Online school has had both positive and negative impacts on students, including increased flexibility and convenience, but also increased screen time and potential social isolation.
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The shift to online school due to the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on students. While there are benefits to remote learning, such as increased flexibility and convenience, there are also downsides that cannot be ignored.
According to a report by Forbes, “one of the biggest challenges of remote learning is screen time.” Students spend more time in front of devices and this increases the risk of eye strain, fatigue, and headaches. Additionally, online learning can be isolating, with students lacking face-to-face interactions with teachers and classmates.
However, there are also positive outcomes of online learning. A study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that “students generally enjoyed the flexibility and freedom of the online learning experience” and that “self-directed learning allowed them to internalize their learning more effectively.”
Famous author Malcolm Gladwell argued that online learning can be just as effective as traditional in-person education, stating, “The idea that you can provide everything students need remotely is a powerful one. It dramatically expands the reach of the best teachers.”
Here are some interesting facts about online learning:
- According to a survey by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, enrollment for online courses increased by 2.6% from Fall 2018 to Fall 2019.
- A study by the Babson Survey Research Group found that 33.5% of all college students took at least one online course in 2018.
- Online learning offers a wider variety of courses and programs to students who may not have access to them otherwise.
- The cost of online courses is often cheaper than traditional in-person courses.
- Online learning provides opportunities for working adults to further their education while maintaining their job and personal responsibilities.
Overall, online learning has had a significant impact on students, both positive and negative. While it offers increased flexibility and accessibility to education, it also presents challenges such as increased screen time and social isolation. It is important for both educators and students to find ways to mitigate these challenges and ensure that remote learning is effective and beneficial for all.
Here is a table comparing the pros and cons of online learning:
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Increased flexibility and convenience | Increased screen time |
Self-directed learning can be effective | Potential social isolation |
Wider variety of courses and programs | Lack of face-to-face interactions |
Cheaper cost of courses | Technical difficulties can arise |
Accessible to working adults | Requires self-motivation and discipline |
Video answer
Aaron Barth believes that e-learning is having a negative impact on education, as it does not properly prepare students for the real world. He urges educators to return to telling human stories in order to engage students more fully and empower them.
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This support can be emotional, behavioral, academic, or physical interaction. The increased use of online learning makes students rely on technology instead of interacting and communicating with others. It decreases the growth of communication skills and results in increased social isolation.
How Online Learning Affects Students
- 1. Social Isolation The E-learning education method tends to make students undergo examination, contemplation, learning activities, and large screen time.
Online students did substantially worse than students in the same face-to-face course: They earned lower grades, were less likely to succeed in subsequent courses, and more likely to drop out.
The negative learning impacts, reduced course completion, and lack of connection with other students and faculty in a virtual environment could ultimately reduce college completion rates. On the other hand, there is also evidence that the availability of online classes may allow students to move through their degree requirement more quickly.
Online college courses are a rapidly expanding feature of higher education, yet little research identifies their effects relative to traditional in-person classes. Using an instrumental variables approach, we find that taking a course online, instead of in-person, reduces student success and progress in college.