Will Online Learning Ever Rule The World?

Online learning is a form of distance education where people get educated over the internet. It is often called e-learning. Students learn in a fully virtual environment. It was introduced in the 90s but it picked up the pace after the world became highly reliable on the internet. Almost every course is now being delivered online. You name it and it will appear on the internet. All you have to do is pay a sum of money and get yourself enrolled. Some institutions and colleges offer free courses as well.

POPULARITY OF ONLINE CLASSES
Online classes are becoming more and more popular around the globe. Due to the ongoing pandemic, online classrooms are leading their way into every student’s world. Schools and colleges didn’t open for months. Lessons and examinations are being conducted online. Every student has been sitting in front of their laptop or mobile screen for months.

TYPES OF ONLINE LEARNING

We have already discussed what is online learning and how it is finding its way into everyone’s life. Let’s discuss the types of online learning:

1) Asynchronous Online Classes

Virtual Classroom meetings do not take place in this type of learning. Students are provided with content and assignments. They are given a certain time frame to complete their course and exams. The discussions are conducted through discussion boards, emails, blogs, etc. This type of learning gives more flexibility to the students. They can learn at their own pace. This type of learning is greatly fancied even among the working class.

2) Synchronous Online Classes

This type of learning involves interaction between the instructor and students at the same time. They participate in learning activities together from any place in the world. Real-time Synchronous Online classes involve online chats and video conferencing. These tools allow participants and instructors to ask and answer questions. It has similarities with webinars and helps interaction through chats, video, or audio calls. This type of e-learning eliminates many disadvantages that can be seen in Asynchronous Online classes like social isolation, and communication issues between teachers and students.

3) Hybrid Courses

This type of learning is a mixture of in-person and online classes. This type, of course, helps students to meet their instructors several times a year. In this type of learning, students often get their feedback through quizzes or tests online. These types of classes are often helped with pre-recorded sessions, lectures, etc. Another type of hybrid learning includes students self-studying a particular topic and interacting with the teachers when they meet and also clear their doubts.

4) Competency-Based Online Courses

This kind of learning is based on a specific skill. In this type of learning a particular skill is taught to master and support employment goals. A mentor will look after the learning process. The competencies for the particular skill will be checked. It is often a self-paced program. There won’t be pre-recorded sessions or other materials. The instructor along with the student creates a learning process. They use web documents. Books help the learner develop skills. Nowadays, this type of learning is also followed in many colleges and has become a requirement for getting a degree.

Online classes offer a lot of convenience. It should come as no surprise that people have mixed feelings about online learning. Some are completely in favour of it, while others are vehemently opposed. However, given recent developments, it may be time to reconsider this method of education. Though technology has advanced to a level that people sitting in their bedrooms can take lessons from people who are miles away from them, let us put light on the pros and cons of online education.

ADVANTAGES OF E-LEARNING

It provides greater efficiency for learning. The teachers can easily deliver lessons using several online tools. Videos, PDFs, and podcasts can be used for such types of learning. The lessons can be explained in detail with the help of a huge number of online sources available.
Online classes are much more convenient than traditional classroom classes. The thought of travelling to get to the classroom burdens quite a huge number of people. Online classes are virtual and it is the best way to take classes from the comfort of homes. The classes can also be attended even while travelling to someplace. The only thing required is a laptop or smartphone and a stable internet connection.
When we have talked about convenience in the previous point, let’s discuss accessibility. It allows students to attend classes from anywhere in the world. This means that schools can reach out to more students irrespective of geographical boundaries. The materials provided can be accessed at any time from any corner of the world.
Online learning is much more affordable in comparison to physical learning. The financial costs get reduced to a greater extent. The transportation costs can be eliminated. Even if it is useful in creating a paperless learning environment in turn it is beneficial for the environment.

In this type of learning, students get a comfortable environment to learn and several ways of learning. They can work on themselves without the fear of feeling ashamed before fellow students. Even this type of learning is quite helpful for introverted students or solo learners.
Online learning can be personalized in many ways with a wide range of options and resources. It can be personalized according to the needs of the student.
Online learning helps in better interactions. There are options for private chat as well so the shy students can clear their doubts easily. The notes given by the instructors can be downloaded and revised as many times as needed. There are online tests and quizzes which help in the personal growth of the students and make sessions more interactive.
There are more learning opportunities worldwide. Now sitting in India, you can take lessons from the instructor sitting in the USA or UK. A whole world can be accessed through online learning.

DISADVANTAGES OF ONLINE LEARNING

Online learning is done sitting in the comfortable space of our homes but it may create a sense of isolation. Some extroverts may not like it. However, there are virtual classrooms that don’t satisfy the students who are more interested in physical learning. Eliminating traditional classes also adds to the disadvantage of not knowing the ones who are in the same class.
The self-discipline factor is missing in Online learning. Some students may back off from the classes as they may feel they are not properly guided. Physical group activities couldn’t be performed and this adds to a major disadvantage.
Students lack emotional and moral growth in this type of learning. They are deprived of making friends in such learning models. The students feel emotionally stressed at times with such types of learning. They even lose the competitive spirit which is much needed for education. A student’s overall development gets hampered with such type of learning.
This type of learning requires additional efforts to be put in by the instructors to make learning more interactive and successful. Without that extra effort, deep insight into online learning is not possible. The instructors must be fully aware of the online tools and approaches that would help and help add advantages. Separate training is required for the instructors to deal with the online tools.
Screen time is a major disadvantage in online learning. It affects the health of students and instructors. The radiation effect comes into play which causes major mood swings, irritation, and other health problems. The students often deviate from their classes towards social media while everything is present on their smart devices.
Another disadvantage is technical issues. If you do not have a stable internet connection, then online learning is a mere waste of time. Internet connection plays a very crucial role and online classes are often subjected to technical glitches. The devices are getting better but it is still not the same for a student accessing online classes from an isolated location.

EPILOGUE

Though there are quite a lot of advantages over disadvantages, still online learning is not completely acceptable. This type of learning is not very kid-friendly and it can cause major health issues in kids. The kids, who have been just introduced to the world of learning may face a lot of difficulties with such learning models. An age bar is needed to introduce such learning to make students understand better and also to cope with the changing environment. It must be taken care that the sense of isolation doesn’t completely consume the kid at a young age. Interaction with counterparts is much needed for development and overall growth. The traditional classrooms are a happy place where students can learn, eat, play, and compete together but abolishing all such things through online classes will not only make the world a gloomy place to live in but also a place with less interaction on personal levels. It will stick the kids to their screens and devoid them of personal growth. They will not have any grounds to engage in extra-curricular activities. So, basically, we will have a generation of “LITERATE GLOOMY INDIVIDUALS”.