Online classes can be a way to better career prospects, but not every class is the same. Online classes have been growing in popularity in recent years mainly because they “provide meaningful access to affordable education,” according to Business Insider, and also because they award students the flexibility of setting their own schedules. That is if they decide to show up. Research appears to indicate that the success rate of an online learning experience is amplified by a teacher’s presence. Whether through video conferencing, discussion boards, blogs, or any of an unlimited number of available tools, a decent amount of student-teacher interactions are crucial to creating a conducive and collaborative learning environment. “Research [also] suggests recorded lectures and tutorials are particularly ineffective as they reflect the worst of the information transmission model of teaching and none of the benefits of the constructivist approach.”

The complex issues of human existence, however, can be explored in an eight-minute YouTube video. The School of Life is a YouTube channel that tackles philosophical questions (such as what makes life meaningful) that don’t necessarily make it into everybody’s classroom learning. The short, compact “classes” are coupled with animation that keeps students engaged, says Crixeo.