Online Learning and The Way it is Reshaping the World of Education
Online Learning, Reshaping the World of Education
Online learning has shown significant growth in the past decade. It is a way of learning various subjects on electronic devices such as laptops, personal computers, mobile, etc. with the help of the internet. The rise and availability of the internet have further bolstered online education. But the speed with which online education was moving earlier is very slow when compared to its rising speed post-Covid-19 pandemic. The scenario of pandemics has changed the world irreversibly and forever. So is the case with education.
With the pandemic-led disruptive change, education is now less about books and classrooms, instead, now it is more about electronic devices and eBooks. It has opened a wide range of possibilities to teachers and educators. They are now able to teach and learn from anywhere, anytime. Covid-19 has given rise to several online learning platforms such as Coursera, Udemy, Skillshare, Udacity, Lynda, etc. that serve millions of people with Online Learning facilities. While in the beginning people felt skeptical about the online mode of learning and how it would turn out, now people are so comfortable with online education that they don’t want to go back to the previous mode of learning.
Impact of Covid-19 and Online Education on Practical-Based Courses
While the humanities subjects adapted nicely to the online mode of education, practical-based courses such as BSc, engineering, biotechnology, etc. faced a severe downside. For example, laboratory-based experiments with heavy equipment cannot be performed by a student in an online class from their home.
It also impacted students’ selection of courses during pandemics. Students were forced to join non-practical-based courses due to such situations.
A few educational institutes decided to save the practical classes for times when students will be able to come back to campus. Besides, professors at various colleges and universities were also found to resort to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) to fill the gap.
Challenges of Online Learning
Though Online Education has come as a boon during the lockdown, it is not free from challenges. Various challenges make online education tough to manage. These are:
Improper Environment: The environment and surroundings during online or remote learning are largely different from a classroom or school environment. Children have a short attention span and having a disturbing environment makes it all the more difficult to concentrate on the lesson being taught.
Technical Issues: The availability of online learning devices is still an issue in many parts of the world. Even if learning devices are available, proper internet connection and speed is a real challenge in many parts of India and the world. In such circumstances, students and teachers find it difficult to maintain the rhythm of teaching and the whole class gets disturbed.
Passiveness Among Students: Attending an online class without any class discipline and supervision is very different from sitting in a classroom in front of a teacher. In online classes, students tend to keep their videos off which obstructs proper learning by the students.
Diminished Human Interaction: Online education has made the learning process so technical that many students find it difficult to relate with their teachers and other students in the class. A missing sense of belonging is also affecting students negatively.
Effect of Online Learning on Students
Online learning has affected students both positively and negatively.
Positively speaking, it has opened a whole new dimension of the technical world to students at such a young age that they are bound to be tech-savvy when they grow old. This also saves them from having to struggle to adapt to new inventions and keeps them in tandem with the changing world order.
On the negative side, we see that excess exposure to mobile phones has made children addicted to them. Their addiction to these online devices restricts them from going out and socializing. Physical activity is particularly important for fitness which is also being hindered as students now prefer spending more time online. This is also affecting their mental health, and this makes them fall prey to irritation, anxiety, and depression, which is a huge challenge faced by our society today.
Biggest Challenge in Online Learning
The Biggest Challenge in Online Learning is the lack of proper infrastructure. While Online Learning is being made available for everyone, not everyone possesses the technology and infrastructure to make full use of this opportunity. In remote village areas, having a smartphone is still not as easy as it is in metropolitan cities. Some people struggle hard to manage basic daily necessities. Having a smartphone in such circumstances is nothing less than a dream for many people even today.
Another problem that comes to the forefront after having a smartphone is proper access and availability of internet connections and speed. This is a huge matter of concern in many areas of our country.
So, from the above discussion, we can say that online learning has both positive and some negative sides attached to it. However, online learning has indeed become indispensable, and we cannot imagine a world without online education today.