Pros & Cons of Remote (Online) Learning

More than 300 million students worldwide are suffering from the disruption of education by the spread of COVID-19. Schools and universities haven’t faced this level of disruption in generations, but unlike any time in the past, we have the ability to continue education even when schools close.

According to WHO,

The outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) and the virus has now spread to many countries and territories.

Remote learning came as a savior to most schools and students at this time of pandemic; however, it isn't the replacement to traditional schooling method which accounts for teacher-to-student interaction, peer-to-peer interaction, institutional interactions, etc.

Although remote learning can be an efficient form of learning, if students aren’t participating, remote learning is unlikely to make any positive impact.

Advantages of Remote Learning

Some of the biggest advantages of remote learning are as follows:

a. Social Distancing

During the time of the pandemic, self-isolation or social distancing becomes an important factor in curbing the infection. Remote learning has encouraged social distancing by enabling distance learning. Students and teachers are free to interact with each other without being physically close. Remote learning has helped to encourage social distancing by being an alternative to physical schooling.

b. Regular Learning

Remote learning is promoting regular learning by keeping students in touch with educators. Teachers can collaborate or interact with their students in the comfort of their homes. This has helped students to indulge in regular learning despite being locked inside their homes. Many students said there were aspects of remote learning they enjoyed, such as getting to work at their own pace, setting their own schedule, and being free from “the stressful environment of the school.”

c. Technological Collaboration

Remote learning marks the major advancement and achievement of technological collaboration. If the pandemic were to occur 5 or 10 years ago, it would have been hard to imagine remote learning. The quality internet and collaborative applications such as ZOOM have helped to bring technology close to the education system.

d. Flexibility

Remote learning offers flexibility to both students and teachers. Arguably it’s the bestselling point about remote learning. Learners are offered far more flexibility and control over their own training schedules. As most – if not all – of its resources are provided online, remote students have the privilege of training where they wish. Self-isolation has taken the students out of their rigid schedules and specific learning processes. One big advantage of remote learning is that it gives its students the freedom to engage with, digest, and analyze courses.

e. Self-Discipline

Remote learning induces self-discipline in the students. As there is no one around to supervise the students, they themselves need to undertake disciplinary methods to be just as efficient and organized as they’d be in a traditional academic setting. With the freedom and control they’re given, remote students are also held accountable for their own education – boosting their drive to study and work harder.

Disadvantages of Remote Learning

Although remote learning is the only option we have for now and has been widely implemented by many schools, it does highlight a few issues that remote learning doesn’t.

NYTimes.com reported that,

Almost 400 teenagers responded, and they told us about all the things they miss about going to school: their friends, teachers, sports, and extracurricular activities, even “the loud and crazy lunchroom.” Some also recounted the challenges of distance learning, like struggling to understand assignments, getting easily distracted and not having reliable internet.

Learning in a favorable environment such as school or college is very important to ensure that each student and teacher is accounted for academic achievements. Here are some of the major disadvantages of remote learning.

a. Limitation to technology

Many families may still lack laptops and internet access; parents are struggling to help their children with difficult assignments, and educators are still tackling remote-learning technology and trying to teach a full slate of classes. This can be a problem for those who cannot afford virtual learning experience.

b. Regular Attendance

Distance learning can often create slack on attendance. It also becomes difficult for most teachers to keep track of how many hours the students have attended. First of all, many of our teachers are not taking attendance, per se. Unless there is a live lesson on Zoom, one can do their work on their own time. If a student can do two days' worth of work on Monday, there's no need to check in on Tuesday.

c. Lack of Seriousness, Competition and Learning Environment

Traditional schooling is different from virtual college. In distance learning, the student often lacks a seriousness that is present in a classroom when a lecture is given by the professor. Moreover, without any competition, the student tends to learn less. Therefore the overall learning environment in distance education is a lot different than a regular college.

According to NYTimes.com,

More than 75 percent said they don’t think they’re receiving a quality learning experience, according to a survey of nearly 1,300 students by the online exam-prep provider OneClass. In a separate poll of 14,000 college and graduate students in early April by the website niche.com, which rates schools and colleges, 67 percent said they didn’t find online classes as effective as in-person ones.

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