online education problems essay

The opportunities and challenges of digital learning

Subscribe to the center for economic security and opportunity newsletter, brian a. jacob brian a. jacob walter h. annenberg professor of education policy; professor of economics, and professor of education - university of michigan, former brookings expert.

May 5, 2016

Twenty years ago this week, one of my very first writings on education policy appeared in print. [i] It was an opinion piece I wrote while teaching middle school in East Harlem, in which I described my school’s struggle to effectively use classroom computers. Two decades later, as a professor of economics and education policy, I am engaged in several research projects studying the use and impact of digital learning. [ii]

Much has changed since I taught middle school. I am struck by the extent to which recent technological innovations have created many new opportunities to better serve traditionally disadvantaged students.

First, increasing speed and availability of internet access can reduce many of the geographic constraints that disadvantage poor students. Schools serving higher-resourced families are often able to recruit better teachers and administrators—perhaps the most important school resources—even without additional funding.

Unlike teachers, however, technologies have no preferences for the schools in which they work. The resources available on the internet, for example, are equally available to all schools with the same internet access and internet access costs the same for all schools in the same area, regardless of the student population served. Students can now access online videos that provide instruction on a wide variety of topics at various skill levels, and participate in real-time video conferences with teachers or tutors located a state (or even a continent) away. [iii]

Second, the evolution of touch-screen technology has enabled very young children to engage in technology-aided instruction. Prior to tablets, it was difficult for pre-school, kindergarten and even early primary grade students to work with educational software because it required use of a mouse or keyboard. Now there are a hundreds of applications that can effectively expose children to early literacy and numeracy skills.

Third, advances in artificial intelligence technology now allow teachers to differentiate instruction, providing extra support and developmentally-appropriate material to students whose knowledge and skill is far below or above grade level norms. The latest “intelligent” tutoring systems are able to not only assess a student’s current weaknesses, but also diagnose why students are making specific errors. [iv] These technologies could enable teachers to better reach students who are further from the average within their classroom, potentially benefiting students with weaker academic preparation.

And these technologies scale easily so that innovations (or even good curriculum) can reach more students. Much like a well-written textbook, a well-designed educational software application or online lesson can reach students not just in a single classroom or school, but across the state or country.

While technologies such as virtual instruction and intelligent tutoring offer great promise, unless the challenges that are associated with implementing them are fully understood and addressed their failure is almost surely guaranteed. To date, there is little evidence that digital learning can be implemented at scale in a way that improves outcomes for disadvantaged students.

Hundreds of thousands of students attend full-time online schools, [v] but a study released last year found that students of online charter schools had significantly weaker academic performance in math and reading, compared with demographically similar students in conventional public schools. [vi] Computer-aided instruction has been studied extensively over the past twenty-five years and the findings have not been encouraging. Consistently, programs that are implemented widely and evaluated with rigorous methods have yielded little to no benefit for students on average. [vii]

What are the key challenges?

Let’s start with student motivation. If technologies can draw in otherwise disenfranchised students through the personalization of material to a student’s interest or through gaming technology, they could benefit disengaged, poorly performing students. However, these technologies often reduce oversight of students, which could be particularly detrimental for children who are less motivated or who receive less structured educational supports at home. It is also possible that these technologies will be less able to engage reluctant learners in the way a dynamic and charismatic teacher can.

Moreover, approaches that forgo direct interpersonal interaction completely are unlikely to be able to teach certain skills. Learning is an inherently social activity. 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 analyze a work of literature or debate the ethics of new legislation.

The experience of Rocketship, a well-known charter school network, illustrates this concern. Developed in the Bay Area of California in 2006, Rocketship’s instructional model revolves around a blended learning approach in which students spend a considerable amount of each day engaged with computer-aided learning technologies. The network received early praise for its innovative approach to learning and, most importantly, for the high achievement scores posted by its mostly poor, nonwhite student population. In 2012, however, researchers and educators raised concerns about graduates from Rocketship elementary schools, noting that they had good basic skills but were struggling with the critical analysis required in middle school. [viii]

More broadly, it is important to realize that technologies can be either substitutes for or complements to resources already in the school. To the extent that they are substitutes, they are inherently equalizing forces. For example, well-designed and structured online content might provide critical support to a novice teacher who is too overwhelmed to produce the same coherent and engaging materials that some more experienced teachers can create.

However, in many cases it may be more appropriate to think of technologies as complements—e.g., when they require skilled teachers or students with strong prior skills to be implemented well. In these cases, technologies must be accompanied with additional resources in order for them to benefit traditionally underserved populations.

Perhaps most importantly, systems that blend computer-aided and face-to-face instruction are notoriously difficult to implement well. In recent studies of the popular Cognitive Tutor math programs, teachers reported trouble implementing the program’s instructional practices that revolve around collaborative work, making strong connections between computer-based activities and classroom instruction, and maintaining the expected learning pace with many students who lacked prior math and reading skills. [ix]

Finally, even with the best implementation, digital learning is likely to benefit students differently depending on their personal circumstances and those of their school. For instance, non-native English speakers might benefit from online instruction that allows them to pause and look up unfamiliar words. Likewise, we might expect an online course to be more advantageous for students attending a brick-and-mortar school with very low-quality teachers.

Indeed, some recent research finds exactly this type of heterogeneity. A large IES-funded evaluation of computer-aided instruction (CAI) released in 2007 found that students randomly assigned to teachers using the leading CAI products fared no better than students in control classrooms. Several years later, then graduate student Eric Taylor, decided to reanalyze the data from the study, focusing on whether the impacts of these technologies varied across classrooms. His analysis suggests that the introduction of computer-aided instruction had a positive impact on students in classrooms with less effective teachers and a negative impact on students in classrooms with more effective teachers. [x]

In recent years, the worlds of online learning and computer-aided instruction have converged to some extent, morphing into what is often referred to as blended- or personalized-learning models. There are a number of interesting projects underway across the country, including pilots supported by the Gates Foundation’s Next Generation Learning Challenge, and the emergence of charter networks with a goal to provide truly personalized learning for every student, such as Summit Public Schools in California and Washington. [xi]

In order for these new endeavors to be successful, they must overcome the challenges described above.

[i] http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/1996/05/01/08jacob.h07.html

[ii] In a recent publication, the International Association for K-12 Online Learning defined digital learning as “any instructional practice in or out of school that uses digital technology to strengthen a student’s learning experience and improve educational outcomes.”

[iii] This technology has even expanded opportunities for the long-distance professional development of teachers, enabling novice teachers to receive mentorship from master teachers regardless of distance.

[iv] http://www.apa.org/pubs/books/4311503.aspx?tab=2

[v] http://www.inacol.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Keeping-Pace-2015-Report.pdf

[vi] https://credo.stanford.edu/pdfs/Online%20Charter%20Study%20Final.pdf

[vii] http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1747938X13000031

http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/edu/105/4/970/?_ga=1.79079444.1486538874.1462278305

http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/features/edu-a0037123.pdf

http://rer.sagepub.com/content/86/1/42.abstract

[viii] http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/01/21/19el-rotation.h33.html?qs=New+Model+Underscores+Rocketship%E2%80%99s+Growing+Pains

http://educationnext.org/future-schools/

[ix] http://epa.sagepub.com/content/36/2/127.abstract

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19345741003681189

[x] https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5LXmfylL6JAC

[xi] http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1365.html

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School Education /

Essay On Online Education: In 100 Words, 150 Words, and 200 Words

Updated on
Sep 22, 2023

Online education has emerged as a significant transformation in the global education landscape, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic . This essay explores the various facets of online education, from its inception to its advantages and disadvantages and its impact on learners and educators alike. The evolution of online education presents a new horizon for accessible and flexible learning .

