(Newswire.net — September 13, 2023) — Since the onset of online learning, many universities have adopted a blended learning system in their instruction. Even more, students are supplementing their study efforts, now more than ever, with various tools and resources on the digital platform.
Nowadays, students can easily access expert help in their fields by searching the phrase “write my essay”. As is the norm with all new ideas, online learning has received its fair share of praise and criticism. While some laud it for its accessibility, others argue that online learning is less effective than the conventional approach.
In this article, we will analyze the impact of online education on the educational sphere and how online learning can be structured to overcome the unwanted effects.
Advantages of Online Learning
Online learning has a vast range of benefits over traditional learning. Some of the benefits of online learning include:
- Flexibility and accessibility: Unlike the traditional learning approach where students have to adhere to stringent schedules, online learning allows for flexible learning. In online settings, you can handle content at your own pace and your convenience, therefore, keeping on par with your studies without compromising your commitments.
- Affordability: Online learning allows you to study from the convenience of home, cutting on commuting, housing, and other on-campus expenses. Also, institutions may charge less for online learning as it reduces overhead costs for physical facilities and maintenance.
- Diverse learning styles: The lecture method is the go-to pedagogical approach for many tutors. This uniform approach, while suitable for some visual and auditory learners may spell doom for their kinesthetic counterparts. Online learning allows you to access content in your preferred style with some apps offering gamification.
- Personalized feedback and assessment: With online learning, you can easily identify your weak areas and focus your efforts on improving your grades. This immediate feedback also helps you during revision, allowing you to test your understanding of concepts.
Challenges and Concerns
While many people acknowledge the benefits of online learning and its potential to expand the reach of college education, some have highlighted their concerns on a couple of issues. Some of the issues regarding online learning are:
- Time management and self-discipline: Online learning requires strong self-discipline and time management skills on the student’s part. Students lacking these skills may struggle with procrastination and take ages to complete their courses.
- Quality Assurance and Academic Integrity: Unlike traditional in-class exams, it can be hard to monitor online exams. This leaves space for cheating, reducing the reliability of tests in gauging how well a learner has interacted with the study material.
- Limited hands-on and lab experiences: Some programs like healthcare and education require hands-on experience and lab work. When these courses are offered online, they deny students quality experiences, compromising the development of transferrable skills.
- Limited social interaction and networking: Having been denied physical interaction on campus grounds, students may struggle to build professional and personal relationships. This denies them handy connections that would have helped them navigate some challenges in their professional pursuits.
Conclusion
While there are positives and negatives with online learning, it is clear that online learning is here to stay. To avert the downsides, institutions are investing in measures to ensure the integrity of online learning and embracing augmented realities to ensure an immersive experience. However, there is much yet to be done to ensure that the online learning experience does not lose all the benefits presented by online learning.