The sudden Covid-19 outbreak poses a threat to humanity. The pandemic has disrupted the normal life of people globally. It has not only brought changes in economic, political activities but also a massive change can be seen in the education system. Due to the outbreak of the pandemic, governments all over the world have announced nationwide lockdown in their respective countries to control the spreading of the virus.
In
such a situation our advanced technology has been solving the problem of
teaching and the learning process. The recent development in Technology has
made e-learning possible. What is E-learning? “E-learning also referred to as
online learning, is the acquisition of knowledge which takes place through
electronic technologies and media” (Abernathy, 2020).
A
big thanks to the recent technology for it provided the students and teachers a
new way of academic continuation through online-classes. E-learning has the
potential to revolutionise the learning and teaching process. It has altered
the communication process between academicians. There is no doubt that e-learning
has brought tremendous alteration in the educational system but the
consequences of such a learning can be viewed from two different perspective regarding
its pros and cons and whether or not it has really revolutionized the education
system.
FOR
(in favor of e-learning)
E-learning
has totally brought a break from the traditional way of academic learning. The
entire world has now adapted to this new dimension
of learning due to its advantageous changes. E-learning has provided for new opportunities
to personalised-learnings. Students and teachers need not be physically present
for classes or any academic meeting. The platforms like Google meet and Zoom
are main tools where such academic interaction occurs.
The
traditional mode of learning demands high costs input not just for universities
but also for the students and teachers who have to travel from far off places
to their respective colleges and universities. That is not the case in
E-learning, where individuals can save time and money because of work from home
and even universities put lesser input as compared to the physical mode of
classroom learning. E-learning has also introduced us to an eco-friendly way of
learning. Lack of traffic and lack of physical learning has resulted into less
paper production as most of the materials are provided in a pdf or a word
document format. On the other hand, students in physical mode of learning
consumes high rate of paper and high transportation which contributed to more
waste and increased air pollution.
Another
change brought by E-learning is that it provided a better support for the
differently abled students who could not give their 100% in the Traditional
classroom learning. Such an opportunity is the result of three modes of
learning styles under E-learning – Auditory learning, visual learning and kinesthetic
learning.
This
system of education favored ‘Online Based Examination’ (OBE) which is much
better than the physical mode of examination because students can sit for exams
in the comfort of their own houses. E-learning enable re-scheduling the time of
person’s task whereas in a physical mode of learning there is a strict routine
and time schedule for classes as well as for meetings. The objective of
providing a quality education (which is also the Sustainable Development 4th
goal) during this pandemic is fulfilled by the E-learning process.
Various
technicians, thinkers and advocates earlier vision a digital learning society
which seems to be turning into reality today. Even before the Covid-19
pandemic, people could hardly imagine a life where the entire world could be
engaged into a lifestyle where digital learning would dominate and become a
primary mode of learning. So, a massive change can be seen in our education
system through the e-learning which truly is a revolutionizing agent in the
current education system.
AGAINST
Opponents
of the e-learning process claim that the changes resulting out of such a
process has more of negative consequences and is therefore not suitable for the
current educational system. Many oppose the statement that online learning
provides quality education to all sections of population. E-learning process
has resulted in inequality through digital provide. It hasn’t solved the
problem of the poor in getting more educational accessibility. Instead,
E-learning has resulted into widening the gap between the rich and the poor due
to the limited access to internet. In such cases the only option left for the
students is to use public Wifi.
There
is also limited interaction in an online-teaching whereas in the physical mode
of classroom learning students interact face to face with the teachers and are
more active. This is the reason why many students speak out how the urge to
study is lost. OBE mode is another reason why cheating among the students is
increasing as there are no teachers to monitor and messaging platforms like WhatsApp
became the main application for notes sharing.
Trying
to bring the college/school life at home is not that easy when it comes to time
management. Household chores and other home activities might be a hindrance or
disturbances for students while studying and attending online classes. Apart from this there are other negative
sides of e-learning and is not suitable for providing quality education.
Also,
E-learning cannot be called a revolutionizing agent because even though there
are changes taking place in our education system, the changes are minor and
cannot be called as a revolutionary change because even before the pandemic
digital learning existed and even when the pandemic gets over it is more likely
that many countries will go back to the traditional method of teaching and
learning process. The changes are minor changes and hence temporary.
Keeping
in view both the perspective, the pros and cons of e-learning are both equally
important for bettering our education system. Even the society we live is
highly dynamic and so is our education sector. Some may welcome the changes in
the system while others may find it difficulty in accepting the changes.
However,
looking at the current situation e-learning seems to be the only way of taking
forward our academic learnings. The fact that e-learning has given our
education a new dimension cannot be denied. Whether the changes are
revolutionary changes or not are still a highly discussed topic in today’s
time. The answer to which lies in the time when the world gets back to
normalcy.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Abernathy,
Donna J. 2020. “Online learning is not the next big thing; it is the now big
thing”.
Boulton,
H. “Managing e-learning: what are the real implications for schools?” The
Electronic Journal of e-learning Volume 6 Issue 1, pp. 11-18, www.ejel.org
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