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Essay on online education in 100 words, essay on online education in 150 words, essay on online education in 200 words.

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The effects of online education on academic success: A meta-analysis study

Published: 06 September 2021
Volume 27 , pages 429–450, ( 2022 )

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Hakan Ulum ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1398-6935 1

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The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of online education, which has been extensively used on student achievement since the beginning of the pandemic. In line with this purpose, a meta-analysis of the related studies focusing on the effect of online education on students’ academic achievement in several countries between the years 2010 and 2021 was carried out. Furthermore, this study will provide a source to assist future studies with comparing the effect of online education on academic achievement before and after the pandemic. This meta-analysis study consists of 27 studies in total. The meta-analysis involves the studies conducted in the USA, Taiwan, Turkey, China, Philippines, Ireland, and Georgia. The studies included in the meta-analysis are experimental studies, and the total sample size is 1772. In the study, the funnel plot, Duval and Tweedie’s Trip and Fill Analysis, Orwin’s Safe N Analysis, and Egger’s Regression Test were utilized to determine the publication bias, which has been found to be quite low. Besides, Hedge’s g statistic was employed to measure the effect size for the difference between the means performed in accordance with the random effects model. The results of the study show that the effect size of online education on academic achievement is on a medium level. The heterogeneity test results of the meta-analysis study display that the effect size does not differ in terms of class level, country, online education approaches, and lecture moderators.

Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.

1 Introduction

Information and communication technologies have become a powerful force in transforming the educational settings around the world. The pandemic has been an important factor in transferring traditional physical classrooms settings through adopting information and communication technologies and has also accelerated the transformation. The literature supports that learning environments connected to information and communication technologies highly satisfy students. Therefore, we need to keep interest in technology-based learning environments. Clearly, technology has had a huge impact on young people's online lives. This digital revolution can synergize the educational ambitions and interests of digitally addicted students. In essence, COVID-19 has provided us with an opportunity to embrace online learning as education systems have to keep up with the rapid emergence of new technologies.

Information and communication technologies that have an effect on all spheres of life are also actively included in the education field. With the recent developments, using technology in education has become inevitable due to personal and social reasons (Usta, 2011a ). Online education may be given as an example of using information and communication technologies as a consequence of the technological developments. Also, it is crystal clear that online learning is a popular way of obtaining instruction (Demiralay et al., 2016 ; Pillay et al., 2007 ), which is defined by Horton ( 2000 ) as a way of education that is performed through a web browser or an online application without requiring an extra software or a learning source. Furthermore, online learning is described as a way of utilizing the internet to obtain the related learning sources during the learning process, to interact with the content, the teacher, and other learners, as well as to get support throughout the learning process (Ally, 2004 ). Online learning has such benefits as learning independently at any time and place (Vrasidas & MsIsaac, 2000 ), granting facility (Poole, 2000 ), flexibility (Chizmar & Walbert, 1999 ), self-regulation skills (Usta, 2011b ), learning with collaboration, and opportunity to plan self-learning process.

Even though online education practices have not been comprehensive as it is now, internet and computers have been used in education as alternative learning tools in correlation with the advances in technology. The first distance education attempt in the world was initiated by the ‘Steno Courses’ announcement published in Boston newspaper in 1728. Furthermore, in the nineteenth century, Sweden University started the “Correspondence Composition Courses” for women, and University Correspondence College was afterwards founded for the correspondence courses in 1843 (Arat & Bakan, 2011 ). Recently, distance education has been performed through computers, assisted by the facilities of the internet technologies, and soon, it has evolved into a mobile education practice that is emanating from progress in the speed of internet connection, and the development of mobile devices.

With the emergence of pandemic (Covid-19), face to face education has almost been put to a halt, and online education has gained significant importance. The Microsoft management team declared to have 750 users involved in the online education activities on the 10 th March, just before the pandemic; however, on March 24, they informed that the number of users increased significantly, reaching the number of 138,698 users (OECD, 2020 ). This event supports the view that it is better to commonly use online education rather than using it as a traditional alternative educational tool when students do not have the opportunity to have a face to face education (Geostat, 2019 ). The period of Covid-19 pandemic has emerged as a sudden state of having limited opportunities. Face to face education has stopped in this period for a long time. The global spread of Covid-19 affected more than 850 million students all around the world, and it caused the suspension of face to face education. Different countries have proposed several solutions in order to maintain the education process during the pandemic. Schools have had to change their curriculum, and many countries supported the online education practices soon after the pandemic. In other words, traditional education gave its way to online education practices. At least 96 countries have been motivated to access online libraries, TV broadcasts, instructions, sources, video lectures, and online channels (UNESCO, 2020 ). In such a painful period, educational institutions went through online education practices by the help of huge companies such as Microsoft, Google, Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, and Slack. Thus, online education has been discussed in the education agenda more intensively than ever before.

Although online education approaches were not used as comprehensively as it has been used recently, it was utilized as an alternative learning approach in education for a long time in parallel with the development of technology, internet and computers. The academic achievement of the students is often aimed to be promoted by employing online education approaches. In this regard, academicians in various countries have conducted many studies on the evaluation of online education approaches and published the related results. However, the accumulation of scientific data on online education approaches creates difficulties in keeping, organizing and synthesizing the findings. In this research area, studies are being conducted at an increasing rate making it difficult for scientists to be aware of all the research outside of their expertise. Another problem encountered in the related study area is that online education studies are repetitive. Studies often utilize slightly different methods, measures, and/or examples to avoid duplication. This erroneous approach makes it difficult to distinguish between significant differences in the related results. In other words, if there are significant differences in the results of the studies, it may be difficult to express what variety explains the differences in these results. One obvious solution to these problems is to systematically review the results of various studies and uncover the sources. One method of performing such systematic syntheses is the application of meta-analysis which is a methodological and statistical approach to draw conclusions from the literature. At this point, how effective online education applications are in increasing the academic success is an important detail. Has online education, which is likely to be encountered frequently in the continuing pandemic period, been successful in the last ten years? If successful, how much was the impact? Did different variables have an impact on this effect? Academics across the globe have carried out studies on the evaluation of online education platforms and publishing the related results (Chiao et al., 2018 ). It is quite important to evaluate the results of the studies that have been published up until now, and that will be published in the future. Has the online education been successful? If it has been, how big is the impact? Do the different variables affect this impact? What should we consider in the next coming online education practices? These questions have all motivated us to carry out this study. We have conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis study that tries to provide a discussion platform on how to develop efficient online programs for educators and policy makers by reviewing the related studies on online education, presenting the effect size, and revealing the effect of diverse variables on the general impact.

There have been many critical discussions and comprehensive studies on the differences between online and face to face learning; however, the focus of this paper is different in the sense that it clarifies the magnitude of the effect of online education and teaching process, and it represents what factors should be controlled to help increase the effect size. Indeed, the purpose here is to provide conscious decisions in the implementation of the online education process.

The general impact of online education on the academic achievement will be discovered in the study. Therefore, this will provide an opportunity to get a general overview of the online education which has been practiced and discussed intensively in the pandemic period. Moreover, the general impact of online education on academic achievement will be analyzed, considering different variables. In other words, the current study will allow to totally evaluate the study results from the related literature, and to analyze the results considering several cultures, lectures, and class levels. Considering all the related points, this study seeks to answer the following research questions:

What is the effect size of online education on academic achievement?

How do the effect sizes of online education on academic achievement change according to the moderator variable of the country?

How do the effect sizes of online education on academic achievement change according to the moderator variable of the class level?

How do the effect sizes of online education on academic achievement change according to the moderator variable of the lecture?

How do the effect sizes of online education on academic achievement change according to the moderator variable of the online education approaches?

