Internet delivery of education provides many benefits and limitations to both the student and the educational institution. Some of the benefits of Internet-based courses to the student include:
1. Flexibility to pursue education at personally convenient times.
2. Ability to take time to compose thoughts contributed to class discussions on newsgroups or listservs (asynchronous communication).
3. Ability to interact with classmates in different locations using real time text, audio, or video (synchronous communication).
4. Reduction or elimination of travel cost to attend lectures.
5. Wider range of students in a class (regional, national or global participation) resulting in a wider range of opinions and views shared in class discussions.
6. Ability to progress in the course material at the student's own pace (self-paced learning) and in order of their own personal needs (non-linear learning).