The online learning process has many benefits in today’s generation, although accompanied by limitations. The identification and manifestation of covid 19 raised an issue of solving the traditional face-to-face learning. Risk factors linked with covid 19 include close contact with infected people or their body fluids like mucus and saliva. Virus saturation in the air through saliva sparks from a lecturer or student during face-to-face learning made it hard for traditional knowledge. This paper discusses the student reaction to online learning and suggestions that can improve it in the future.
Attitude towards something is an excellent factor in development and information passage. In this case, the online learning classes’ graduates portray different attitudes towards it, some students like online learning, while others dislike it (Kang & Park, 2022). Evaluating the likelihood of students who want it is essentially based on the pros of online learning—most students like online learning due to its ability to save on travel costs. Traveling problems hit many students since they have to travel long distances to attend classes and probably do not have their vehicles. Digital courses are cheaper compared to the traditional face-to-face learning processes.
In addition to saving costs, online learning saves on time. The students involved can learn comfortably from home without any movement. In this notion, working people can join and further their studies without interfering with their professional roles. When covid 19 hit the face of the world, time would be lost as an institution waited for its fate but online solved the time problem for many students. Online learning exposes the students to the technological field, making them tech-savvy (Khasawneh, 2022). The technology gathers new information and ideas, helping the students expound more on their coursework. Online learning makes it easy for students to attend lessons through zoom and cloud meetings. The laboratory practicals can be recorded, and the students review them later. Online learning accessibility and time management are aspects most students like. Online learning enhances student independence through time management improvement since there is no trainer to give physical guidance. Students can access any university outside their own countries through online learning.
As many students like online learning, a cold group of students dislikes it. Some reasons they dislike online learning include limited disciplines, limited social interaction, and easy loss of concentration (Li & Che, 2022). The exposure associated with online influences the students to view different ideas, games, and videos online hence losing focus and concentration. Some students are economically weak, making the online learning plan expensive.
In most cases, long-time use of computers may lead to health stress. In terms of light emitted by the computers, uses cause eyesight problems. Socialization in online learning is limited, and students do not interact physically, hence narrow social skills acquiring ability. Many students requiring several discussions and elaboration do not get to practice this. Online learning isolates the student posing a lonely feeling and causing depression in many. Just as covid 19 isolated the sick and the health, online learning does not support physical interaction.
Limitations in online learning are evident such that engineering and medical courses still require physical face-to-face learning. Information can be implemented through digital platforms only through pictures and words. Most video work presented online is incomplete, and everybody follows attentively without distractions (dos Santos Silva et al., 2022). Virtual learning demands a lot of sacrifices to gather all information and practical tools in case the trainer casts the practicals online.
Cheating in examinations and other tests is a possible predicament in online learning. The trainers monitor all examinations in traditional face-to-face learning, leaving a very narrow cheating window. Several ideas concerning the course are available online, making it hard for the trainers to monitor their students during the examination (Witherby & Carpenter, 2022). In other cases, the students may face weak network signals affecting them negatively. Poor and middle-class students are disadvantaged by frequently spending money on the internet. Faulty online machines may cause a loss in the course work and require a lot of money to repair and acquire.
Being an online learner, several expectations are related to the student learning process. A student expects excellent outcomes from online learning and believes in spreading the learning experience to the community. It is possible to feel out of the community based on the mode of learning used; primarily, the community is proud of face-to-face learners. Online learning students expect to be accepted by the community to promote interactions and build educative groups.
Special forums like asynchronous discussion are prominent in helping in knowledge construction. Time and space independence give students participation and reflection in community building. Students portray virtual interaction with their trainers through videos, feedback, and synchronous conversations (Chaves, 2022). The students engage differently with their course in collaborative groups through different learning styles. The course success determines by the learning journals, discussions, and self-reflection.
In an online class, students are expected to interact mutually with the course and do their best to attain the course results. The learner should frequent the course materials to grab the goal as much as possible. Learning preparation is a critical issue expected of the student. During learning, the student is expected to be attentive throughout the learning schedule. Thorough perusing away from online learning is needed to ensure nothing passes the eye capture in case of poor presentation.
Convenience is essential in every development or learning schedule; hence, online learning is convenient for a working student. Online learning schedule planning helps the student take all the responsibility for personal, educational, and luxurious needs. With the internet, working and learning from home is easy doing every relevant research. The process is joyous due to its ability to save resources, less travel, and low-cost fees. A long-term server charge is cheaper than a daily charge. The learning process is convenient for youth, parents, and old professors. Online learning creates an open learning platform to discover various innovative and creative projects related to the student’s course.
Time is essential in every aspect, and online learning saves traveling time that can be used to handle assignments. The quality of education through online learning due to exposure is high. More versions and ideas related to the course are available online. Many students enjoy exchanging ideas and involving family members in their opinions concerning the system. Spending time with family is difficult while taking traditional education, which is simplified by online education.
Based on lifestyle, online learning presents a particular luxury class, which is difficult in traditional education. Positivity in online learning makes making it a recommendable form of learning for a large group of people. Although the pros are many, computer drawbacks and breakdowns should be considered to make sure online learning is effective. Online learning is a rewarding, self-paced learning experience helping the users to explore the technology world.