This study aims at determining the effect size of online education, which has been highly used since the beginning of the pandemic, on students’ academic achievement in different courses by using a meta-analysis method. Meta-analysis is a synthesis method that enables gathering of several study results accurately and efficiently, and getting the total results in the end (Tsagris & Fragkos, 2018 ).

2.1 Selecting and coding the data (studies)

The required literature for the meta-analysis study was reviewed in July, 2020, and the follow-up review was conducted in September, 2020. The purpose of the follow-up review was to include the studies which were published in the conduction period of this study, and which met the related inclusion criteria. However, no study was encountered to be included in the follow-up review.

In order to access the studies in the meta-analysis, the databases of Web of Science, ERIC, and SCOPUS were reviewed by utilizing the keywords ‘online learning and online education’. Not every database has a search engine that grants access to the studies by writing the keywords, and this obstacle was considered to be an important problem to be overcome. Therefore, a platform that has a special design was utilized by the researcher. With this purpose, through the open access system of Cukurova University Library, detailed reviews were practiced using EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) that allow reviewing the whole collection of research through a sole searching box. Since the fundamental variables of this study are online education and online learning, the literature was systematically reviewed in the related databases (Web of Science, ERIC, and SCOPUS) by referring to the keywords. Within this scope, 225 articles were accessed, and the studies were included in the coding key list formed by the researcher. The name of the researchers, the year, the database (Web of Science, ERIC, and SCOPUS), the sample group and size, the lectures that the academic achievement was tested in, the country that the study was conducted in, and the class levels were all included in this coding key.

The following criteria were identified to include 225 research studies which were coded based on the theoretical basis of the meta-analysis study: (1) The studies should be published in the refereed journals between the years 2020 and 2021, (2) The studies should be experimental studies that try to determine the effect of online education and online learning on academic achievement, (3) The values of the stated variables or the required statistics to calculate these values should be stated in the results of the studies, and (4) The sample group of the study should be at a primary education level. These criteria were also used as the exclusion criteria in the sense that the studies that do not meet the required criteria were not included in the present study.

After the inclusion criteria were determined, a systematic review process was conducted, following the year criterion of the study by means of EBSCO. Within this scope, 290,365 studies that analyze the effect of online education and online learning on academic achievement were accordingly accessed. The database (Web of Science, ERIC, and SCOPUS) was also used as a filter by analyzing the inclusion criteria. Hence, the number of the studies that were analyzed was 58,616. Afterwards, the keyword ‘primary education’ was used as the filter and the number of studies included in the study decreased to 3152. Lastly, the literature was reviewed by using the keyword ‘academic achievement’ and 225 studies were accessed. All the information of 225 articles was included in the coding key.

It is necessary for the coders to review the related studies accurately and control the validity, safety, and accuracy of the studies (Stewart & Kamins, 2001 ). Within this scope, the studies that were determined based on the variables used in this study were first reviewed by three researchers from primary education field, then the accessed studies were combined and processed in the coding key by the researcher. All these studies that were processed in the coding key were analyzed in accordance with the inclusion criteria by all the researchers in the meetings, and it was decided that 27 studies met the inclusion criteria (Atici & Polat, 2010 ; Carreon, 2018 ; Ceylan & Elitok Kesici, 2017 ; Chae & Shin, 2016 ; Chiang et al. 2014 ; Ercan, 2014 ; Ercan et al., 2016 ; Gwo-Jen et al., 2018 ; Hayes & Stewart, 2016 ; Hwang et al., 2012 ; Kert et al., 2017 ; Lai & Chen, 2010 ; Lai et al., 2015 ; Meyers et al., 2015 ; Ravenel et al., 2014 ; Sung et al., 2016 ; Wang & Chen, 2013 ; Yu, 2019 ; Yu & Chen, 2014 ; Yu & Pan, 2014 ; Yu et al., 2010 ; Zhong et al., 2017 ). The data from the studies meeting the inclusion criteria were independently processed in the second coding key by three researchers, and consensus meetings were arranged for further discussion. After the meetings, researchers came to an agreement that the data were coded accurately and precisely. Having identified the effect sizes and heterogeneity of the study, moderator variables that will show the differences between the effect sizes were determined. The data related to the determined moderator variables were added to the coding key by three researchers, and a new consensus meeting was arranged. After the meeting, researchers came to an agreement that moderator variables were coded accurately and precisely.

2.2 Study group

27 studies are included in the meta-analysis. The total sample size of the studies that are included in the analysis is 1772. The characteristics of the studies included are given in Table 1 .

2.3 Publication bias

Publication bias is the low capability of published studies on a research subject to represent all completed studies on the same subject (Card, 2011 ; Littell et al., 2008 ). Similarly, publication bias is the state of having a relationship between the probability of the publication of a study on a subject, and the effect size and significance that it produces. Within this scope, publication bias may occur when the researchers do not want to publish the study as a result of failing to obtain the expected results, or not being approved by the scientific journals, and consequently not being included in the study synthesis (Makowski et al., 2019 ). The high possibility of publication bias in a meta-analysis study negatively affects (Pecoraro, 2018 ) the accuracy of the combined effect size, causing the average effect size to be reported differently than it should be (Borenstein et al., 2009 ). For this reason, the possibility of publication bias in the included studies was tested before determining the effect sizes of the relationships between the stated variables. The possibility of publication bias of this meta-analysis study was analyzed by using the funnel plot, Orwin’s Safe N Analysis, Duval and Tweedie’s Trip and Fill Analysis, and Egger’s Regression Test.

2.4 Selecting the model

After determining the probability of publication bias of this meta-analysis study, the statistical model used to calculate the effect sizes was selected. The main approaches used in the effect size calculations according to the differentiation level of inter-study variance are fixed and random effects models (Pigott, 2012 ). Fixed effects model refers to the homogeneity of the characteristics of combined studies apart from the sample sizes, while random effects model refers to the parameter diversity between the studies (Cumming, 2012 ). While calculating the average effect size in the random effects model (Deeks et al., 2008 ) that is based on the assumption that effect predictions of different studies are only the result of a similar distribution, it is necessary to consider several situations such as the effect size apart from the sample error of combined studies, characteristics of the participants, duration, scope, and pattern of the study (Littell et al., 2008 ). While deciding the model in the meta-analysis study, the assumptions on the sample characteristics of the studies included in the analysis and the inferences that the researcher aims to make should be taken into consideration. The fact that the sample characteristics of the studies conducted in the field of social sciences are affected by various parameters shows that using random effects model is more appropriate in this sense. Besides, it is stated that the inferences made with the random effects model are beyond the studies included in the meta-analysis (Field, 2003 ; Field & Gillett, 2010 ). Therefore, using random effects model also contributes to the generalization of research data. The specified criteria for the statistical model selection show that according to the nature of the meta-analysis study, the model should be selected just before the analysis (Borenstein et al., 2007 ; Littell et al., 2008 ). Within this framework, it was decided to make use of the random effects model, considering that the students who are the samples of the studies included in the meta-analysis are from different countries and cultures, the sample characteristics of the studies differ, and the patterns and scopes of the studies vary as well.

2.5 Heterogeneity

Meta-analysis facilitates analyzing the research subject with different parameters by showing the level of diversity between the included studies. Within this frame, whether there is a heterogeneous distribution between the studies included in the study or not has been evaluated in the present study. The heterogeneity of the studies combined in this meta-analysis study has been determined through Q and I 2 tests. Q test evaluates the random distribution probability of the differences between the observed results (Deeks et al., 2008 ). Q value exceeding 2 value calculated according to the degree of freedom and significance, indicates the heterogeneity of the combined effect sizes (Card, 2011 ). I 2 test, which is the complementary of the Q test, shows the heterogeneity amount of the effect sizes (Cleophas & Zwinderman, 2017 ). I 2 value being higher than 75% is explained as high level of heterogeneity.

