The COVID-19 pandemic has become a global health issue and has had a major

impact on education. These conditions have led to the "new normal" - the
adaptation of synchronous and asynchronous online classes. This pandemic has
changed how our education system works. From face to face classes before, we
are now conducting classes online to fight the spread of coronavirus and maintain
healthy social-distancing. Distance learning is something which is very much of a
new concept to me.
The method of teaching may have changed but our classes are still like before.
Well of course, we have easier access to course materials, classroom discussions,
and feedback to teachers. Online education enables our teacher and us students
to set our own learning pace, and there’s the added flexibility of setting a
schedule that fits everyone’s agenda. On top of that, not only do we save time,
but we also save money, which can be spent on other priorities.
But online class isn’t just all fun online. Compared to learning in a physical
classroom, online classes seem more difficult because you don’t get the hands-on
learning like you do in a physical classroom. Though distance learning works for
me, for some students they find it too difficult to cope up with this learning
method. There would be times that we’ll randomly get disconnected because of
poor connection or there is no electricity. Meanwhile, some students do not even
have the sufficient internet data to send a requirement to their teachers, let alone
the means to attend their online classes.
For many students, one of the biggest challenges of online learning is the struggle
with focusing on the screen for long periods of time. With online learning, there is
also a greater chance for students to be easily distracted by social media or other
sites. And to be honest, online class is really exhausting, not only for us but for
our teachers as well.
Students and teachers also have their own struggles while accessing these online
platforms and the pandemic has shown us that online learning is going to be part
of our reality, and now it’s up to students to seek out new opportunities and ways
to go through it just like the normal times.