Online education:Alternative choice in pandemic.RIYA FATHIMA.LEC052036

 

ONLINE EDUCATION: ALTERNATIVE CHOICE IN PANDEMIC

Online education used to be an extra support for the academics. Due to Covid-19, online classes became an alternative to classroom learning. As a result, education has changed distinctively and e-learning rise higher. Online learning has pros and cons and so that how it has affected the essence of engagement of students must be overlooked. Due to long time existence of pandemic,  E -learning brought chaos in obtaining fruitful learning.

The universities and students were not prepared for such a transition and their online teaching –learning process evolved gradually. Though the teachers and students could schedule classes according to their comfort, there are many factors which contributed to inefficacy in learning. Internet connectivity is crucial in e-learning. Having a non-disrupting internet connection is mandatory to ensure better engagement and fulfill the goal of learning. Without a consistent internet connection, there can be a lack of continuity in academics for child. There is a digital divide between those from privileged and disadvantaged backgrounds. Not everybody can have access to good internet connection and afford digital devices. So students from underprivileged get excluded. There are various technical issues which hinders e-learning such as problems with audio and video, login problems, downloading errors…

The success of online teaching is how the student engage with the study curriculum. Sometimes student finds online teaching to be boring and unengaging. Another huge issue is personal attention from teachers to each student. Students want two-way interaction which sometimes gets difficult to execute. The learning process would not be complete until students imbibe and practice what they learn. Sometimes online content is theoretical and does not let students practice and learn effectively. The major issue to be resolved is about the student engagements, stress and managements. Students feel technical measurements, difficulties in understanding instructional goals, lack of community are the major barriers for online learning.

Access to library and availability of study materials are not within easy reach. Depending too much on online materials is not comfortable to many. Staring at the screens for a long time is a problem faced by both students and teachers.  It leads to minor pain in eyes and back. With online learning, there is also a greater choice for students to be easily distracted by social media and other sites.

Absence of physical interaction creates a gap between students and teachers. This results in a sense of isolation. By interacting and studying with their peers was a learning method before ,but it lacks now. So communication between students and teachers are necessary  between students and teachers are necessary to maintain a healthy atmosphere. Online learning requires teachers to have a basic understanding of using digital forms of learning. To combat this, it is important for schools to invest in training teachers with the latest technology updates so they can conduct classes seamlessly.

Pandemic made classes to shift to online as an alternative which is not about only drawbacks; there are many benefits for e-learning. Covid has affected across the globe and thus coming back to normal situation is a difficult task. That’s why compromising classes would not be a solution. The flexibility, time is boon to students and teachers. They can conduct classes according to their convenience. Anybody from any location can learn from their comfort and it also enhances and internet skills.

In this unprecedented time, sustaining and managing our education through online class is necessary. Though the learning method has many cons, pros cannot be abstained. To improve education for students in this new-normal phase , organizing, structuring and preparing to create good atmosphere and brilliant learning method through online is absolutely essential.

 

 

References

https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/sage-journals.1/3/2021