In case of encountering heterogeneity in the studies included in the meta-analysis, the reasons of heterogeneity can be analyzed by referring to the study characteristics. The study characteristics which may be related to the heterogeneity between the included studies can be interpreted through subgroup analysis or meta-regression analysis (Deeks et al., 2008 ). While determining the moderator variables, the sufficiency of the number of variables, the relationship between the moderators, and the condition to explain the differences between the results of the studies have all been considered in the present study. Within this scope, it was predicted in this meta-analysis study that the heterogeneity can be explained with the country, class level, and lecture moderator variables of the study in terms of the effect of online education, which has been highly used since the beginning of the pandemic, and it has an impact on the students’ academic achievement in different lectures. Some subgroups were evaluated and categorized together, considering that the number of effect sizes of the sub-dimensions of the specified variables is not sufficient to perform moderator analysis (e.g. the countries where the studies were conducted).

2.6 Interpreting the effect sizes

Effect size is a factor that shows how much the independent variable affects the dependent variable positively or negatively in each included study in the meta-analysis (Dinçer, 2014 ). While interpreting the effect sizes obtained from the meta-analysis, the classifications of Cohen et al. ( 2007 ) have been utilized. The case of differentiating the specified relationships of the situation of the country, class level, and school subject variables of the study has been identified through the Q test, degree of freedom, and p significance value Fig. 1 and 2 .

3 Findings and results

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect size of online education on academic achievement. Before determining the effect sizes in the study, the probability of publication bias of this meta-analysis study was analyzed by using the funnel plot, Orwin’s Safe N Analysis, Duval and Tweedie’s Trip and Fill Analysis, and Egger’s Regression Test.

When the funnel plots are examined, it is seen that the studies included in the analysis are distributed symmetrically on both sides of the combined effect size axis, and they are generally collected in the middle and lower sections. The probability of publication bias is low according to the plots. However, since the results of the funnel scatter plots may cause subjective interpretations, they have been supported by additional analyses (Littell et al., 2008 ). Therefore, in order to provide an extra proof for the probability of publication bias, it has been analyzed through Orwin’s Safe N Analysis, Duval and Tweedie’s Trip and Fill Analysis, and Egger’s Regression Test (Table 2 ).

Table 2 consists of the results of the rates of publication bias probability before counting the effect size of online education on academic achievement. According to the table, Orwin Safe N analysis results show that it is not necessary to add new studies to the meta-analysis in order for Hedges g to reach a value outside the range of ± 0.01. The Duval and Tweedie test shows that excluding the studies that negatively affect the symmetry of the funnel scatter plots for each meta-analysis or adding their exact symmetrical equivalents does not significantly differentiate the calculated effect size. The insignificance of the Egger tests results reveals that there is no publication bias in the meta-analysis study. The results of the analysis indicate the high internal validity of the effect sizes and the adequacy of representing the studies conducted on the relevant subject.

In this study, it was aimed to determine the effect size of online education on academic achievement after testing the publication bias. In line with the first purpose of the study, the forest graph regarding the effect size of online education on academic achievement is shown in Fig. 3 , and the statistics regarding the effect size are given in Table 3 .

The flow chart of the scanning and selection process of the studies

Funnel plot graphics representing the effect size of the effects of online education on academic success

Forest graph related to the effect size of online education on academic success

The square symbols in the forest graph in Fig. 3 represent the effect sizes, while the horizontal lines show the intervals in 95% confidence of the effect sizes, and the diamond symbol shows the overall effect size. When the forest graph is analyzed, it is seen that the lower and upper limits of the combined effect sizes are generally close to each other, and the study loads are similar. This similarity in terms of study loads indicates the similarity of the contribution of the combined studies to the overall effect size.

Figure 3 clearly represents that the study of Liu and others (Liu et al., 2018 ) has the lowest, and the study of Ercan and Bilen ( 2014 ) has the highest effect sizes. The forest graph shows that all the combined studies and the overall effect are positive. Furthermore, it is simply understood from the forest graph in Fig. 3 and the effect size statistics in Table 3 that the results of the meta-analysis study conducted with 27 studies and analyzing the effect of online education on academic achievement illustrate that this relationship is on average level (= 0.409).

After the analysis of the effect size in the study, whether the studies included in the analysis are distributed heterogeneously or not has also been analyzed. The heterogeneity of the combined studies was determined through the Q and I 2 tests. As a result of the heterogeneity test, Q statistical value was calculated as 29.576. With 26 degrees of freedom at 95% significance level in the chi-square table, the critical value is accepted as 38.885. The Q statistical value (29.576) counted in this study is lower than the critical value of 38.885. The I 2 value, which is the complementary of the Q statistics, is 12.100%. This value indicates that the accurate heterogeneity or the total variability that can be attributed to variability between the studies is 12%. Besides, p value is higher than (0.285) p = 0.05. All these values [Q (26) = 29.579, p = 0.285; I2 = 12.100] indicate that there is a homogeneous distribution between the effect sizes, and fixed effects model should be used to interpret these effect sizes. However, some researchers argue that even if the heterogeneity is low, it should be evaluated based on the random effects model (Borenstein et al., 2007 ). Therefore, this study gives information about both models. The heterogeneity of the combined studies has been attempted to be explained with the characteristics of the studies included in the analysis. In this context, the final purpose of the study is to determine the effect of the country, academic level, and year variables on the findings. Accordingly, the statistics regarding the comparison of the stated relations according to the countries where the studies were conducted are given in Table 4 .

As seen in Table 4 , the effect of online education on academic achievement does not differ significantly according to the countries where the studies were conducted in. Q test results indicate the heterogeneity of the relationships between the variables in terms of countries where the studies were conducted in. According to the table, the effect of online education on academic achievement was reported as the highest in other countries, and the lowest in the US. The statistics regarding the comparison of the stated relations according to the class levels are given in Table 5 .

As seen in Table 5 , the effect of online education on academic achievement does not differ according to the class level. However, the effect of online education on academic achievement is the highest in the 4 th class. The statistics regarding the comparison of the stated relations according to the class levels are given in Table 6 .

As seen in Table 6 , the effect of online education on academic achievement does not differ according to the school subjects included in the studies. However, the effect of online education on academic achievement is the highest in ICT subject.

The obtained effect size in the study was formed as a result of the findings attained from primary studies conducted in 7 different countries. In addition, these studies are the ones on different approaches to online education (online learning environments, social networks, blended learning, etc.). In this respect, the results may raise some questions about the validity and generalizability of the results of the study. However, the moderator analyzes, whether for the country variable or for the approaches covered by online education, did not create significant differences in terms of the effect sizes. If significant differences were to occur in terms of effect sizes, we could say that the comparisons we will make by comparing countries under the umbrella of online education would raise doubts in terms of generalizability. Moreover, no study has been found in the literature that is not based on a special approach or does not contain a specific technique conducted under the name of online education alone. For instance, one of the commonly used definitions is blended education which is defined as an educational model in which online education is combined with traditional education method (Colis & Moonen, 2001 ). Similarly, Rasmussen ( 2003 ) defines blended learning as “a distance education method that combines technology (high technology such as television, internet, or low technology such as voice e-mail, conferences) with traditional education and training.” Further, Kerres and Witt (2003) define blended learning as “combining face-to-face learning with technology-assisted learning.” As it is clearly observed, online education, which has a wider scope, includes many approaches.

As seen in Table 7 , the effect of online education on academic achievement does not differ according to online education approaches included in the studies. However, the effect of online education on academic achievement is the highest in Web Based Problem Solving Approach.

