Online Learning: Pros and Cons

 (An essay on online education)

The subject of online learning ; though it is not a novel concept to the world , comes into public discussion more than ever  with the current global corona pandemic. Online learning means learning using the facilities offered by the internet. It is a form of distant learning. 

Online learning has two forms. One is learning live using, for example, Zoom or Team web applications. The other is learning by exchanging educational materials like worksheets and tutorials via ,  for example,  e-mail or WhatsApp. However, the most popular form of online learning is the former mode: learning live. 

The teacher and the student  are not physically present in an online classroom. In a live online classroom, the teacher appears on the student's computer screen and explains the lesson using a whiteboard, a PowerPoint presentation or sometimes, merely orally, depending on the need of the subject. The teaching aids could vary depending on the age group and the subject taught. 

Here, the teacher gets an opportunity to focus on even minute parts of a lesson which the teacher might have ,perhaps, overlooked or missed in a physical classroom. The teacher naturally makes an extra effort to pass down the lesson to the learner. The teacher always works with the doubt haunting in mind if the learner could grasp the lesson in his or her absence. This unnatural environment may perhaps lead the teacher to end up with a successful lesson.

  The success of an online lesson ( any lesson in a physical classroom as well for that matter )  depends on the teacher's preparation. The teacher has to move an extra step forward here: that is to prepare the learning materials or worksheets taking some extra time and communicate it to the learner before the class starts. Clearly, the teacher has an added workload here than conducting a normal physical class. It really is a tiring job for the teacher. 

A live online classroom provides facilities for the learner to reach out to the teacher and get any matters cleared. Simply, the learner can switch on his mic or the video cam and contact the teacher. The teacher also can at any moment contact a student to make sure that the learner focuses attention on the lesson. The modern online classrooms have been provided with all the facilities for classroom management. For example ,the teacher can add or remove a student at any time, mark the presence , mute trouble makers etc.  

The success of an online classroom depends on the active learner-teacher participation. It is the teacher's responsibility here to make the classroom more physical than online. The teacher's dedication and creativity could make the learner feel that he is present in a physical classroom. A creative teacher can make the online classroom less teacher centered. 

A student's learning capacity is an individualistic factor. No student is equal to another. The teacher should address this diversity while in the process of teaching and preparing learning materials. This is where the teacher's supervision of the learner and close observation count. Though the physical classroom provides this opportunity,  there is a distant opportunity for such monitoring in an online classroom. This opportunity helps the teacher adapt the lessons to suit the classroom. 

Beside this, an experienced teacher uses even eye contact to identify a learner struggling through a lesson. The teacher is deprived of this valuable and most necessary opportunity in an online classroom. 

Personality development is a part of the learning process. Learning cannot be boiled down to mere learning of the subject matter.  Teaching and learning is a wide and complicated process. A teacher should pay attention to all aspects of a learner's development in the teaching process. The teacher is really a facilitator. His or her job is facilitating the learner to develop skills. This cannot be  achieved in an online classroom environment. 

Classroom is the place where a student's social interact and qualities like caring and sharing are developed. Volunteering before a crowd for a presentation, good manners , emotional balance etc. are some other qualities that needs to be moulded in a student before releasing him or her to the wider society. 

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On the other hand, less physical activity in an online classroom environment could create numerous health problems in a child. The prolonged hanging over to the online classroom in an isolated place can cause phycological problems in a child.  

The physical classroom enables the overall development of a student. In short, a college can be compared to a factory where a complete citizen is created to carry forward the next generation. 

In a physical classroom the teacher continuously assess the student. It is an important part of facilitating learning. There is a possibility of cheating in an online classroom situation. Therefore , the teacher cannot conduct a genuine assessment of the student. 

An online classroom is successful to some extent  for higher studies where the teaching of the subject matter is the key factor. An adult student is a person who has come a long away in the process of learning passing many stages of character development. His motive is achieving excellence in his target subject or field. The aims and objectives of  students engaged in higher studies are different from an ordinary school going child. He or she is a matured person. 

However, online learning can be considered as a blessing in a pandemic situation where social distancing is a key factor in combatting a highly contagious disease like Covid-19. It is the best option available for the learner to pursue education until the situation becomes safe enough for resuming classroom learning. 

Equality in education is a basic human right. One can question as to whether online modes of education guarantee this basic need. The main reason for this is , in reality , certain sections in the society do not enjoy the necessary facilities needed for online learning. Uninterrupted internet facilities , a device for getting connected to the classroom , electricity , certain geographical problems etc.  are some of the problems  faced by the online learner.  On the other hand, when a country is combatting a pandemic or war situation making afore said facilities available is a distant possibility. 

As a whole, the current global pandemic has taught the world numerous lessons for future. This pandemic situation could be a blessing in disguise to prepare the future human generation safe from any type of threat.        

Sajendra Kumara

A trained teacher of English, Sri Lanka. 

0777597875