Over the past decade enrollments in online courses have increased. More and more students prefer taking their classes online, at their own pace, and at their own convenience. For the real estate industry, this is no different.
Real estate schools offer approved and accredited courses that meet the requirements of the industry. There are many options to choose from when enrolling online, however, when deciding on a school, first make sure their programs are accredited and approved by a state real estate commission.
Education that is built with the following features in mind will give you the best chance at obtaining the knowledge about the real estate industry and allow you to pass your real estate license exam.
The best online real estate schoolshould have the following features to maximize your educational experience and training.
1. It Follows the 3 Pillars of Student Education
Every course, whether online or in a classroom, follows the 3 pillars of student education. These include the course curriculum or content, the instruction of the course, and assessments to measure a student's knowledge and comprehension.
3 Pillars of Student Education
Curriculum
Curriculum or Content is what the student learns. It is the set of standards that set the expectations of the academic achievements of real estate students at the end of each course or program. For example, the curriculum of a real estate license course is intended to create expectations for becoming a real estate agent or broker. The curriculum of continuing education (CE) is to set the standard for renewing a real estate license.
Instruction
Instruction is how students learn. Instruction is the way that real estate instructors deliver the curriculum the content or curriculum to the students. Since distance education doesn't allow for face-to-face interaction with students, a great online course should have a simple and quick way for students to ask questions and for instructors to provide feedback.
Assessment
Assessment is how students are evaluated. Assessments come in the form of quizzes and exams to determine a student's knowledge and understanding. An effective online course should have quizzes at the end of each unit or section and a final exam to evaluate a student's comprehension of all the content within the course.
2. It Has an Interactive Environment
Interaction between student and instructor is an essential component to deeper learning and mastery of real estate topics. In a well-designed course, students should be able to effortlessly ask their instructor questions related to content within each unit. These questions should be presented so that other students can see the instructor's response.
At VanEd, we provide students with a variety of options for rich interaction between instructor and student and between student and student. Our Q&A section in each course allows students to ask questions related to subject matter inside their course. Instructors post answers to the student's responses, which are visible to all students enrolled in the course.
Additionally, VanEd includes exercises that contain poll questions where students can view answers and choices that the rest of the class makes.
3. It Accommodates a Variety of Learning Styles
Not everyone learns the same way. With this in mind, a great online course should appeal to the 4 broad learning styles: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and reading/writing.
Real estate courses should provide students with a variety of multimedia content to create a learning environment suitable to all main learning styles.
The 3 Styles of Learning
Learning Styles of Students
- Visual Learners: Video and infographics
- Auditory Learners: Audio and recordings
- Kinesthetic Learners: Printable lectures and course content
- Reading/Writing Learners: Written and readable content
4. It Has Careful Pacing
The best real estate schools allow their students to work at an easy, adjustable pace to allow students time to become engaged and not feel bored.
Students who are looking to get a real estate license have different requirements depending on state requirements for how long they are allowed to finish their coursework. Some students finish their course in a few weeks or less while other students take months to finish. Schools that allow students to complete their required education at their own pace set them apart as the best in the industry.
At VanEd, we understand the limitations of some of our students. They may have jobs, families, or other educational commitments that make completing courses in a short period of time unfeasible. Our online learning management system allows students to pace themselves and when a student leaves, they return to the exact point they were at the last time they were inside their course.
Additionally, our progress charts show students how far they made it in their online class and how many exercises, quizzes, and exams they have before completion.
5. It Is Easy to Navigate
Navigation is an essential component of a website or web application's user experience. No matter where you are in a course, you should be able to access the following information:
- Lessons, units, & subunits
- Exams, quizzes, exercises
- Course progress
- Next & Previous Pages
- Student dashboard
- Course search feature
- Instructor Q&A
- Glossary
- Student notes
Oftentimes great courses are reviewed by third parties to ensure that the user interface and user experience are well-planned and designed and students can easily find what they need without extra confusion or hesitance.
6. It Works on All Devices (Responsive Design)
An essential component of a great class is ease-of-access and convenience. This is why people choose to take distance education in the first place. One of the ways a school can offer this is through free responsive design.
A responsive course must on the following platforms without any technical issues or complaints.
- Large desktops or HD televisions
- Laptops
- Tablets
- Smartphones
- Smartwatches
7. It Incorporates Elements of Traditional Classroom Learning
When comparing online vs. classroom learning, both have advantages and disadvantages. One of the benefits of taking a course in a traditional classroom learning environment is the ability to take notes by hand. Taking notes provides some unique benefits for students, including the following:
- Increases focus
- Increases comprehension
- Enhances information processing
- Improves memory
- Stimulates creativity
- Provides a condensed document for study
Learn More About How Our Courses Work
Written and Published by: VanEd
