2020 was
one of the biggest turning year for human beings. No one had imagined the seven
words “COVID-19” will change the aesthetics and ergonomics of our life.
It
had changed our lifestyle and professional life. These global pandemic did
not spare the single working sector on the earth. Due to COVID-19, aviation
sector, service sector, entertainment industry, manufacturing industry, plastic
industry, service industry, foundry was severely affected. Education sector had
to rethink about their strategies of teaching and coaching. Not only education
sector, but every sector also had to rethink their working ways, style. All the
old things were replaced with the new normal things in the pandemic.
All
the admission process was stopped in the education sector. Collages,
Universities were shut off for many months. Teaching had stopped. All the
campus was under the pin-drop silence mood in every university across the
globe.
After
many frequent lockdowns and shutdowns in many universities, universities had to
rethink their teaching strategy and they had to begin the teaching with the new
normal way. New normal way was online medium via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google
meet, Facebook and WhatsApp group call etc.
Admission
process was started with the online medium. And the new way of teaching which
had started across the education sector in the globe was virtual teaching.
It
was the new way for teachers as well as to the students. After many lockdowns
and the shutdowns in the collages, many collages had no option but to start
teaching via zoom, Google meet in order to prevent the education loss of the
students.
New
normal education is the new way of teaching. Many teachers and students are
adopting themselves to these new changes. Digital learning is the new way of teaching
for all the teachers and the students. Now, entire teaching, and exam orals are
carried via digital platform. It is having many positive advantages.
1. Better Efficiency.
Online teaching is offering the best way for
the teachers to deliver their teaching to their students. In classroom, there
was only blackboard to explain the details. In the digital learning, other
tools such as videos, PDF, Excel sheet, Podcast, YouTube is easily accessible
to the teaching staff. Teachers have now more efficient way to teach to their
students.
2. Accessibility of
Time and Place.
Students can attend the online classes from
any location as per their convince. They can use smartphones, Laptop, Desktop
for their learning. For the schools and colleges, this is best way to reach to
the maximum students. Students have also
added advantages of not visiting collage for their daily lectures. Due to
online learning, students are not made compulsion to come and sit in the
classroom. This has also helped many teaching faculty. Many of 50+ teaching
faculty can teach their students from home at a single place. Other advantage
is that all the online lectures can be easily recorded. After recording, they
can be also shared for the further reference. This allows all the students to
refer to the online lecture any time.
3. Reduced costs.
Another advantage of online learning is
reduced costs. Online education is far most affordable as compared to physical
learning in class. Because online teaching has eliminated the student
transportation, daily meals, print material cost and other expenses from the
college. Additionally, for online teaching all the course materials is shared
online.
4. Improved Student Attendance
record.
Since online classes can be taken from home or
any other choice location, there is very less chance of student’s absenteeism.
5. Variety of teaching
style.
Learning style of every student is different.
Some may like audio style; some may prefer to the video learning. This teaching
also gives chance to the students to open up one to one as they do not have any
group pressure as of classroom teaching.
As the new normal teaching
has much of added advantages to the teaching faculty and the students, it also
has some of the disadvantages that need to be focused.
1.Unable to focus on the screen-
In E- Learning medium, the biggest challenge
for students is the focus. As, they are supposed to sit in the front of screen,
not many are used to it. Sitting in the front of computer screen may cause some
of eye irritation or concentration problems for many students. Sitting for the
long time in front of monitor can create the mental fatigue. Many students keep
themselves login in the online teaching classes and they disappear from the
screen. Hence, it is main responsibility of the staff and the teachers to keep
the classes shortest with the break intervals. Also, teachers should keep the
online classes more engaging in order to keep their students engaged. Other
disadvantage is that due to sitting in the front of screen, many can get
affected with some eye diseases or non-spectacle guys can get the spectacles.
2.Internet connectivity-
Another biggest challenge for all online
classes is the internet connectivity. Online classes run for 5-6 hours. It
requires the continuous internet supply without any disturbance. Continuous
internet supply can create the better online classes, in case, the internet
supply is lost, or electricity is gone, the classes cannot be conducted.
Exceptionally low Internet connectivity can
create the discontinuity in the online classes. This problem can occur in the
small cities and towns.
3.Isolation
During the classroom
trainings, students sit near to each other. They get to chance interact with
other students and the teachers. This keeps them socially aware. Interaction
from the classrooms help to develop their personality and other qualities.
Interaction in the classrooms also clears most of the concepts clearly. This is
not observed in the online trainings.
For the E-learning, many
students isolate themselves in the closed rooms in the houses. This can create
the isolation fear in their mind which may create the loneliness attitude in
them. It can also create the lack of communication amongst the students.
4. Training styles
Every online learning requires teaching staff
to have the basic understanding of the technology. In case, the teaching staff
is not updated about the technology, it can create the distance in the style of
online learning. Also, there is not physical attraction between teachers and
the students in the online teaching. Hence, many teachers find it difficult to
interact with the students from the virtual medium.
5.Continuous screen
This
problem has been faced by many teaching faculty as well as parents. Everyone is
not aware about how to face the online screen for 6-7 hours. Hence, due to
this; it might create some kind of disinterest among the students for the
online trainings.
6.Less feedback
In
the classroom training, students are open to ask any questions or any query.
Teaching staff is also open and feels easy to guide to the students in the
physical teaching programme. In the online learning programme, many teaching
staff have to try extremely hard to get the student feedbacks. As in the online
learning, getting personal feedbacks is rare. For any queries or any
discussions, students find it hard to open in the digital medium.
7.Less
motivation
Lack of the motivation trigger among students
continues to be one of the primary reasons why students are unable to complete
online courses. Many find online courses as curse to them. In traditional
classrooms, there are various factors which help students towards their
learning. Face-to-face communication with professors, interaction with the
students, reading in the library help students from falling sidetrack from
their studies.
In the online learning, there is no motivation shared
amongst the students. In case they do not have time management skills, it may
be difficult.
8.Lack
of communicational skill
E-Learning methods are proven to be highly effective.
But developing the communicational skills of the students is an area which is
always neglected during online lessons. Due to the lack of face-to-face
communication, students and teachers in an online setting, the students might
find that they are unable to work effectively. Many students fail to
communicate online.
9.Cheating
In
the physical classrooms, it is difficult for the students to cheat and grab the
knowledge. Students work hard and they attend the various tests in the
classroom.
In
the E-learning modules, cheating can be done as there is no one around to check
the students from the collages and the universities.
10.Strong
software
For
all E-learning tools, software used should be proven and maintained. It should
have the backup plan in case some problem occurs during the assessments.
11.More
focus on the theory
More
focus is given by the teaching staff on the theoretical lectures in the online
learning. Hence, teachers do not know properly whether their students are cleared
with all the concepts. One to one teaching mentorship is most effective way to
develop the practical skills which is not done in online learning.
12.Limited scope
All
study fields are not effectively used for E-Learning. Some education needs to
be given face to face rather then teaching online. Ex. Machining activity in
Mechanical Engg can be well tought face to face rather than in online medium.
Not
accessible to people who are computer illiterate. This problem can occur in the
small cities and towns.
13.Lack of accreditation system & quality
assurance in online education
If E-Learning is to be considered as effective, it
must be well ensured that all online schools and classrooms are qualified and
accredited from the third body.
If the E-learning is not accredited by the University
or a third party, it has no use.
As
the new normal has some of the advantages. It is having also disadvantages.
Considering
the fact of the teaching, classroom teaching is always best for the personality
development of the students as well as it is also good for the teachers.
