Online Education System: Evaluating Its Pros and Cons

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Considering the present-day situation of the COVID-19 outbreak, the concept of online education has gained more prominence than ever before.

From students looking for the best college essays online to educators offering live tutoring via webcams, there are a lot of things happening around us these days. Even though online learning was thriving before the pandemic, the entire idea has been more validated due to factors such as:

• Direct, hassle-free accessibility from home
• Instant, customized academic solutions
• Alternative to conventional education
• Exposure to broader academic resources

However, the grass is not always greener on the other side. Online education comes with a few inevitable setbacks as well. Some factors could potentially be the major causes behind the downturns of digital learning, like:

• Missing out on face-to-face interaction
• Availability of fewer courses online
• Possibility of potential scams in the name of digital learning
• Limited accessibility of digital education in remote territories

Well, let’s delve deeper and evaluate the scenario more closely. Here’s everything you need to know.

Digital Education: Distinctive Advantages

We have already talked about the notable advantages of online education in today’s world in a nutshell. So, let’s take a closer look at the bigger picture.

Here you go.

• Hassle-free, instant accessibility from home

If we are to cite the present condition of the pandemic and worldwide lockdown, it has been observed that all schools and colleges have come to a temporary and uncertain closure. But it shouldn’t stop the young minds from accessing education and carrying out their daily academic activities. This is where the concept of digital education comes into play in the following manner.

• Both educators and students get to connect via video conferences with apps such as Zoom, Google Duo, Adobe Connect and the likes.
• This, in turn, keeps the stringencies of physical presence at bay. It won’t matter if the students don’t get to attend classes in person.
• They can simply connect with their educators via digital mediums and cope with their academic syllabus accordingly.

 

• Instant, customized solutions are equally beneficial

In today’s world of a digital revolution in the sector of education and learning, things have simply got smarter and more accessible for us. Here’s how.

• In case a student requires a pro essay writer to help him/her with a tricky argumentative essay topic, then they can simply sign up with digitized academic help forums.
• This will help them to gain easy access to hundreds of well-knit, pre-written sample essays across a plethora of topics.
• Likewise, they can sign up with more of such online forums to seek customized academic assistance for dissertations, case studies and more, from the comfort of their homes.

 

• An alternative to conventional classroom teaching

The conventional mode of classroom teaching is undeniably effective in different aspects. But, there’s no harm in securing a worthy alternative to it. And when it comes to other options, what else could be more effective than the digital counterpart of classroom teaching?

Here’s how online teaching is filling the void.

• As physical classroom extends into the digital realm, students get to enjoy smarter access to classroom lessons via Virtual Classroom, WSE Digital Classroom and Google Classroom.
• Students get to enjoy easy access to video tutoring apps such as Varsity Tutors, Hippo Video, Renderforest and Ezvid.

With each of these advancements contributing to the world of education and learning, things are surely changing for the better.

• Broader exposure to academic resources

As they say, “The more, the merrier” In education, there’s no limit to acquiring knowledge. Instead, one must not refrain from being a part of the quest for maximum knowledge. Digital learning gets a special mention in this context.

Here’s everything you need to know.

• Students can visit digital research platforms such as Google Scholar, ResearchGate and SemanticScholar to accumulate essential research references on the go.
• Also, one can access sample questions and answers on digital forums like ielts.org, www.onlinelibrary.wiley.comand the likes.
• In case an individual wants to expand his/her knowledge bank beyond what has been taught in class, they can refer to online research libraries such as Questia, Jstor and library.stanford.edu.

Digital Education: Critical Disadvantages

Perfection is more of an illusion, and every good thing under the sun comes with certain loopholes. The sector of online education is certainly no exception. Hence, there are certain pros and critical setbacks associated with it. Let’s take a closer look at the same.

• Lack of person-to-person interaction

Face-to-face interaction plays a significant role in education. In online learning, there’s no scope for direct communication, except virtual interaction. Lack of person-to-person contact gives rise to the following issues.

• Lack of meaningful interaction between teachers and students in the virtual space will only leave young minds with unclear concepts regarding various lessons.
• Educators are seldom able to keep track of whether students are attentive during an ongoing virtual teaching session or not.
• This, as a result, leads to inaccurate knowledge acquisition and other academic shortcomings among students.

 

• Limited academic courses are available online

You should probably reconsider your decision if you have plans to pursue academic courses online. You would rarely get to hear about full-time academic courses that can be pursued via virtual modes of communication. Even though there are a couple of names making rounds these days, no one can vouch for those courses. There’s still no substitute for a degree acquired through a full-time academic course under the aegis of a reputable college or university.

• Digital education comes with the risk of potential scams

According to a report, the so-called diploma mills are the most common online education scams. By posting as a legally verified education institute, some websites can cheat you by providing worthless and non-existential degrees.

Now, if we are to consider these claims to be true, then digital education is perhaps not the only solution the world should rely on.

• Limited access to remote locations is a major drawback

According to a report on Covid-19 and education published by UNICEF, nearly 12.billion children are affected by school closures, as they grapple to gain access to digital learning. It has been found that digital education has caused unequal access to education among most students residing in rural areas worldwide.

On the contrary, a regular, conventional classroom could have helped them gain proper access to education.

Parting Thoughts,

Digital educators and country-based authoritarian bodies should lay more focus on the setbacks of online learning, and work together to streamline such challenges in the future. After all, education, in every form and shape, is essentially a right that every individual deserves.

Cheers!