Importance of Online Education During COVID-19
The lockdown has brought upon us the situation, wherein our physicality is limited to our home, if not the nearest grocery store, we visit. And the whole world was really happy with their concept of ‘hustling through’ when almost everything took a sudden halt. But as much as it feels like things will ease out after this pandemic, we for sure know the small world will buckle up and hustle harder. And so, it would be quite unjust, to leave the concept of learning and education behind, when it will catch up with the rest of the spheres of life. Online Education is considered one of the best remedies to teach students during the lockdown period.
The concept of Online Education isn’t old. At least for us, who live half our lives stuck with the technology we are surrounded with. Everything is at our fingertips. Learning never gets old, and so the internet offers you a wide range of websites that are there, to get your brain fed. There are a lot of advantages to online learning. It is easily accessible and all you’d need is a device and a decent internet connection. It is quite cheap, if not free to learn online. And one isn’t stuck with a prescribed course. It is wide, and nothing is beyond limits. Above all, learning through any form, be it offline or online equips one with knowledge and skills that are most required in today’s generation.
Even if one takes up a course online, it is convenient to keep up with. It provides you with the flexibility to learn whenever you’d want. Moreover, it also gets you the opportunity to interact with the instructor, behind the screen, a total win situation if you aren’t a confident kid that usually raises your hand to get your doubt across. It helps us keep track of the things we learned; and also, the assignments we need to work on. Though it makes us an ace procrastinator, if taken as a challenge, it will teach us to make and work according to a schedule.
But even though one can choose to learn online or go to a university or just do both, during this pandemic, Online Education has become really important for the mass. Every educational institution is locked up and we are left with no choice but to choose this path. Most of the young population that is out there seeking education is uncertain about their academic status during and after the pandemic. And uncertainty is quite terrifying. Thus, it is very much important for us to be able to get those degrees and those grades to keep working when the world catches up after the pandemic.
Though this thought is quite farfetched. The direct advantage of this is, Online Education helps in practicing social distancing which is the need of the moment. One can be confined to their house and get their course completed. And they could do this at any given time in a day. The internet is always open to your needs and questions. And it is also filled with pre-recorded online classes that can be watched at any time and anywhere around the world. A huge chunk of the population is getting familiarised with the concept of distance learning and online certificate courses.
The pandemic is creating a sense of unproductiveness in most of the people that would usually have a very happening life. But just taking up any course online can keep you engaged and open you up to new possibilities. One could also take up a course related to the long-lost hobby that you wanted to keep continuing, but never really had the time to go back to. Online Education doesn’t just have to be for those that are still studying or happen to be a part of the academic community. It can and should be for anyone and everyone that intends to learn whatever they would like to with all the free time they have at hand.
Schools, colleges, or universities provide the students with a routine and a sense of following an orderly schedule. The lockdown puts it all in shambles. One finds it hard to have a routine and keep a balance between their life at home and life at their place of learning. Thus, Online Education or classes organized by one’s university or institution provides the same sense of schedule. It still sticks the individual to a routine. And the best part is, one barely would lose attendance because they probably can’t get late to the class. And it takes just minutes to connect to the class and attend it.
There are also a lot of other aspects which possibly seem as disadvantages of Online Education. Because yes, this form of education isn’t perfect. But a change in perspective would make a difference. The willingness to make a difference in the way we would like to approach these things will help us get better. The lockdown can make us lazy because there is no definite boundary between your home and school. One can procrastinate working on their assignments and essays. One an also possibly slack off while the class is being engaged. But these are all opportunities to make some changes.
One can finally start seeing it as an opportunity to set up deadlines and work according to it. One could even schedule their work hours away from their leisure time. The possibility of a distraction from the class provides us with an opportunity to get better at concentrating on what is being taught in the class. And since we are sitting in the comforts of our home, we can finally feel the same while attending our classes. We can also create an ideal environment to study and learn. A lot of things could be changed if one willingly wants to change things in this lockdown.
The year is halfway through and the fear and cautiousness surrounding the pandemic persist. Online Education is providing itself as a safer alternative or possibly a better competitor to the traditional school system. While we are in the midst of this crisis, it would be quite smart to make use of this service for our educational progress and the never-ending thirst for knowledge. The amount of knowledge out there is unfathomable. But it is still accessible through the device that you hold right now.
AUTHOR BIO
Abhyank Srinet holds a Masters in Management degree from ESCP Europe & has an engineering degree with a specialization in Instrumentation & Control. His interest in the digital landscape motivated him to create an online start up for Masters in Management application consulting (MiM-Essay), focused on spreading quality information about the MiM degree & performing application consulting services for clients. He is the chief consultant of the company and takes care of the Business Development and Digital Marketing side of the company.
He is very passionate about writing and marketing.