As a result of the pandemic, everything in the economy has changed and shifted to online. This is now considered as the ‘new normal’. The education ministry has increased the use of online learning devices. Due to Covid19, people have discovered new ways to learn. All around the globe, educational institutions are drifting towards online platforms. Today, digital learning has developed as vital support for students and institutes around the world. For most institutes, this is an entirely new way of learning to adapt. Digital platforms are now operating for academics as well as for extracurricular activities. In recent months, the requirement for online learning has progressed rapidly and will continue doing so in the upcoming future. Just like most education techniques, it has his own set of advantages and disadvantages. Interpreting and understanding these positives and negatives will help institutes in planning policies for more effective lessons, guaranteeing a continuous education journey for learners.
Advantages of Online Learning
Efficiency
Digital education helps teachers to deliver their lessons efficiently. Online learning can be interactive for students as it includes videos and podcasts that can be accessed by teachers during lessons.
Accessibility
One of the advantages of online learning is that students can attend classes from any place of their preference. It helps the institutes to reach out to an expanded network of students, instead of being restricted to geographical barriers. Additionally, these lectures can be recorded and utilised for future references. It enables the students to obtain learning materials at a time of their convenience and availability.
Another advantage of online learning is cost-efficiency. It is affordable in comparison to physical training. It happens due to cost reductions in transportation, meals and housing. Whereas all courses and study materials are available online, thus generating a paperless learning environment.
Disadvantages of Online Learning
Focus
Most students believe this to be one of their biggest problems of online learning as they can’t focus on screens for long durations. As education is online, students are more prone to being distracted from their studies as their focus can be drifted towards social media. Therefore, to get their attention, teachers should keep the classes interactive and engaging.
Technology
Most students face problems associated with their internet connectivity. Whilst internet connectivity has grown worldwide, there can still be issues in smaller towns and centres. Without a consistent internet connection, students and teachers will face tremendous disruptions during the learning process.
Professional Training
Online learning requires professors to have a basic understanding of digital platforms. However, in most cases, a broader knowledge is still required to operate classroom programs. Sometimes, they don’t have the necessary support and devices to conduct the sessions. To resist this, schools need to fund training for professors with the most advanced technology so that they can handle their online classes easily.
Screen Time
Many parents are concerned about the health difficulties of their children, due to the long hours staring at the computer screens. The extended screen hours are one of the drawbacks of online classes. Sometimes people develop issues from long hours leaning in front of a screen. To avoid these problems, universities should provide plenty of breaks during each online session.
