Will online education will replace offline education?
Rise of Ed-Tech and online learning is on peak, so how future of learning will look like
In times where small instructor-led classrooms tend to be the exception, online learning solutions can offer more collaboration and interaction with experts and peers, as well as higher success rates than the live alternative. The distance between the learner and the educator, even with miles between them, has never been this closer as it is now. Not everyone fits into the traditional school model, and the online learning system provides another way for us to meet the diverse and often unique needs of students. With the rise of popularity of online education, one aspect of this that we need to ponder upon is - Whether offline education is slowly replacing online education.
With the emergence of technology, the method of delivering education has forever changed. As a matter of fact, online education has become a flexible instructional method of teaching wherein students can easily gain access to study material in the comfort of their homes. Moreover, online education provides an excellent opportunity for students who are unable to enroll in traditional classrooms as well as support students in setting their own pace for studying.
Offline education is designed to induce character development and to offer something that is beyond studies. Classrooms act as melting pots of students from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and opinions. In spite of this, it leads to building lifelong relationships. There has been increasing emphasis on two-way communication between the students and teachers. Students are encouraged to take active participation in the classroom discussion.
The concept of traditional education has changed radically within the last couple of years. Being physically present in a classroom isn’t the only learning option anymore — not with the rise of the internet and new technologies, at least. Nowadays, you have access to a quality education whenever and wherever you want, as long as you can get online. We are now entering a new era — the revolution of online education.
There are two sides of a coin, that is a reality one cannot escape. We have always talked of the pros of online education but we cannot escape the cons of online education which are:
One of the major disadvantages faced by students learning online is managing screen time. Online education requires staying logged in on the screen for an extended period regularly. Long-duration screen time becomes a great difficulty for the students and harmful for their health as well, especially the eyes.
Another disadvantage includes technical glitches. Poor Internet connectivity issues also arise multiple times during online sessions. Small towns/cities, urban areas face the most difficulty maintaining stable Internet connections. It destroys the learning of the students.
Other disadvantages include Feeling of isolation by individuals, Minimal peer help, Group work not being as efficient as it would be if done offline.
There’s no need to discount the skepticism surrounding education through the internet. It’s hard to understand the notion of leaving behind the conventional classroom, especially if it's to face this vast space called The Internet.
However, that’s not reason enough to shy away from this alternative, which has proven to be valid and useful for many students. The good far outweighs the bad. It is all about a fresher perspective and approach.
Online education is the future of modern education. However, to say that it is THE only future of education would be slightly unfair. The experience, social lifestyle learning, and countless memories made by students in traditional settings of classrooms simply cannot be ignored.
Online education and Offline learning need to co-exist in the modern world to ensure the revolution of modern education for the better. One cannot replace the other.
The evolution of Human resources globally requires multiple drivers to confederate where the two online and offline collectively have a defining role to play to achieve the complete goal of education. The co-existence of online and offline education will generate synergies and take the education sector to a level never imagined before.
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