Online and traditional face-to-face learning have similarities and differences in the experiences related to learners. Online learning calls for the internet and computers through specific domains established online like zoom. On the other hand, traditional learning occurs in the classroom or lecture halls, where the teacher has to attend and teach physically. Online learning uses synchronous discussions, videos, and texts, while traditional uses presentations, group work, and individual exercises. Online assessments are done in online education, while class quizzes and homework assignments are done in conventional learning.
Online learners experience self-discipline compared to traditional learners with trainers to guide them. Time management as a factor is more independently and individually expressed in online learning. It is different from conventional education because of the set schedules and timetables. Online learners experience self-motivation since there is nobody to guide them in class attendance. On the other hand, most traditional learners are motivated by their trainers through meetings and discipline talks. Online learners have the freedom to decide, while the conventional learners must attend since they are always on the institution premises. Online learning sets a completion time in all components, while traditional learning is an open-ended decision. Video conferences are used in online learning, while memos are used in conventional learning.
Flexibility in online learning is more evident because there are no fixed schedules, locations, and times. Online education makes learning easy, enabling students to work and study simultaneously, unlike traditional knowledge. Missing an online class does not make the learner lose anything; the artificial intelligence computer system can be set to record the lesson taught that day, and the learner will refer later when free. On the other hand, traditional learning lesson becomes hard to register, and if a student misses the class, the trainer’s illustrations are lost. Online learners can commit themselves to their families while traditional learners cannot. In formal learning, continuous class missing may lead to the omission of final examinations, while an online learner will still handle the final test even after missing several classes.
It is more convenient for online learning since there is no need for movement from one place to another, unlike in traditional knowledge, where traveling is essential. Traditionally, traveling is vital in search of more comprehensive arrays to improve the quality of education. Better education institutes are situated in cities and towns, moving a necessity in traditional face-to-face learning. Accommodation and other essential effects also contribute to the high cost of conventional learning. In online learning, access to every learning material and quality education is just from a computer at home. Class attendance in traditional learning depends on how near or far the institution is, while an online learner can attend the class when at work or traveling on an adventurous trip.
Both traditional and online learning portrays a practical outcome in the education field. Online knowledge in some faculties outshines traditional learning due to technological infrastructure and the student’s willingness. In others, traditional outshines online learning due to practical demonstrations and illustration through examples by the trainer. In this notion, both are important because socially, traditional education gives the learner social skills while online learning provides the learner with technological skills.
In this era, online learning is fundamental in the education field. Technology is a fast-developing invention; hence suggestions to develop online learning revolve around technology. Communication can be essential in creating the system for online learning and teaching. Some communication platforms may include video conferencing, screen capture, google management systems, and video assisting tools. Technological communication is the root of online learning; sharing a screen with the student as a trainer through screen capture can help the student understand better. Illustrations through youtube and Microsoft teams on the practical fields can assist in incorporating the left-out faculties that include practicals. The control center presents a platform to upload assignments and course outlines through google classroom and canvas (Dias et al., 2020). These technological variations can help to improve online learning, therefore, incorporating every faculty in the online learning environment.
Including new learning methods can serve well in the online learning platform like flip classrooms evaluating lesson plans. The trainers should follow up on their student’s progress, whether they followed the assignment instructions or viewed the videos to determine their progress. Evaluating problems together through meetings and google hangouts can help promote learner performance. Facilitating the learning process in a friendly manner can reduce the students’ fear of being open in the learning process. In addition, eliminating the authoritative figure can create a conducive learning environment in online learning.
If the students can interact, isolation problems can be solved quickly. Promoting social skills among the learner by planning physical events can engage the learners psychologically and mentally. Holding fun meetings online can revive the class; small groups working together via zoom cannot exhaust the trainer. It allows free chatting and interactions through the meeting platforms to discuss things that concern the students. Peer building results in a happy class with an exciting, positive experience. Trainers should foster friendship and socialization and recess to socializing opportunities.
Parents should be involved in their children’s learning process because the trainers have only a few hours during the learning process. Virtual learning should start from home, spread towards learning institutions, and mutual child character uplifting can mold a self-disciplined person. Involving parents makes them feel responsible for helping their children navigate the learning process. Assisting parents in understanding the importance of the technological skills and equipment setup can solve fifty percent of the online learning process.
Connecting individually as a trainer with learners can help identify individual learners’ problems. It is good to check online learning tools to ensure they do not break down during lessons. Virtual interaction and resources should be applied to every student to assess the academic wellness of a particular learner. Good education involves a healthy mind and assertiveness, which can be achieved through evaluation, advice, and psychological help through google platforms.
It is good to say that online learning is exemplary and should be promoted over generations. The online learning program video illustrations should include all the practical faculties. Social skills and boosting confidence found in traditional learning should be transmitted to the online learning field to minimize isolation and depression. In both areas, pros are evident that the significant activities and learner’s experience should be borrowed to develop the future online learning environment.
References
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