In the report on the closure of Byte Academy Singapore (Byte Academy closes its doors in Singapore; ST Online, June 14), it was mentioned that a course was cut short, as the instructor had to return to the United States. This situation highlights one of the many shortcomings of physical classrooms.

Employees seeking skill upgrades often require a flexible course of study due to busy work schedules.

Traditional courses come with cumbersome constraints, in contrast to the flexibility in location, time and pace offered by massive open online courses.

Additionally, many online courses are free, whereas traditional courses can cost up to tens of thousands of dollars.

Some may argue that the fees can be attributed to the recognised degrees such courses provide, implying higher chances of employment.

Indeed, a degree can help a person land interviews more easily, but one still needs to prove oneself through soft skills and the ability to keep up with changes.

Massive open online courses are more efficient than traditional teaching in its dissemination of the latest techniques. Also, completing online courses and following its updates reinforce soft skills like time management, resourcefulness and adaptability.

Hence, more people should explore online courses.

Kwa Shi Min,16, Secondary 4 student