Covid Awareness

IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON ONLINE LEARNING

The COVID-19 pandemic has been nothing short of a nightmare. During this pandemic, schools, colleges, offices, and other institutions shut down and were ushered into using online platforms for education. Online learning was very new and uncomfortable for everyone in the starting. With no other option at hand, most students started getting used to this novel mode of learning. If anything, students are now that we are accustomed to this new ‘normal’ form of education; let’s look at its positive and negative sides.

The negative impact of online education

1. Missed proximity with students

As a result of online education, any form of physical, social interaction between teachers and students is missing because we are very far away from one another. Now recall those days when you were present in physical school/college. Taking with our friends in between classes, walking down our school hallways- are all small interactions that, of course, we cannot have now. Group studies are no longer the same; physically being there helped share our ideas more effectively and create emotional ties between students, or between students and teachers!

2. Multiple disconnections

Technical issues are bound to happen in online education, especially given that it is a new model of education for all. No matter how much a child is trying to concentrate in the class, wifi issues- on both student’s sides or the professor’s side, battery issues, camera/audio issues, and so many other factors can disrupt their attention.

3. No access to education for people with no or low socio-economic power

In online education, we might assume that everyone has access to the internet and electronic gadgets, but this is not the case. However, there are a large number of students with either no or low socio-economic power. They cannot afford broadband connections and electronics and are thus most vulnerable to fall behind in learning, or encounter additional challenges to meet up with others in online learning.

4. Study environment

Why did your parents send you to school? Why not ask you to self-study at home? That is because going to school- a place where everyone comes to study- provides an enriching environment. Group studying also increases concentration and produces healthy competition amongst peers. On the other hand, when learning takes place in the comfort of your home, why would you bother listening to online lectures when there are loads of distractors like Instagram, music, or even sleep! And even if when you are trying to study hard, intrusions of family members or pets cause a lot of disturbance and don’t let you get into that ‘study mood,’ right?

5. Exams and supervision

In online learning, assessments are often carried on online platforms themselves, whereby instructors are limited to proxy supervision of learners, making it impossible to regulate and control cheating! No matter how much you try not to cheat, you might sneak a glance or two at the book to be sure if you are writing the correct answer or not. Don’t worry, you are not the only one. Due to cheating in online exams, teachers cannot successfully evaluate where a child stands on academic grounds.

Positive impacts of online teaching

While the negative impact of online learning is large, it does have a few advantages too!

1. Self-motivation

During online classes, teachers expect students to be independent, learn on their own, and engage with the material that they are teaching. Self-motivation is a crucial life skill. When you are going to work in offices, later on, your employers expect you to be independent, go after things that interest you, and seek new opportunities and ways of doing things. The more you devote yourself to it, the more you’ll succeed.

2. Improved virtual communication

Learning to work with others in a virtual environment can improve your leadership and communication skills by expressing your ideas clearly, getting responses, and projecting a professional image. While communicating with your teachers online, they expect you to write thoughtful, and polite emails or messages, respond to different perspectives and build a rapport with your peers.

3. Connecting across the globe

Thanks to technology, you now get to log on from any location. Students not only have the opportunity to network with people from around the globe, but they can also broaden their perspective and become more aware of different cultures.

4. Learning new technological skills

From online learning, you are unintentionally learning more digital learning materials, getting familiar with new tools and software, and troubleshooting common issues. In the end, you are versed in some widely used collaboration tools, content management systems, and apps like skype, zoom, telegram, etc