Online Classes: Boon or Bane?

There has been a heated debate about whether online classes are beneficial or detrimental to students during the pandemic. Both sides have valid points, and in this article, we will look at the advantages and disadvantages of online learning.

Advantages of online learning

Flexibility

While in your physical schools when you are out of your city you can attend class and you fall behind as the outcome of this in online classes you can be in another country and still be able to attend your classes. Students sick can also take advantage of this and be in the class while sleeping in your bed  

Cost-efficient

Online education not only saves time and energy but also money. In our school we have a few cleaners that come to our school and clean it and let us not talk about the lakh of food wastage that happens when a student does not have the appetite to eat more.

No language barriers

Since online education is available in most of the vernacular languages, there are no language barriers. One is free to learn new things in their own mother tongue as well. They are not bound to understand a particular language in order to follow the text, they can read the text or see a video related to it in whichever language they please, this gives them self-pride and confidence in themselves. This one is incredibly useful as the shy kids have a hard time communicating with the teachers and other students.

Underused data

If a student does not have the time to take down notes while studying online, he can always save the page or convert it into a document and download it. Unlike in traditional classrooms where the matter gets erased from the board once the teacher is finished teaching, one can always refer to what he or she has studied previously online by simply clicking on the history of the site. If the teacher shows something the students will not be able to see the students can simply take a screenshot of that screen and copy notes from that later. This lets students learn at their own pace and not go at the pace at which the teacher is teaching.

Plethora of options

There are a good number of online meets and learning management systems a school can choose from. All schools have a different philosophy they teach with some go all out on studies others focus on sports too. With this wide pallet of platforms, a school can choose what is the best for them.

Drawbacks of online learning

No face-to-face interaction

It is often possible that we misinterpret what we see or read when we do not find somebody to explain it out to us. A single punctuation error changes the real meaning of the entire sentence and as it is said half, and the improper information is even more harmful than no information. Hence, face to face interaction is particularly important for proper learning. The teachers can't use real life examples and not be able to take you to laboratories with this challenge.

No regularity or discipline

As the students are free from the regulations and boundaries of a proper classroom environment, it is obvious that the curriculum will not be maintained the way it should be. They might not study the materials in a routine manner and may start taking things lightly. There are high chances that the students might get distracted while learning online. With a few schools allowing the students to switch of their cameras this problem amplifies

No time commitment 

Since there is no one to inspect them studying they might just not complete their work and leave it unfinished further harming their own selves in the long run. A solution a few schools have taken is to give specific periods for each class so that students can work on their assignments

Technological challenges

Online learning is helpful to only those students who have access to a proper internet connection and have devices such as laptop and computers. Students without it cannot rely on online learning. There can be many instances when the student’s device crashes, or their internet connection switches out never mind the black outs for those unlucky students. A few students and teachers may also not know how to use their device, and this could cause a big problem if the students want to study without disturbances.