Online learning has become an essential part of education in the modern world, especially since the pandemic started. It’s no wonder that educational institutes have become more and more akin to having lectures on online platforms.
In this article, you’ll learn what kind of platforms developers have come up with to give education in the digital space, and some of the major advantages and disadvantages of the online education system.
Online Learning Platforms
There are numerous online learning platforms available to the public. Some popular ones include Zoom, Google Meet, and Google Classroom. These allow teachers to broadcast lectures live while recording them and sharing learning materials with students.
There are also online courses provided by universities, industry professionals, or vocational institutes. Coursera, Udemy, and Masterclass are only some of these online course providers. In these, you can access courses on any subject that will help you learn industry secrets that you might not learn in traditional classrooms.
For more information on how you can download Zoom, visit https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us and you can access courses on a variety of subjects on www.udemy.com.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Learning
Every teaching method has its negatives and positives and it is the same with online learning. Being able to understand what they are will be helpful to all teachers and educational institutes. This will ensure a smoother learning process for students.
Advantages
1) Accessibility
Online education has made it possible for students to access their learning materials from anywhere in the world so even if they do not participate in lectures live, they can access the recorded lecture.
It has also provided students access not only to lectures but to all the materials they need. Books that cannot be found in bookshops can now easily be found on the internet making access to materials better than ever.
2) Affordability
Traditional education demands quite a lot out of the student’s pocket for various resources, including food, learning materials, and transportation. With online learning, the cost of education per student has dropped significantly since they do not have to pay for transportation and take-away food.
Moreover, with learning materials being free to access in PDF forms all over the internet, the heavy cost students had to invest in learning materials has drastically reduced.
3) Increased Teaching Efficiency
It is not just the students who experience the benefits of online learning. Teachers also experience a considerable number of benefits when it comes to their teaching processes. Tools such as PDFs, videos, and PowerPoint presentations allow teachers to fully engage the students in the teaching-learning process.
Online learning platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet have custom online tools such as the screen share option that help teachers accomplish this.
Disadvantages
1) Limited Social Interaction
Online learning can be fun but it takes a heavy toll on the student’s social life. Since students and teachers do not meet each other physically, it hinders their interpersonal skills.
Reduced social interaction in this manner can result in the students feeling isolated which may lead to mental health issues later on.
2) Technological Issues
Online learning is still technology-oriented and more often than not they are prone to breakdowns. Having technical issues in the middle of a lecture can be frustrating enough but prolonged issues lead to a hindering learning and teaching experience. Issues of this kind also require a lot of money to fix.
3) Lack of Attention
Prolonged exposure to screens can be distracting and it is not guaranteed that students, no matter their age, will keep their attention on their teacher. They might get distracted by social media and the like and stop paying attention to class. They might even fall asleep in front of the screen in boredom all of which leads to an undesirable experience for both the teacher and the student.