4 Conclusions and discussion

Considering the developments during the pandemics, it is thought that the diversity in online education applications as an interdisciplinary pragmatist field will increase, and the learning content and processes will be enriched with the integration of new technologies into online education processes. Another prediction is that more flexible and accessible learning opportunities will be created in online education processes, and in this way, lifelong learning processes will be strengthened. As a result, it is predicted that in the near future, online education and even digital learning with a newer name will turn into the main ground of education instead of being an alternative or having a support function in face-to-face learning. The lessons learned from the early period online learning experience, which was passed with rapid adaptation due to the Covid19 epidemic, will serve to develop this method all over the world, and in the near future, online learning will become the main learning structure through increasing its functionality with the contribution of new technologies and systems. If we look at it from this point of view, there is a necessity to strengthen online education.

In this study, the effect of online learning on academic achievement is at a moderate level. To increase this effect, the implementation of online learning requires support from teachers to prepare learning materials, to design learning appropriately, and to utilize various digital-based media such as websites, software technology and various other tools to support the effectiveness of online learning (Rolisca & Achadiyah, 2014 ). According to research conducted by Rahayu et al. ( 2017 ), it has been proven that the use of various types of software increases the effectiveness and quality of online learning. Implementation of online learning can affect students' ability to adapt to technological developments in that it makes students use various learning resources on the internet to access various types of information, and enables them to get used to performing inquiry learning and active learning (Hart et al., 2019 ; Prestiadi et al., 2019 ). In addition, there may be many reasons for the low level of effect in this study. The moderator variables examined in this study could be a guide in increasing the level of practical effect. However, the effect size did not differ significantly for all moderator variables. Different moderator analyzes can be evaluated in order to increase the level of impact of online education on academic success. If confounding variables that significantly change the effect level are detected, it can be spoken more precisely in order to increase this level. In addition to the technical and financial problems, the level of impact will increase if a few other difficulties are eliminated such as students, lack of interaction with the instructor, response time, and lack of traditional classroom socialization.

In addition, COVID-19 pandemic related social distancing has posed extreme difficulties for all stakeholders to get online as they have to work in time constraints and resource constraints. Adopting the online learning environment is not just a technical issue, it is a pedagogical and instructive challenge as well. Therefore, extensive preparation of teaching materials, curriculum, and assessment is vital in online education. Technology is the delivery tool and requires close cross-collaboration between teaching, content and technology teams (CoSN, 2020 ).

Online education applications have been used for many years. However, it has come to the fore more during the pandemic process. This result of necessity has brought with it the discussion of using online education instead of traditional education methods in the future. However, with this research, it has been revealed that online education applications are moderately effective. The use of online education instead of face-to-face education applications can only be possible with an increase in the level of success. This may have been possible with the experience and knowledge gained during the pandemic process. Therefore, the meta-analysis of experimental studies conducted in the coming years will guide us. In this context, experimental studies using online education applications should be analyzed well. It would be useful to identify variables that can change the level of impacts with different moderators. Moderator analyzes are valuable in meta-analysis studies (for example, the role of moderators in Karl Pearson's typhoid vaccine studies). In this context, each analysis study sheds light on future studies. In meta-analyses to be made about online education, it would be beneficial to go beyond the moderators determined in this study. Thus, the contribution of similar studies to the field will increase more.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of online education on academic achievement. In line with this purpose, the studies that analyze the effect of online education approaches on academic achievement have been included in the meta-analysis. The total sample size of the studies included in the meta-analysis is 1772. While the studies included in the meta-analysis were conducted in the US, Taiwan, Turkey, China, Philippines, Ireland, and Georgia, the studies carried out in Europe could not be reached. The reason may be attributed to that there may be more use of quantitative research methods from a positivist perspective in the countries with an American academic tradition. As a result of the study, it was found out that the effect size of online education on academic achievement (g = 0.409) was moderate. In the studies included in the present research, we found that online education approaches were more effective than traditional ones. However, contrary to the present study, the analysis of comparisons between online and traditional education in some studies shows that face-to-face traditional learning is still considered effective compared to online learning (Ahmad et al., 2016 ; Hamdani & Priatna, 2020 ; Wei & Chou, 2020 ). Online education has advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of online learning compared to face-to-face learning in the classroom is the flexibility of learning time in online learning, the learning time does not include a single program, and it can be shaped according to circumstances (Lai et al., 2019 ). The next advantage is the ease of collecting assignments for students, as these can be done without having to talk to the teacher. Despite this, online education has several weaknesses, such as students having difficulty in understanding the material, teachers' inability to control students, and students’ still having difficulty interacting with teachers in case of internet network cuts (Swan, 2007 ). According to Astuti et al ( 2019 ), face-to-face education method is still considered better by students than e-learning because it is easier to understand the material and easier to interact with teachers. The results of the study illustrated that the effect size (g = 0.409) of online education on academic achievement is of medium level. Therefore, the results of the moderator analysis showed that the effect of online education on academic achievement does not differ in terms of country, lecture, class level, and online education approaches variables. After analyzing the literature, several meta-analyses on online education were published (Bernard et al., 2004 ; Machtmes & Asher, 2000 ; Zhao et al., 2005 ). Typically, these meta-analyzes also include the studies of older generation technologies such as audio, video, or satellite transmission. One of the most comprehensive studies on online education was conducted by Bernard et al. ( 2004 ). In this study, 699 independent effect sizes of 232 studies published from 1985 to 2001 were analyzed, and face-to-face education was compared to online education, with respect to success criteria and attitudes of various learners from young children to adults. In this meta-analysis, an overall effect size close to zero was found for the students' achievement (g + = 0.01).

In another meta-analysis study carried out by Zhao et al. ( 2005 ), 98 effect sizes were examined, including 51 studies on online education conducted between 1996 and 2002. According to the study of Bernard et al. ( 2004 ), this meta-analysis focuses on the activities done in online education lectures. As a result of the research, an overall effect size close to zero was found for online education utilizing more than one generation technology for students at different levels. However, the salient point of the meta-analysis study of Zhao et al. is that it takes the average of different types of results used in a study to calculate an overall effect size. This practice is problematic because the factors that develop one type of learner outcome (e.g. learner rehabilitation), particularly course characteristics and practices, may be quite different from those that develop another type of outcome (e.g. learner's achievement), and it may even cause damage to the latter outcome. While mixing the studies with different types of results, this implementation may obscure the relationship between practices and learning.

Some meta-analytical studies have focused on the effectiveness of the new generation distance learning courses accessed through the internet for specific student populations. For instance, Sitzmann and others (Sitzmann et al., 2006 ) reviewed 96 studies published from 1996 to 2005, comparing web-based education of job-related knowledge or skills with face-to-face one. The researchers found that web-based education in general was slightly more effective than face-to-face education, but it is insufficient in terms of applicability ("knowing how to apply"). In addition, Sitzmann et al. ( 2006 ) revealed that Internet-based education has a positive effect on theoretical knowledge in quasi-experimental studies; however, it positively affects face-to-face education in experimental studies performed by random assignment. This moderator analysis emphasizes the need to pay attention to the factors of designs of the studies included in the meta-analysis. The designs of the studies included in this meta-analysis study were ignored. This can be presented as a suggestion to the new studies that will be conducted.

Another meta-analysis study was conducted by Cavanaugh et al. ( 2004 ), in which they focused on online education. In this study on internet-based distance education programs for students under 12 years of age, the researchers combined 116 results from 14 studies published between 1999 and 2004 to calculate an overall effect that was not statistically different from zero. The moderator analysis carried out in this study showed that there was no significant factor affecting the students' success. This meta-analysis used multiple results of the same study, ignoring the fact that different results of the same student would not be independent from each other.

