Online Learning: Education without leaving home

Online learning is the greatest revolution in contemporary education. It made a huge

change in the system and opened great opportunities for everyone who wants to learn
something new. Nevertheless, online education is still related to stereotypes. People often think
that online students are not smart enough for a traditional school or university. These claims
discourage many people from taking online courses, so they get stuck in the traditional
educational system that consumes a huge deal of money, nerves, and years of their lives. We
can have some advantages for online learning that will make you reconsider your attitude
towards this type of education.
You can learn whatever you want. You can pick the program of your dreams in
traditional education, too, but that would involve traveling away from home, living in a
completely unknown city, and struggling in an extremely competitive learning environment.
With online education, you can take any program or course present in traditional four-year
universities. For example, let’s say you’re most interested in neuroscience. All it takes is a
Google search for such an online course, and you’ll easily find the online programs offered by
some of the most prestigious universities from all around the world. You can take such a course
even if you have no aspirations to apply that knowledge in your future profession, but you’re
simply curious to discover new interests and understand how the human brain works. The great
variety of online programs and courses is a huge advantage of this type of education. It doesn’t
matter where you live and what you want to study. Also, you can always find a suitable course
or even a degree program that you can follow from home.
Comfort. Forget about attending classes for hours, sitting in an uncomfortable chair, and
suffering from back pain by the end of the day. You will not be bound to the physical class
session when you opt for online education. All lectures and needed materials are provided via
online platforms, so you’ll easily access them from the comfort of your home. You will not
take public transport to get to campus, you won’t have to spend money on gas for your car, and
you won’t have to get up early to get dressed for class and the list of conveniences goes on and
on.
Self-paced learning. When you start browsing through interesting online courses and
programs, you’ll notice the Self-Paced label on most of them. What does this mean? Self-paced
learning means that the students can start completing the targets at any time, and he can arrange
a learning schedule that meets their individual needs. A self-paced system enables them to
make progress with a rhythm that suits them. This type of system does not require attending
live sessions; you can access the materials at any time that works for you. If you have to work
or take care of your home and children during the day, you can study at night. That’s an
advantage the traditional educational system cannot beat.
Online learning makes learning simple. The old complex way of learning carrying a
large volume of books can be simply wiped away by one click on computer buttons. Globally,
universities offer online learning facilities for every student enrolled at that institution. The E-
learning comprises features such as online classes, registration, results, and E-library. The
learning environment is enhanced via the applicability of online sources which are latest and
accurate using studying websites such as Researchgate.
Negative effects of online learning
Online classes don't offer the same immediate and regular access to instructors and
classmates as traditional face-to-face classes. The communication typically takes place
through e-mail and in virtual discussion forums. While this can aid in learning technology, it
negatively impacts a student's ability to interact with professors, ask questions, and get
immediate help. It also takes away from some of the social and team-building that occurs
informally in college classrooms. Additionally, students don't have regular contact with class
peers, who can offer assignment reminders and encouragement to complete projects and
assignments. This also applies to team activities since you don't have direct interaction with
classmates pushing you to complete your responsibilities. Also, students in rural areas find it
difficult to have internet due to poor infrastructure and poor road networks in most regions of
our country. Thus, the government must promote the use of computers and electronic gadgets
such as cellphones to be included in the learning environment from childhood. Schools
should be allocated computers with the internet for learning purposes, this ensures that
students will be technologically intelligent and they will find it less complex in operating
computers.
Currently, the world is battling with Coronavirus which caused every nation to mourn
their loved ones. This deadly disease is contagious meaning that the virus can be spread when
people get conduct to each other. The health experts informed the world that to avoid the
spread of coronavirus social distance for about one meter apart must be maintained. Learning
institutions are closed globally, students mindset as of now is idle because of lacking conduct
with their teachers. Therefore, the use of online learning is the safest way of learning because it
requires a laptop or smartphone and internet access no physical conduct required. The world is
dynamic, school institutions need to adopt online learning as the modern way of learning.
Distance learning results accessing are the manifestations of the use of online learning. The
substitution of physical contact learning made the learning environment simple and accurate
researches is now done using the internet with the latest information other than information
from old and outdated books located in libraries. Online learning has to meet the conducive
environment which the governments need to intervene and assist in the implementation of
online learning.
Classroom learning promotes an open exchange of ideas and face-to-face interaction of
the students and the teachers. The classroom learning also promotes socialization among the
teachers and the students via team projects, peer evaluation, and group discussions.
The classroom is a positive place where a student can come to work toward specific goals set
before them in the class objectives. The teacher is to be positive, organized, outgoing,
confident, and compassionate. Classroom behavior and classroom communities are very
cohesive components of classroom management. For decades, there has been evidence
that classroom techniques designed to get students to participate in the learning process
produces better educational outcomes at virtually all levels. A positive learning environment is
the one where learners feel involved and responsible for their learning while being comfortable
enough to fully participate in group and individual activities. Listening well is one of the most
important skills needed to be a teacher.
Effective listening skills also help a teacher better understand their students and tailor
lessons to reach them how they learn best. That’s why classroom environment is one of the
most important factors affecting student learning. Such
an environment provides relevant content, clear learning goals and feedback, opportunities to
build social skills, and strategies to help students succeed. The physical atmosphere of
the classroom can help prevent behavior issues as well as promote and improve learning. The
structuring of the learning environment is essential for teachers and students. A supportive
learning environment can mean the difference between having a good day and a bad day.
Educational disadvantage is demonstrated in many ways, most often in poor levels of
participation and achievement in the formal education system. There are other ways in which
children may be disadvantaged, for example as a result of a disability, literacy difficulties, ill
health, and poverty. Every student must assess their unique situation and decide according to
their needs and goals, and while this alternative to traditional education is not for everyone, it's
still a convenient option with virtually endless options for international students all over the
world. People will learn to use the two together. However, when it comes to the debate of one
over the other specifically for higher education, the truth is that online learning can never
really replace an in-campus experience.