ACCA Online vs. Classroom Learning: The Best Way to Study

There are pros and cons to studying for your ACCA online versus a traditional classroom. What’s the best choice for you?

• Is ACCA online learning a good way to study for ACCA?
• What about traditional classroom learning?
• Online vs traditional classes: which style suits me better?
• Am I more likely to pass ACCA with online or classroom learning?

These are the questions you’re probably asking if you are thinking about sitting the ACCA. Or maybe, you’ve started but keep failing the ACCA exams – and know something needs to change.

This article will help you decide whether ACCA distance learning or classroom learning is better for you. It will also give you some steps to help you choose a provider once you’ve decided.

ACCA Classroom Learning

While large classroom learning providers have dominated the ACCA space for many years, the tide has definitely turned. Here’s why.

Pros of ACCA Classroom Learning

Studying for the ACCA traditionally doesn’t have many advantages, which is why it’s becoming less popular amongst students.

One of the biggest downsides of classroom learning is travelling, often after work, to long and slow lectures. However, if you’re close to a good centre, that mitigates some disadvantages. Studying with a reputable provider means you can trust you’re getting a good standard of education.

A final advantage can be the sense of community you get with classroom study. Taking the ACCA can be a lonely journey, and finding people to study with can help ease the pressure and motivate you when times are tough.

Cons to ACCA Classroom Learning

Classroom learning is a huge time commitment – much more than it needs to be. The ACCA is designed to benefit your career, but it doesn’t feel like it when you have to leave work early all the time for lectures.

Plus, lectures are not the best way to learn and aren’t efficient either. You’re in a class with tens of other students who set the pace, so you’re often going much slower than if you studied solo.

Another thing to consider is that traditional classroom learning can be very expensive. Bricks and mortar institutions have large overheads to cover, so student fees are higher to make up for it.

ACCA Online Learning

More and more students choose ACCA distance learning as a convenient, faster, cheaper and overall better standard of teaching than classroom learning. Here’s why.

Pros of Learning ACCA Online

Studying ACCA online means you can study in comfort, wherever and whenever you work best.

That means you’re more likely to absorb what you learn, which is definitely a good thing. It’s also much more convenient for students that don’t live or work near a good centre.

ACCA distance learning also means you learn more in less time instead of wasting time in long lectures.

You also mostly get a better standard of teaching if you choose an online ACCA course, as tutors can teach without the distractions of students in a classroom. This means you get more streamlined teaching that you can follow more easily.

Then there’s the cost involved in studying ACCA online. Distance learning is generally much cheaper than classroom learning, as the only overheads are great tutors. For students, this means you get better teaching for less.

Plus, many students tell us they prefer studying ACCA online as they can ask questions without feeling silly in front of a class. You can go at your own pace with ACCA online learning and not compete for attention with a whole class of students.

Read our article about the benefits of taking an ACCA course online.

Cons of ACCA Online Learning

Some ACCA learning providers simply record classroom lectures and deliver them to online students. While this still saves time compared to attending the classroom, it’s got the same disadvantages.

Plus, recorded lectures are even less impactful at a distance because you can’t even ask questions. If you’re going to watch full online lectures, you might as well study in the classroom.

You might also miss the real-life community you’d get with classroom learning. However, the ACCA is a global qualification, and building relationships with the online ACCA community opens doors to students on the same journey as you.

While you may miss the opportunity to ask face-to-face questions to your tutor. But every good learning provider will have personal tutor support so you can get your questions answered.

Online Classes vs Traditional Classes: The Verdict

Let’s not completely write off traditional classes. For some students, particularly those near a major learning centre, classroom learning can be a viable learning method. The tutors are generally experienced, and the content is good, even if the classroom isn’t the best way to get that content across.

However, ACCA distance learning is a much better option for most. Studying online is a more time and cost-efficient way to learn because it leverages the full potential of the online medium.

After all, other industries have embraced digital transformation for years, and now professional education is finally catching up – and so are smart students!