We think we live in a world where all people are equal. However, the reality is different, and it’s necessary to admit it. Online learning is perceived as the technology of the future. No one thought that the COVID-19 pandemic would change people’s attitude towards distance learning and even make the whole world quickly switch to it. We weren’t ready for it, and many students complained about their difficulties when learning online. All countries are working on ways to improve the educational system and unanimously state that online education is our future. But why don’t they take into account the disadvantages of it? Don’t experts want to ask students’ opinions and try to learn why it can’t be a one-size-fits-all solution?
Online learning has some drawbacks, but it doesn’t mean that students don’t use online resources to study better. Please, don’t confuse these two concepts. The Internet is full of freely available useful information. We know that students like to order assignments online to get some extra time, but they also often use samples to do the homework alone. No matter what subject causes difficulties, you can download everything, even free nursing term paper examples, and be a successful student.
We consider it necessary to draw attention to the drawbacks of online education, that’s why today we’ll discuss why not all students can benefit from it and why they prefer in-person learning.
1. Students are distracted easily
Do you know why so many learners have difficulties with doing homework and submitting it on time? Yes, it’s due to the distractions. Colleges and universities rarely offer students any solutions to this problem. If they are distracted by their mobile phones, they’d better just turn it off and do homework. When students sit at home in front of the laptop and feel bored, it’s not surprising that they start browsing social media and other websites. The only solution for it is to install software to focus attention. However, when a person wants to search for something online, they just disable this tool and do it. That’s why people who have problems with focusing their attention will hardly like the switch to online education.
2. Distance learning has strict technical requirements
Online learning presupposes no in-person communication at all. Learners do everything online: attend lectures, pass tests, do homework, create projects, and take exams. You may think that there’s nothing difficult about doing it on a laptop, but let’s not forget that we aren’t equal. There are families that can afford to purchase computers, and not all smartphones can open the apps and websites students may need to learn. Let’s also take into account the high Internet speed one must have. And again, no one is safe from malfunctions and problems with the provider. All these aspects interrupt the educational process and don’t make knowledge accessible.
3. Self-discipline is an important aspect
The desire to learn isn’t enough to be successful in studying. There are students who can boast of the strive for knowledge, but the lack of self-discipline doesn’t let them maintain good academic performance. Note that this often occurs when people study full-time. We hope there’s no need to mention that distance learning is a challenge for such people. Imagine that you sit at home where you feel comfortable and want to do completely nothing, especially the complicated homework. Students who juggle studying with part-time jobs prefer to take classes online, and it’s convenient. But again, they face the same problems with self-discipline.
4. Students may get bored
Suppose we say that a big part of students attends classes not only to obtain knowledge but to see their friends and groupmates. There’s no point in denying the fact that young learners adore college because of the opportunity to have fun. They can talk to each other during breaks, spend time on campus, discuss the educational process and personal problems. When studying goes online, students still communicate, but it’s not the same. Of course, they’ll meet in real life, go out and visit parties, but there’s something special about attending classes together.
Will online education become our future?
Here we’ve focused on the disadvantages of this learning option, but it’s not the reason to consider it something negative. Some students, having difficulties with the concentration of attention, experiencing a lack of motivation and funds, will not agree to move to distance learning. Moreover, there are disciplines and qualifications that can’t be obtained online, for example, a doctor. That’s why we can’t be sure that full-time in-person education will stop existing soon. Let’s not use either this or that form of education — it makes no sense in the modern world. We suppose it’s necessary to devote time to developing and upgrading each one. Each student will define the suitable way of obtaining knowledge based on their opportunities and needs.