolating for them. Hybrid learning offers you the accessibility and convenience of using on-campus resources such as libraries which have reference books that might not be readily available online.
• Project-based learning:  This is one of the most prevalent trends in online colleges and university programs. Project-based learning replaces conventional classrooms learning, where students must compulsorily work on a collaborative project. Thus, students put together their skills on one table and work towards a common goal. Project-based learning helps students learn about teamwork and hone their skills at the same time.

Look for online colleges and universities programs that use the trends mentioned above as they make the learning environment more innovative and communicative.