ONLINE
EDUCATION
In a world shaped by
the coronavirus
pandemic, online
education shined bright
in 2020. As schools re-
open amid the COVID-
19 pandemic, students
are facing challenges
they've never imagined.
The Covid-19
pandemic has led to
many significant
changes in the way we
live, learn and work. The
need to quickly adapt
how education is
provided has been a
priority of education
institutions around the
world.
What is online education?
Online education is a form of
education where students use their
home computers through the
internet.
Online learning is a great
alternative to traditional
universities, especially for people
who can’t afford the time and
money to take real courses. But
what are the advantages and
disadvantages of online learning?
The advantages and dis-advantages
of online learning?
ADVANTAGES DIS-ADVANTAGES
■ Efficiency ■ Inability To Focus On Screens
For many students, one of the biggest challenges of online learning is the
Online learning offers teachers an efficient way to deliver lessons to struggle with focusing on the screen for long periods of time. With online learning, there
students. Online learning has a number of tools such as videos, PDFs, is also a greater chance for students to be easily distracted by social media or other
podcasts, and teachers can use all these tools as part of their lesson plans. sites. Therefore, it is imperative for the teachers to keep their online classes crisp,
By extending the lesson plan beyond traditional textbooks to include online engaging, and interactive to help students stay focused on the lesson.
resources, teachers are able to become more efficient educators.
■ Technology Issues
■ Accessibility Of Time And Place
Another key challenge of online classes is internet connectivity. While internet
penetration has grown in leaps and bounds over the past few years, in smaller cities and
It allows students to attend classes from any location of their choice. It towns, a consistent connection with decent speed is a problem. Without a consistent
also allows schools to reach out to a more extensive network of students, internet connection for students or teachers, there can be a lack of continuity in learning
for the child. This is detrimental to the education process.
instead of being restricted by geographical boundaries. Additionally, online
lectures can be recorded, archived, and shared for future reference. This
■ Sense Of Isolation
allows students to access the learning material at a time of their comfort.
Students can learn a lot from being in the company of their peers. However, in
■ Affordability an online class, there are minimal physical interactions between students and teachers.
This often results in a sense of isolation for the students. In this situation, it is imperative
that the school allow for other forms of communication between the students, peers, and
It reduced financial costs. Online education is far more affordable as teachers. This can include online messages, emails and video conferencing that will
compared to physical learning. This is because online learning eliminates the allow for face-to-face interaction and reduce the sense of isolation.
cost points of student transportation, student meals, and most importantly, real
estate. Additionally, all the course or study materials are available online, thus ■ Manage Screen Time
creating a paperless learning environment which is more affordable, while
also being beneficial to the environment. Many parents are concerned about the health hazards of having their children
spend so many hours staring at a screen. This increase in screen time is one of the
biggest concerns and disadvantages of online learning. Sometimes students also
develop bad posture and other physical problems due to staying hunched in front of a
screen.
In conclusion, online learning should be seen as a complement and extension of classical forms of learning. Not even the best online course can fully replace the personal contact with a teacher, or the human relationships that develop
in a group. So, traditional classes shouldn’t be replaced with online learning.