In conclusion, some meta-analytical studies analyzed the consequences of online education for a wide range of students (Bernard et al., 2004 ; Zhao et al., 2005 ), and the effect sizes were generally low in these studies. Furthermore, none of the large-scale meta-analyzes considered the moderators, database quality standards or class levels in the selection of the studies, while some of them just referred to the country and lecture moderators. Advances in internet-based learning tools, the pandemic process, and increasing popularity in different learning contexts have required a precise meta-analysis of students' learning outcomes through online learning. Previous meta-analysis studies were typically based on the studies, involving narrow range of confounding variables. In the present study, common but significant moderators such as class level and lectures during the pandemic process were discussed. For instance, the problems have been experienced especially in terms of eligibility of class levels in online education platforms during the pandemic process. It was found that there is a need to study and make suggestions on whether online education can meet the needs of teachers and students.

Besides, the main forms of online education in the past were to watch the open lectures of famous universities and educational videos of institutions. In addition, online education is mainly a classroom-based teaching implemented by teachers in their own schools during the pandemic period, which is an extension of the original school education. This meta-analysis study will stand as a source to compare the effect size of the online education forms of the past decade with what is done today, and what will be done in the future.

Lastly, the heterogeneity test results of the meta-analysis study display that the effect size does not differ in terms of class level, country, online education approaches, and lecture moderators.

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Published: 25 January 2021

Online education in the post-COVID era

Barbara B. Lockee 1

Nature Electronics volume 4 , pages 5–6 ( 2021 ) Cite this article

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The coronavirus pandemic has forced students and educators across all levels of education to rapidly adapt to online learning. The impact of this — and the developments required to make it work — could permanently change how education is delivered.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the world to engage in the ubiquitous use of virtual learning. And while online and distance learning has been used before to maintain continuity in education, such as in the aftermath of earthquakes 1 , the scale of the current crisis is unprecedented. Speculation has now also begun about what the lasting effects of this will be and what education may look like in the post-COVID era. For some, an immediate retreat to the traditions of the physical classroom is required. But for others, the forced shift to online education is a moment of change and a time to reimagine how education could be delivered 2 .

Looking back

Online education has traditionally been viewed as an alternative pathway, one that is particularly well suited to adult learners seeking higher education opportunities. However, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has required educators and students across all levels of education to adapt quickly to virtual courses. (The term ‘emergency remote teaching’ was coined in the early stages of the pandemic to describe the temporary nature of this transition 3 .) In some cases, instruction shifted online, then returned to the physical classroom, and then shifted back online due to further surges in the rate of infection. In other cases, instruction was offered using a combination of remote delivery and face-to-face: that is, students can attend online or in person (referred to as the HyFlex model 4 ). In either case, instructors just had to figure out how to make it work, considering the affordances and constraints of the specific learning environment to create learning experiences that were feasible and effective.

The use of varied delivery modes does, in fact, have a long history in education. Mechanical (and then later electronic) teaching machines have provided individualized learning programmes since the 1950s and the work of B. F. Skinner 5 , who proposed using technology to walk individual learners through carefully designed sequences of instruction with immediate feedback indicating the accuracy of their response. Skinner’s notions formed the first formalized representations of programmed learning, or ‘designed’ learning experiences. Then, in the 1960s, Fred Keller developed a personalized system of instruction 6 , in which students first read assigned course materials on their own, followed by one-on-one assessment sessions with a tutor, gaining permission to move ahead only after demonstrating mastery of the instructional material. Occasional class meetings were held to discuss concepts, answer questions and provide opportunities for social interaction. A personalized system of instruction was designed on the premise that initial engagement with content could be done independently, then discussed and applied in the social context of a classroom.

These predecessors to contemporary online education leveraged key principles of instructional design — the systematic process of applying psychological principles of human learning to the creation of effective instructional solutions — to consider which methods (and their corresponding learning environments) would effectively engage students to attain the targeted learning outcomes. In other words, they considered what choices about the planning and implementation of the learning experience can lead to student success. Such early educational innovations laid the groundwork for contemporary virtual learning, which itself incorporates a variety of instructional approaches and combinations of delivery modes.

Online learning and the pandemic

Fast forward to 2020, and various further educational innovations have occurred to make the universal adoption of remote learning a possibility. One key challenge is access. Here, extensive problems remain, including the lack of Internet connectivity in some locations, especially rural ones, and the competing needs among family members for the use of home technology. However, creative solutions have emerged to provide students and families with the facilities and resources needed to engage in and successfully complete coursework 7 . For example, school buses have been used to provide mobile hotspots, and class packets have been sent by mail and instructional presentations aired on local public broadcasting stations. The year 2020 has also seen increased availability and adoption of electronic resources and activities that can now be integrated into online learning experiences. Synchronous online conferencing systems, such as Zoom and Google Meet, have allowed experts from anywhere in the world to join online classrooms 8 and have allowed presentations to be recorded for individual learners to watch at a time most convenient for them. Furthermore, the importance of hands-on, experiential learning has led to innovations such as virtual field trips and virtual labs 9 . A capacity to serve learners of all ages has thus now been effectively established, and the next generation of online education can move from an enterprise that largely serves adult learners and higher education to one that increasingly serves younger learners, in primary and secondary education and from ages 5 to 18.

The COVID-19 pandemic is also likely to have a lasting effect on lesson design. The constraints of the pandemic provided an opportunity for educators to consider new strategies to teach targeted concepts. Though rethinking of instructional approaches was forced and hurried, the experience has served as a rare chance to reconsider strategies that best facilitate learning within the affordances and constraints of the online context. In particular, greater variance in teaching and learning activities will continue to question the importance of ‘seat time’ as the standard on which educational credits are based 10 — lengthy Zoom sessions are seldom instructionally necessary and are not aligned with the psychological principles of how humans learn. Interaction is important for learning but forced interactions among students for the sake of interaction is neither motivating nor beneficial.

While the blurring of the lines between traditional and distance education has been noted for several decades 11 , the pandemic has quickly advanced the erasure of these boundaries. Less single mode, more multi-mode (and thus more educator choices) is becoming the norm due to enhanced infrastructure and developed skill sets that allow people to move across different delivery systems 12 . The well-established best practices of hybrid or blended teaching and learning 13 have served as a guide for new combinations of instructional delivery that have developed in response to the shift to virtual learning. The use of multiple delivery modes is likely to remain, and will be a feature employed with learners of all ages 14 , 15 . Future iterations of online education will no longer be bound to the traditions of single teaching modes, as educators can support pedagogical approaches from a menu of instructional delivery options, a mix that has been supported by previous generations of online educators 16 .

Also significant are the changes to how learning outcomes are determined in online settings. Many educators have altered the ways in which student achievement is measured, eliminating assignments and changing assessment strategies altogether 17 . Such alterations include determining learning through strategies that leverage the online delivery mode, such as interactive discussions, student-led teaching and the use of games to increase motivation and attention. Specific changes that are likely to continue include flexible or extended deadlines for assignment completion 18 , more student choice regarding measures of learning, and more authentic experiences that involve the meaningful application of newly learned skills and knowledge 19 , for example, team-based projects that involve multiple creative and social media tools in support of collaborative problem solving.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, technological and administrative systems for implementing online learning, and the infrastructure that supports its access and delivery, had to adapt quickly. While access remains a significant issue for many, extensive resources have been allocated and processes developed to connect learners with course activities and materials, to facilitate communication between instructors and students, and to manage the administration of online learning. Paths for greater access and opportunities to online education have now been forged, and there is a clear route for the next generation of adopters of online education.

Before the pandemic, the primary purpose of distance and online education was providing access to instruction for those otherwise unable to participate in a traditional, place-based academic programme. As its purpose has shifted to supporting continuity of instruction, its audience, as well as the wider learning ecosystem, has changed. It will be interesting to see which aspects of emergency remote teaching remain in the next generation of education, when the threat of COVID-19 is no longer a factor. But online education will undoubtedly find new audiences. And the flexibility and learning possibilities that have emerged from necessity are likely to shift the expectations of students and educators, diminishing further the line between classroom-based instruction and virtual learning.

