1.2 Advantages of online learning

Although online education has its limitations, there are several advantages of online learning that explain why eLearning may be the greatest revolution in today’s education.

Advantages

1.Self-Discipline

Taking an online course requires more self-discipline to follow through than if you physically had lecturers and other students expecting you to be in the lecture theatre with them at a specified time. Enrolling in and completing online courses demonstrates a high level of self-discipline as well as illustrating that you are able to take initiative and don’t need to wait for others to tell or show you what to do.11

2.Improved Virtual Communication and Collaboration

Learning to work with others in a virtual environment can make you a more effective leader. You’ll develop critical leadership skills by utilizing specialized knowledge, creating efficient processes, and making decisions about best communication practices, such as what should be discussed in-person or electronically. 12 2. Efficiency Online learning offers teachers an efficient way to deliver lessons to the students. Online learning has a number of tools such as videos, pdfs, podcasts, and teachers can use all these tools as part of their lesson plans. By extending the lesson plan beyond traditional textbooks to include online resources, the teachers are able to become more efficient educators.10

3. Accessibility of time and place

Another advantage of online education is that it allows students to attend classes from any location of their choice. It also allows the schools to reach out to a more extensive network of students, instead of staying restricted by the geographical boundaries. Additionally, online lectures can be recorded, archived, and shared for future reference. This allows the students to access the learning material at a time of their comfort. A large number of educational institutions and students today are moving towards online digital courses in almost every field. The methods used by online learning programs are primarily aimed at delivering the best possible learning outcomes in the digital world, thus contributing to the overall vision of the educational institutions. In digital learning program development, courses are designed to maximize instructor-student and student-peer relationships through a range of highly effective and collaborative instructional tools and methods. The objective of each course is to create an interactive experience wherein students can actively engage in the learning process.11

4. Affordability

Another advantage of online learning is reduced financial costs. Online education is far more affordable as compared to physical learning. This is because online learning eliminates the cost points of student transportation, student meals, and most importantly, real estate. Additionally, all the course or study material is all available online, thus creating a paperless learning environment which is more affordable, while also being beneficial to the environment.12

5. Improved student attendance

With online classes, since the classes can be taken from home or location of choice, there are fewer chances of students missing out on lessons. 13

6. Suits a variety of learning styles

Every student has a different learning journey and a different learning style. Some students are visual learners, while some students prefer to learn through audio. Similarly, some students thrive in the classroom, and other students are solo learners who get distracted by large groups The online learning system, with its range of options and resources, can be personalized in many ways. It is the best way to create a perfect learning environment suited to the needs of each student.14

7. E-Learning is Scalable

Online learning is scalable. You can roll it out to as many employees or students you need and is a one-time investment. The more learners take the course, the faster you can write off the expense.

8. E-learning offers personalization.

Each learner has unique preferences and learning goals unique . E-learning makes it possible to cater to individual needs. It allows learners to choose their learning path and navigate at their own pace. When they decide what to learn and when, they remain invested in the course.

E- learning in educational technologies share a number of challenges and constraints. Leanna Archambault in Revisiting technological pedagogical content knowledge notes that course development and design takes a long time to conclude because of new content, new technologies, and new ways of engaging online learners. Digital course developers and researchers face the challenge of developing innovative courses that are able to meet diverse needs and objectives of students without compromising the quality of education as well as the depths. This is due to the wide range of students with different age, culture, location and educational backgrounds.

While an intelligent tutor might be able to help a student master specific math concepts, it may not be able to teach students to critically analyse a work of literature or debate the ethics of new legislation. S.Venkataraman in an International Journal of Academic Research Reflector Vol. 9, No.6, pp.1-3., Nov.-Dec., 2020 notes that “Owing to  the  lack of  human interaction,  the absence  of  a teacher  and an inability to discuss  with  peers, students may often get upset. This part is ignored by many online courses and focuses primarily on theoretical material and external lessons. Once they encounter difficulties in online learning, students start losing hope. S.Venkataraman in his journal on Academic research reflector notes that “others students may not be conversant with operating systems, browsers, use of smart phones.” In such a scenario, the course never kicks off and such difficulties make students loose hope. Other constraints include technical difficulties in online classes and E-coaching. When technical mistake or difficulties happen during an online session, they cause stress and render the students and the tutor powerless.

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