Biggest Disadvantages of E-Learning
In recent years, online learning has become a popular tool for gaining new knowledge. The elearning industry size is increasing tremendously. Now you can get a new qualification or a complete higher education without leaving home. Universities are beginning to include online courses in their mandatory curriculum (for example, students watch lectures of a foreign university at home and discuss them onsite). Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, schools have had to move to the online format as well.
On the one hand, it may seem that online learning is mostly a win-win situation, but in fact, it is much more complicated than we think.
No credibility in certificates
When communicating with a tutor, there is no way to make sure that you are the one who did assignments. That is why many organizations do not trust the online certificates they receive. To solve the problem, serious educational institutions use several verification methods: video conferencing, special programs, and require students’ original documents. Such difficulties are more often related to final tests. But students can get help with term papers from professional college essay writers who offer these services. The tricky part also applies to traditional education.
Lack of socialization and networking
Much of what we learn from childhood occurs through peer-to-peer learning. Growing up and feeling a sense of belonging to a social group is a crucial part of growing up for teenagers. They seem to be deprived of it online.
In normal life, children learn teamwork, conflict resolution, and effective interaction with each other. In a remote learning environment, they do not have so many opportunities to get soft skills, which are in the first place among the XXI century skills.
Lack of Practice
We all perceive and absorb information differently. There are audial, visual, kinesthetic, and discrete types of perception. Research proves that most young people are kinesthetic, learning the world through practical experience. Online, as a rule, there is no practice — just data that needs to be processed and assimilated somehow. And it’s fine if the teacher tries to explain the topic. But we know of quite a few cases where students are simply given a paragraph and page number, and they go through the material on their own. If something is not clear and there is no opportunity to ask the teacher, not every student will explore the topic independently. Hence the gaps in education.
Lack of Control
This factor can be either pros or cons. Not everyone works well without a supervisor in the guise of a supervisor or professor. There is no one to shift the responsibility to. The person is fully responsible for diligence and passing the tests, materials on time. There is no support in the form of friends who can whisper the right answer and remind you to do your homework. Students online must have maximum self-organization and willpower.
It takes a strong motivation
Not everyone is motivated to study remotely. It is one thing when there is a teacher who pushes and classmates (in front of whom they are ashamed), and another thing when there are no supervisors and opponents.
But, as a rule, the level of motivation is higher with age. Schoolchildren are more dependent on the teacher and peers; adults who study for themselves are more self-sufficient. Although even here, not everything is unambiguous. It is impossible (and it is not necessary) to paint with the same brush.
In addition, a lot depends on what is used to implement e-learning.
Lack of human resources
Another disadvantage of e-learning is the lack of competent professionals who know how to teach online. E-learning and face-to-face teaching is completely different. A teacher should be able to deliver information via a computer screen in a way that is bright, understandable, and interesting.
Quality of service
The verification problem described above works both ways, unfortunately. The student is also limited in the prior evaluation of the material offered. One often realizes that after paying for the courses and a few classes, they are of poor quality. Careful attention to the choice of programs, looking at reviews and ratings will help to solve the issue.
Reliance on Technology
If a student or teacher happens to be without internet or power resources, the learning process will actually be disrupted. A low Internet connection or malfunction of related equipment — headphones, microphone, camera — can also lead to a ruined class.
