How Effective Is Online Learning For Students?
In recent times the Online mode of Learning has gained a massive amount of popularity. Plenty of coaching institutes record their video lectures and then sell them online. It creates a win-win situation for the students as well as the institutes. Quite often, students because of various reasons such as fees of the coaching institute, exhaustive travel time from their home, pre-booked seats, etc. are not able to join the institute. But, with the help of technology they can purchase the pre-recorded lectures from the institute per se or can even enroll in live classes. Unfortunately, even this online learning mode has some pitfalls which sometimes make it somewhat less desirable than the traditional offline classes.
Merits of Online mode of Learning
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Cost-Effective: Online classes are cheaper as compared to offline classes. This makes it more popular among the students who cannot pay the hefty fees of offline coaching.
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Saves Time: A lot of students travel to different cities in order to enroll themselves in a good coaching institute, which may not be available in their home town. Online learning mode saves their travel time. All the recorded video lectures or even live classes can be accessed at home.
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Convenient: You just need a smartphone and a stable internet connection, and you can attend online classes at any place.
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Flexibility: Traditional classes have a rigid timetable. Sometimes when we have some urgent work to do, it becomes very difficult to attend the classes, and we end up missing an important class. There is no such problem in online classes as the lectures can also be watched later.
Access to a lot of study material: A fair amount of online study material is available on the internet, which essentially enhances our learning experience.
Demerits of Online mode of Learning
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Requires a fast Internet connection and Electronic devices: There are several places in our country where the facility of fast internet is not available which makes online mode undesirable at that particular place.
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Eye Strain and Headaches: Attending online classes on our smartphone or computer increases our screen time. Staring at the screen for a long duration causes eye strains, headaches, and various sleep-related problems.
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Minimal Socialisation: Online classes restrict our social sphere. Initially, an extrovert student might feel stressed attending it.
Conclusion
Prima facie, there are several merits as well as demerits of the online mode of learning. It might not be better than traditional classes in normal circumstances. At the same time, the benefits associated with online learning cannot be undermined. Especially, in an unexpected condition like the Covid-19 pandemic, it provides the best alternative to traditional learning. All in all, it ultimately depends on the requirement of a student.
What should be the strategies of students in the online mode of learning?
Online learning facilitates several advantages and unfortunately some disadvantages as well. But, with an effective and proper strategy, we can minimize the shortcomings of the online mode of learning and optimize our learning experience. Following scientifically proven and time-tested strategies can help one to enhance his or her episode with an online mode of learning.
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Attending all the live lectures: Live lectures are specially designed for the students. They can ask their doubts in between the class. It helps students overcome the non-interactive nature of online classes.
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Short breaks between the classes: In order to tackle the problem of longer screen time for the students, students are advised to take short breaks between two consecutive classes. Leading online learning platforms like GharPeShiksha provides these short breaks so that students do not get exhausted while attending the online lectures.
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Appearing in the tests: Full benefit of online mode of learning cannot be availed if the tests taken by the institute are skipped. The test series is designed to make students acquainted with the ambiance of the examination hall.
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Taking the notes: Good online study platforms like GharPeShiksha provides additional study material like handwritten and printed notes, regular assignments, formula sheets, etc. These notes are the product of careful analysis of several past year’s question papers. That is why the significance of these notes cannot be overemphasized. Students should go through these notes regularly in order to have a clear and concrete understanding of the concept.
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Attending doubt classes (if necessary): Separate doubt sessions are arranged for the students on various online learning platforms.
These classes should be attended if a student faces any problem with the subject. Every good online coaching institute provides mentorship with sincere guidance. Students should see this as an aid to their learning. Superimposition of self-study with rigorous hard work on it is the only way towards the road to success in academics.