Introduction
The emergence of online education is a development that has the potential to revolutionize the field. Its benefit lies in the controversy between conventional and modern levels of interaction. Although both approaches foster the effective acquisition of knowledge and skills, they are highly distinct in their methods and, possibly, their effects on learners. Muthuprasad et al. (2021) find that student opinions on online education are split, with them seeing both advantages and weaknesses. The Internet fosters the proficient flow of information among users in geographically and otherwise distinct circumstances. Its usage to continue education under conditions of an ongoing lockdown that forbid gatherings such as those necessary for physical classes serves as an excellent demonstration of online education’s versatility (Larson, 2021). While it may have some shortcomings, online education is still a viable alternative to in-person instruction that will continue gradually increasing in prevalence.
The Availability of Information Resource Materials
The availability of information is a significant advantage of online education, as digital resources are much more easily reproduced than physical ones. Students can access material such as lecture recordings at any time, as opposed to physical instruction, where the instruction happens at specific times. As a result, students can engage with the information at leisure and pursue topics in which they are interested without interrupting the flow of the learning. Additionally, virtue academics provide a solution to distant scholarship, thus elevating efficiency in the education sector (Sun et al., 2020). As a result, online education is significantly distinct from its physical counterpart, developing its own instruction procedure. Nevertheless, online studies affect the value of social capital mainly because of the lack of physical connection. Although both processes present similar properties in the studies, it is important for the relevant stakeholders to address the increasing regulation of interactions among the scholars.
Social Capital Variable between Online and Classroom Learning
One notable concern involved in online education is the lack of face-to-face interaction between participants, which may inhibit the formation of social bonds. Relationship building in the learning sector is an essential factor mainly because it improves interaction and the sharing of knowledge and skills (Larson, 2021). Interdependence among learners is a crucial concept because it enhances information sharing. However, with online schooling, students have to take extra steps to communicate when compared to in-person learning, which leads some to choose not to do so (Hill, 2021). In this case, researchers establish a profound insight into the impact of online learning under the mainframes of inequality and learning effectiveness among traumatized students. While it may help people who learn better on their own, it also inhibits socialization for those who need it and complicates networking, which is an important part of education.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools closed, and learners shifted to online classes. Students suffering from trauma from different events faced a profound challenge because of the social capital change from physical to virtual reality. The phenomenon affected the students’ quality of learning and progress, which underscores the importance of developing strategic relationship-building initiatives. Therefore, it is essential to enhance functional social capital both under virtual and physical learning platforms (Hill, 2021). A significant number of students encounter challenges while schooling from home mainly because of unstable family relationships and the lack of resources to facilitate academics. In this case, digital tutoring may reinforce marginalization based on the quality of living among the students. It is essential that the administrators in the education sector implement policies that enhance the standardization of the engagement platforms while improving the essence of networking.
Impact of Online Education
Online education is comparable to classroom-based learning mainly because of the efficient accessibility of study materials at the convenience of the scholars. Effective schooling depends on the ability of the individual to access academic resources such as lecture notes. In this case, the virtual studies foster an efficient sharing and flow of information due to the ability of students to record and save the digital sessions. It is a similar situation to the physical attendance of the lessons that foster the writing of notes for future reference. According to Adnan and Anwar (2020), the evolutionary gradient in the education sector entails addressing social isolation while boosting self-motivation and time management skills. It is the responsibility of the students and the educators to plan and organize the teaching schedules with the aim of improving the attainment of knowledge and skills.
Conclusion
Online education is still a relatively new and rapidly developing concept. With that said, the emergence of COVID-19 has led it to evolve faster than it would have otherwise as it was adopted across learning facilities worldwide. As a result, it has now grown into a potentially viable alternative to in-person learning that can supplement and replace it in some areas after the restrictions are lifted. Its advantages can help it address the needs traditional learning cannot satisfy, letting students learn at their own pace. However, the issues created by online learning, such as the perceived lower quality and the lack of social interaction compared to in-person education, need to be considered. Ultimately, the field should be developed further, as it has the potential to significantly improve education quality in a variety of circumstances.
References
Adnan, M., & Anwar, K. (2020). Online Learning amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Students’ Perspectives. Online Submission, 2(1), 45-51. Web.
Hill, H. (2021). Developing common core classrooms through rubric-based coaching. Institute of educational sciences. Web.
Larson, M. (2021). New project exploring adult basic skills in stem-related postsecondary CTE. Institute of educational sciences. Web.
Muthuprasad, T., Aiswarya, S., Aditya, K. S., & Jha, G. K. (2021). Students’ perception and preference for online education in India during COVID-19 pandemic. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 3(1), 100101. Web.
Sun, L., Tang, Y., & Zuo, W. (2020). Coronavirus pushes education online. Nature Materials, 19(6), 687. Web.