Exciting Advantages of Digital Online Learning Today

Digital online learning is defined as the creative use of technology in the fields of teaching and learning. It is also referred to as e-learning and technology-enhanced learning (ted).

While most people may prefer this form of education due to its convenience, the question remains about its effectiveness in offering a high quality of education.

In order to fully examine the effectiveness of digital online learning, let’s take a look at both the advantages and the disadvantages.

Advantages of Digital Online Learning:

1) It is convenient

Online learning is very convenient since it can happen from the comfort of our homes. This means that there are no transportation costs, moreover, there is no specified dress code. 

Student wear can range from pajamas to slightly casual or even formal outfits, whichever the student prefers.

This eliminates the issue of bullying due to social class. In a physical classroom, it is typical that students can be bullied because of how they dress.

Digital online learning helps to eliminates ridicule and comparison of clothing, transportation, human image and other social factors in schools between the haves and the haves-not.

However, when classes are online students no longer have to worry about keeping up with the latest fashions to avoid ridicule, and this, by extension may help parents to save thousands of dollars.  

If that is not convincing enough think of students who may live far from their educational institutions, they no longer have to wake up at extremely early hours because classes are now easily accessible from their homes.

Additionally, these classes are also very timely.

Whereas traditional classes tend to be lengthy and full-time, digital classes tend to be three or four hours at most per day.

This allows students a lot of time and flexibility to engage in other activities such as hobbies or to gain additional skillsets. 

This great time availability also allows more students to gain employment even when pursuing a full-time degree, which is a great advantage.

2) It is tailored to different needs

Digital online learning allows students to learn and study at their own pace.

Moreover, teachers are trained prior to classes on how to adapt their teaching techniques to suit a wide range of learners. Entertaining videos are also included to maintain students’ interest. 

Depending on the length of the sessions, students are also allowed a few breaks in between.

Break out rooms are also common so students can interact with teachers one on one.

Additionally, teachers may include frequent group projects per session to help students to become connected and hence develop interpersonal skills and teamwork skills.

3) It is unrestrictive

Whereas in a traditional class, students’ learning may be affected by language, racial, cultural, and locative barriers; online classes eliminate these barriers.

Location is evidently no longer an issue as long as the student has a device and internet connectivity, he/she can access classes from practically anywhere in the world.

Cultural differences will also be eliminated since there is no need to relocate into an area with cultural divisions.

Racial barriers have also been removed since students do not have to show themselves in online classes.

Students can remain anonymous if they choose to. 

While it may appear that the language barrier still exists, classes taught in one language can easily be translated into foreign languages to the benefit of a wider range of students. 

What a great advantage, students who may have been previously denied access to a particular class due to these restrictions can now comfortably partake in whatever subjects they desire to study.

4) It is immediate

Students are given the opportunity to start classes immediately, and even better get immediate results.

Unlike a physical classroom where students have to wait a weeks or months for results.

In addition, this type of digital online learning eliminates the stressful, time-consuming practice of having to search for reasonably priced textbooks, notebooks, and stationery.

Rather students have immediate access to a great variety of textbooks online as well as other learning resources. 

These resources include research articles, journals, newspaper articles, and videos that have been found to be very beneficial in educational advancements.

These are usually used more by students who often feel intimidated or even overwhelmed by huge textbooks. This helps students to achieve academic excellence without becoming overly stressed.

5) It builds the students’ character

Online classes force students to develop good time management skills, group work skills, and of course good discipline.

Students have to manage their time wisely since classes are not very long, so most of the work is done on her/his own. 

Good time management is also required for submitting assignments on time. Students are expected to complete a minimum of ten and a half hours per week per subject.

This includes reading from textbooks, articles, journals as well as doing your own research.

Evidently, there are many great advantages of online learning as just discussed.

Now consider the disadvantages of digital online learning, after which they can both be compared to see the true effectiveness of digital learning.

Disadvantages of Digital Online Learning:

1) It is impersonal

Due to the fact that online classes are usually much larger than physical classes, students are often not very well acquainted.

This makes it difficult for shy students to feel comfortable enough to participate in school discussions. Additionally, the shy student may not feel free to speak out if they feel uncomfortable. 

In a physical class, students are able to observe other students’ body language and can easily detect if a student is lost or confused.

However, in an online class, they are unable to detect this.

Teachers engage shy students by calling on them in a physical class however, in an online class they are unable to carry out this act due to the large size of the class. 

There are too many students for the teachers to remember who usually speaks and those that do not participate at all.

2) It is easy to be distracted

Online learning requires a great deal of self-discipline to avoid getting distracted during class.

Due to the lack of supervision of teachers, students may easily find themselves playing games, watching movies, or even listening to music instead of focusing.

Students may also find themselves not doing assignments that are meant to increase their research knowledge.

This can negatively affect student performance in the long run as students will eventually start failing tests and marked assignments.

3) It is harmful to spend that much time in front of a computer screen

As technology advances, we become more and more dependent on it.

No longer do persons have the patience to go to the library, look for the relevant materials, and read through to find what they need.

It is much more convenient to do a google search, quickly get what we need, then copy and paste. 

Sadly, however, when you take into account time for classes, time for homework, and time for research and studying, you would realize that the average students spend way over the recommended time period on their devices.

This has had a horrible impact on our vision.

In 2020, it has been estimated that 57% of the world’s population wear glasses more than likely on a full-time basis. That is more than half of the population and is a sure cause of concern.

4) It requires a good understanding of technology.

More often, older persons struggle using technology for classes. They may not know how to operate the mute, video, raise a hand, and other functions necessary for their learning.

Often logging into these classes requires an I.D. and password. 

Persons who are not technologically advanced may not know where to login and would therefore miss out on classes. Moreover, not all persons have access to devices necessary to access classes.

This would mean that they cannot partake in online classes.

5) There may be a poor internet connection.

If internet connectivity is poor in some areas, students in those places would also be at a disadvantaged.

6) Unsuitable for hands-on fields

There are some fields of study that require students to be physically present.

Subjects such as chemistry, biology, and physics would require an actual lab that students do not have the equipment nor supervision to do from the comfort of their homes.

Courses such as sewing, makeup, electrical work, and many others require students to be physically present.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we have discussed both the advantages and disadvantages of digital online learning.

Online learning is wonderful, it allows students the opportunity to study at their own comfort and pace, it requires good use of technology and internet connection, but is not appropriate for hands-on fields of study.

However, outside of this, the opportunities are endless, older students can study full time and still maintain employment.

Full-time students have the opportunity to gain part-time employment making them much better suited for the world of work by the time they have completed their degree.

Students are no longer stressed out because they have free time to engage in hobbies, sports, and fun activities. 

Students also have alternative study material so they do not become overwhelmed by huge textbooks. Lastly, they are able to develop skills such as time management, teamwork and they become self-disciplined.

The most important technology of the modern world are digital devices.

These devices everywhere, in households (PCs, laptops, TVs) and sometimes you hold them with your hand (tablets, smartphones, smartwatches, etc.).

During the last decades, these devices have entered our classrooms and changed the old practices.