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7 top challenges with online learning for students (and solutions), share this article.

We'll discuss the biggest challenges of online learning and possible solutions to these problems to create a more impactful experience for students.

The COVID-19 pandemic put the world at a standstill. But not many things were transformed as much as the education system as the virus spread. Students’ education was abruptly interrupted and schools scrambled to find alternative ways to help students continue their education.

And there was one glaring solution: Online learning.

Schools started investing in EdTech , and students started taking classes and assignments via Zoom, Google Meet, or some other video conferencing platform.

While distance learning has lowered costs, increased flexibility, and reduced the need for physical infrastructure for both students and teachers, it does not come without its downsides .

Related: Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Learning

According to Statista, 38% of parents said that one of the major challenges of remote learning is that their children lack the motivation to pay attention and engage during classes. In another study done by Pew Research, 65% of students preferred in-person classes to remote or hybrid learning options.

These statistics show that online learning has some disadvantages that teachers and students alike need to know about, and try to solve.

In this piece, we’ll discuss the biggest challenges of online learning and possible solutions to these problems. This way, if you’re a teacher, you’ll know how to support students who are struggling. And if you’re a student, you’ll know what to do when you get into a difficult e-learning-related problem.

Skip ahead here:

Tech Issues
Distractions
Time Management
Barriers to learning (Disabilities / Special Needs)

Related: 10 Steps To Creating A Wildly Successful Online Course

7 Biggest Problems with Online Learning for Students

Below are the seven biggest challenges of online learning for students (and teachers), and how to solve them.

Feelings of Isolation

Humans, by nature, are social animals. Most people like to interact with and get to know others, especially in social settings. And although students get to interact with their classmates over Zoom or Google Meet, it is not the same as physical interaction.

Online learning affords students the ability to study, work, and pursue other interests all at the same time. But the absence of their coursemates and teachers in the immediate environment can cause students to feel isolated. They start to feel disconnected from the class and might not engage the way they normally would in a physical setting.

So it’s no surprise when students turn off their webcams and doze off during online classes. Not only does this foster indiscipline, it also causes students’ academic performance to suffer as teachers cannot personally attend to each student’s needs.

It’s easy to get frustrated when you can’t talk to your teachers and classmates face to face and voice concerns immediately. However, there are things you can do to power through. Here are some of them:

Find out if your school has a student support system in place . Some online schools have advisors and academic staff that guide and support students throughout the duration of their online classes.
Check if your school offers a networking opportunity for students. Some schools allow students to interact with their peers via chats and forums. It’s similar to interacting with classmates in a physical class, except students have to use online communication etiquette.
Interact with your teachers and classmates during lectures as much as possible . Ask questions at the right time, organize team projects, and have group discussions with your peers.

For professors, try to make yourself available at certain hours for students who want to reach you. Be dedicated to your students and try to help them achieve their academic and life goals .

Lack of Motivation

Most students start online classes pumped and ready to go, but as the courses progress, they find that they’re no longer motivated to even attend classes.

Due to the lack of face-to-face interaction, some students find it hard to focus during online classes. The physical absence of teachers or classmates takes away the sense of urgency and motivation that students need to attend classes on time, meet deadlines, and make progress. This could lead to procrastination and declining grades.

Contrary to popular opinion, long texts, learning assignments, and quizzes don’t help matters, and can even contribute to students losing motivation to attend classes.

Lack of motivation is a common issue amongst students. Here are some ways students can maintain a work-life balance and succeed academically:

Set realistic long-term and short-term goals and plans to help them stay on track with classes, assignments, and projects. To-do lists are also important for meeting deadlines. Crossing activities off a to-do list can be highly motivating.
Students who need direction or help can check out websites and self-help books.
Practice positive affirmations. Giving yourself short pep talk to affirm that you can do whatever you set your mind to can motivate you, especially during tough times.
Try to interact with teachers and classmates as much as possible. Log in to class daily to see class discussions and course updates. Ask questions, share your opinions, and engage in healthy debate. Being active in class can provide a sense of belonging that keeps you motivated to continue.

Teachers can also incorporate gamification in their online courses to motivate their students to attend and participate during classes.

Lack of Technical Equipment

To attend online classes and succeed at remote learning, students need a device with a strong internet connection that they can type assignments on, e.g. laptop, desktop computer, and tablet with a keyboard.

These devices don’t come cheap, especially for low-income students.

Some schools give out devices to students that can’t afford them. So if you can’t afford necessary devices for your online classes, ask your school if they provide laptops or tablets to remote students.
Use a library. In some regions, public libraries have computers they allow students to use. If you have a library like this in your area, try to use it.
Borrow from family or friends. If these don’t work out, you could ask relatives or friends who have a laptop to lend you theirs for some time till you’re able to get your own.

Technical Issues

Millennials and Gen Zs, as they’re called, are generally proficient in using computers and technology. But this doesn’t mean that they don’t face technical issues from time to time. Learning with computers requires students to understand how to use multiple software–some of which have steep learning curves.

If a student facing technical issues were on a physical campus, they could easily ask for help from the IT department. With online classes, the student has to try to figure things out alone. If they’re lucky, they’ll have someone close by to help them, but chances are, the person won’t be available all the time.

Technical issues are not limited to students, though. Teachers face them too–low internet bandwidth, spotty reception, and video glitches, among other things. These issues disrupt learning flow and make learning tedious.

To reduce the technical issues that students and teachers experience during online classes, here’s some measures they could take:

Before enrolling in an online class, students should check if they have access to the necessary technology they need to succeed at home. If they don’t, they should check if the school offers technical help (via phone, email, and live chat) to online students.
When attending online classes, students and teachers should use a high-quality internet service provider (ISP) for fast connection . If they don’t have access to a good ISP at home, they can use free Wi-Fi at a public library or coffee shop nearby.

There, they can attend classes, participate in group discussions, talk with teachers and coursemates, and turn in assignments.

Teachers should provide a comprehensive guide that contains technical times, digital literacy guidelines, and online attendance regulations.
Teachers should record class sessions on their computer for students who couldn’t make it to class.

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Online Distractions

As wonderful as the internet is for learning purposes, it also comes with a ton of distractions.

Constant notifications from blogs, videos, and social media platforms can distract students from their classes and assignments. And once they’re distracted by these notifications, it’s very easy for them to start scrolling through these platforms mindlessly.

This can cause them to forget that they have classes, assignments, quizzes, or exams.

To be productive in online classes, you need to identify things that can distract you and stop you from achieving your objectives. If you are getting distracted by the internet and social media, here are some things you can do to stop it:

Turn on social media blockers during classes and exams. Or you can turn off your notifications completely. When you’re done studying, you can go back online or do some other fun activity.
Tell people around you about your daily schedule. This way, if they see you getting distracted by technology, they can remind you to do what you planned to do that day. Think of them like human alarm clocks.
Find a quiet place to complete your coursework. Even if it’s night, doing your work in a quiet place without your phone (or other unnecessary gadgets) present will help you pay maximum attention to your studies.

To help students pay more attention during classes, here are some things teachers can do:

Use dynamic learning design to make classes engaging for students . Encouraging your students to build things, take surveys, and have debates can help them concentrate more on their studies, as opposed to the ‘teacher speak, student listen’ learning model.
Organize tests and quizzes that require students to respond verbally. When students interact physically and mentally during a class, they become less inclined to look through social media and/or blogs.

Related: Easy Topics for Group Discussion With Your Students

Bad Time Management

It’s hard enough to juggle your normal day-to-day activities without being a student. Online learning adds a few more items to a student’s to-do list, and it can be hard to navigate all these responsibilities.

