Taha Maknoo is the founder of the skill development platform, Early Seeker. He hails from Kashmir and has 3+ years of experience in the e-learning sector. Coming from a business background, Taha plans to help students in terms of internships and placements with Early Seeker as well.
A lot has changed since we masked up in 2019. From shops moving online to teachers shouting “turn your cameras on”, our lives underwent a Damascus experience. And while a lot of things still seem unsettling, we have started to make peace with some of these changes.
Online education, a major outcome of this change has led to a shift in the learning patterns of students globally. It is the need for the hour and has ushered in a new era of the teaching-learning process.
In the midst of a global pandemic caused by the Coronavirus, online education is new and interesting. This school system is well-known in many developed countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom. Online education has paved the way for transformative creativity in the teaching-learning process. This method is unique, and it has had varied outcomes for different people.
The most significant merit of online education is that it is accessible to all, but the most significant demerit is that it is still not recognised on par with traditional education.
Challenges faced in online education:
- Lack of face-to-face interaction: When we can’t find someone to clarify what we’re reading, we’re more likely to fall prey to mistakes. A single punctuation error alters the whole meaning of the text, and as the saying goes, half and the incorrect information is more detrimental than no information. Face-to-face contact is therefore critical for effective learning.
- No regularity or discipline: It is self-evident that the curriculum will not be maintained as it should be since the pupil are not bound by the rules and bounds of an appropriate classroom setting. They may stop studying the contents on a regular basis and begin to take things for granted which will affect their grades and overall learning. There’s a good risk that kids will be distracted when learning online. Distractions may come in the form of social media or a phone call from a friend. (It would be ironic enough if the person calling would also be the one taking online classes).
Other challenges include a higher dropout rate. It would be unfortunate if the students instead of completing their respective schools choose to leave it altogether because they couldn’t get good grades. Not investing adequate time in classes, technological challenges i.e., negligible access to tech and internet due to financial conditions also add insult to the injuries.
Benefits of Online Education:
- Flexible system: Flexibility is the principal advantage of online education. A student can adjust his study timings according to his own needs. Simultaneously, the environment around him can be altered between a room or an open park thus making him break the shackles of a stagnant classroom.
- Wide range of courses: Through online education, one can select one’s own combination of subjects, regardless of the percentage needed to take up that specific subject.
Online education has brought the world of learning to the doorsteps of a student providing a plethora of courses with the help of which he can excel in any and every field.
- A gateway to the modern world: With elearning companies claiming that they have some of the best instructors at hand, it has fairly become easier for the students to settle for instructors of their choice. Courses and careers in fields like personality development, gaming, cinematography, journalism have become easier, especially with the presence of some of the most diverse courses in the presence of the tutors of one’s choice.
Online courses and degree programs are more convenient and cheaper than their counterparts. Those are the two main advantages of online learning that lead many students to opt for online platforms when they want to earn a degree or a certificate.
The best thing about online learning is that you can learn in a relaxed manner even if you don’t want to get certified. You only need passion for learning and a quick online search that will take you to the right course. From that point on, you will be the author of your own education.
Covid has choked any chances of offline studying but the alternative is innovative and interesting and looking at today’s scenario, it might just be the new norm.