In view of the coronavirus pandemic and to practice social distancing and avoid large group gatherings, school campuses are closed, classes are canceled, and virtually the entire world is attending class online from home. Like many other changes that have been forced onto our lives due to the pandemic, online learning has both its pros and cons. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Aside from the obvious health benefits online learning provides (such as reducing the rate of virus transmission, ensuring social distancing is maintained, etc.), probably the best benefit online learning provides is allowing students to work at their own pace. Since students are now working from home, they can choose to spend more time on subjects they are struggling with and less time on subjects they feel comfortable in. For example, if a student is struggling in math class but is doing well in English class, they may choose to finish their English work quickly, then devote the rest of the time studying math and using the extra time to brush up on various math skills.
Another huge benefit online learning provides is that it ensures that introverted students have the opportunity to express themselves. In a normal class, an introvert may not be willing to raise their hands and make a point to the entire class, but with an online class, they may be more willing to make use of the various functions like the chat to contribute their views. In addition, they also won’t be penalized for not speaking up in class.
One more benefit is that online learning reduces commute times for students, meaning that lots of time is saved. This allows students to wake up slightly later than usual, which is beneficial to students’ (and teachers’!) health.
Unfortunately, online learning has many downsides, too. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), over 14 percent of students lack internet access at home, which translates to roughly 9 million students. In addition, 17% of students do not have a computer at home, which makes it difficult to work at home. In total, around 42 percent of students at home face barriers to connectivity, for reasons including the inability to afford it, because they did not have a home computer, or because no internet was available in their area. This significantly hampers the ability of these students to learn at home and may result in them being disadvantaged. Luckily, school districts are trying to provide school bus wifi to students, and other areas are distributing iPads to students.
Another obvious disadvantage is the lack of interaction between students and teachers and among students themselves. This means that students are unable to build up connections between teachers and themselves, and also makes it more difficult for students to ask teachers any questions. Also, as humans are sociable animals, a lack of interaction among student friend groups is not great for mental health either. This also makes students feel very lonely.
Finally, some classes simply don’t work very well online. For example, it would be impossible to run science experiments at home. As such, subjects that rely a lot on experiments, like chemistry or biology class, would be more difficult to teach to students online. Also, subjects like gym class simply aren’t practical to be done at home.
Online learning definitely has its upsides and downsides. Are you a student currently stuck at home learning online? Let us know your thoughts below! See you next time.