While online learning provides students with unparalleled flexibility to do other activities, they have to be good time managers to do their duties effectively and successfully.

Time management is an important skill that helps students stay focused and disciplined. Students need to learn this skill to effectively manage their academic work and still have time for family, friends, and leisure. Here are few ways students can manage their time better:

Try to multitask. Doing two (or more) things at once will save time, and ensure that students will attend classes on time and meet deadlines.
Make daily to-do lists. Not everyone can multitask. For some, doing multiple things at once can be stressful. If you cannot multitask, create a to-do list and assign times to do each task. When you complete a task, cross it off the list. With time, this habit will increase your overall productivity.

Good teachers can also help their students manage their time better by conducting periodic surveys. If you’re a teacher, these surveys will give you actionable insights into how your students spend their time in a day.

If you find anything troubling about a student’s schedule, you can offer them personalized guidance and advice.

Disabilities and Special Needs

Some students may have problems with online classes due to learning difficulties or disabilities. Students with dyslexia, autism, poor vision, hearing impairment, and other disabilities need extra attention to succeed academically. And they can only get that in a physical class.

If you, a teacher, have students with disabilities, check if your online course is universally accessible to all learners . If it isn’t, try to improve usability for everyone. Here are some ways to do that:

Include captions to your audio and video resources for students with hearing impairments.
Have voice-over descriptions of text and images.
Provide alternative learning options like keyboard shortcuts for certain exercises.
Use AI-powered personal assistants for students with special needs.
What Is Learning Experience Design? (Tips And Examples)
How To Design Your Online Course (Visually And Structurally)

Overcome The Challenges of Online Classes

Like most, if not all, things in life, online learning has its upsides and downsides. While it can be overwhelming to juggle attending lectures, working, and interacting with friends, always remember that there are things you can do to make online learning easier for you.

As you ask for help from friends and family, remember to ask your online school for support, too. If you feel stuck, talk to your classmates to see if they’re going through the same thing and how they’re coping.

Also, seek help from teachers and student advisors. And if you’re a teacher or advisor, be willing to support your students and create a conducive setting for learning.

If you, a student, ask for help and follow the tips outlined above, you’ll be able to navigate the challenges with online learning, stay on track, and achieve your goals.

Colin is a Content Marketer at Thinkific, writing about everything from online entrepreneurship & course creation to digital marketing strategy.

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Five concerns about the mass rush to online learning that shouldn’t be ignored

The rush to put education online amid the coronavirus pandemic — in this country and around the world, from K-12 to graduate school — is unprecedented. Districts that have little to no experience with it are, within days or weeks, throwing together online programs for students to learn for an undetermined amount of time. As a result, complexities that ordinarily would be considered for such a shift may not have been given much early thought.

Basic technical issues are front and center, by necessity: the availability of online devices and Internet access; how lessons can be moved from face-to-face to virtual; how students can receive and turn in assignments; and how students will be “held accountable” by grades or papers now that the government has waived federal mandates for annual standardized testing.

Other complex issues may be getting short shrift in the immediate mass move to online and distance education. Here are some of them, along with what some schools and districts are doing to address them:

1. Security

Security is always a big concern in the world of online education, and it’s heightened now with most of the nation’s schoolchildren doing some form of online schooling. Even before the mass rush to virtual education, security breaches with online learning were not uncommon. Now school districts and teachers are, in some places, offering students online portals that may not have been put behind strong filters.

That’s what Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Florida, says he is worried about. Carvalho, who leads one of the largest school districts in the country, started his district’s online program a few weeks ago. He says he had already thought through the security issues, as the district worked in recent years to bring digital education into the regular school day. Collaboration with the FBI and the Secret Service to learn how to monitor the district’s digital assets was part of that work.

“Trust me, online predators are aware of what is happening around the country, and they are aware that children of all ages are somehow connected,” he said in an interview. “It is really unprecedented. My advice to my colleagues is to do what we have done. We have strong filters to keep out adult content. And we are allowing students access only to our portal. They have to sign into our portal with a password and can’t engage in a chat with someone that isn’t in our suite of offerings.”

2. Ergonomics

School districts have been providing laptops for students for years, but many of them — and probably most — give short shrift to the proper way children should be sitting when they use them. The same goes for how kids use their computers at home.

Although businesses have been creating ergonomically correct workplaces for their employees, students are asked to sit at a regular desk and use devices without thought being given to strain on their necks, shoulders and backs.

Although students often exhibited poor posture in school before the advent of computers, doctors for years have reported an increase in back strain and other physical problems as a result of poor ergonomics in schools where students are doing work digitally. According to Princeton University’s Health Services:

Without proper computer setup and use, there are many injuries that may result. Tendinitis is the most common problem, involving tendon inflammation and localized pain in the elbow, forearm, wrist or hand. Bad posture can cause fatigue, muscle strain, and, in later stages, pain. Back pain, one of the most common complaints of older men and women, is usually the result of years of faulty posture. In addition, poor posture can affect the position and function of your vital organs, particularly those in the abdominal region. Stand up straight to promote health and good appearance. You will exude confidence and dignity as you hold your back up straight using abdomen and back muscles.

Stephen Dare is head of the Hong Kong Academy, a private International baccalaureate pre-K-12 school in Hong Kong, where students have learning online since February because of the virus. He said that not long after the campus closed, administrators surveyed children and their parents and learned of back and neck problems because of the way students were sitting.

“We’ve become conscious of how students are setting up [laptops] in their bedrooms, and we try to make sure their postures are good and what the ergonomics of this are,” he said.

“Sometimes we make them aware that they are sitting for a long time or their posture is incorrect,” he said. “The teachers are constantly reminding them of the need to take breaks and the opportunity to do something different. Parents are getting into this as well."

You may be surprised by how much data about your child is being collected by schools and their vendors when your child is online. There’s the basic information — name, email address, grades and test scores — but also things you may not expect.

In 2018, the FBI issued a warning to the public about cyberthreat concerns related to K-12 students. Data that can be collected on students includes personally identifiable information; biometrics; academic progress; behavioral, disciplinary and medical information; Web browsing history; geolocation; IP addresses used by students; and classroom activities.

Data breaches are not uncommon, and concerns are rising with the rush to online learning by millions of students.

As schooling rapidly moves online across the country, concerns rise about student data privacy

Three Democratic senators last week urged the Trump administration to take steps to protect student data, saying in part:

Many ed tech offerings collect large amounts of data about students and do not employ adequate privacy or security measures. Experts have found ‘widespread lack of transparency and inconsistent privacy and security practices in the industry for educational software and other applications used in schools and by children outside the classroom for learning.’ And the Federal Bureau of Investigation has warned that ‘[m]alicious use of [student] data could result in social engineering, bullying, tracking, identity theft, or other means for targeting children.’”

Personal data is collected on kids at school all the time. Here’s help for parents to protect children’s privacy.

4. Isolation

If you ask kids what they most dislike about being forced to stay at home during the pandemic, they probably will say how much they miss their friends. It’s no small thing.

In classrooms, education is a social process, with students having to learn how to deal with one another and adults in ways that allow them to learn without having to be separated or sent home and for misconduct. A student’s experiences at school are among the most influential factors in their socialization.

This affects young people of all ages. Michael Hynes is the superintendent of the Port Washington Union Free School District on Long Island in New York. His 7-year-old daughter, Sadie, a first-grader who has Down syndrome, misses her fellow students terribly.

“She has the class picture that everybody gets, and she carries it around with her,” he said. “I could cry even thinking about it.”

Older students may suffer even more from social isolation, experts say, because friends play a far more important role in their lives.

Principals and teachers are working online to try to bring students together outside of class to continue to foster relationships. Daniel Mateo, principal at BioTECH @ Richmond Heights 9-12 in Miami, said during lunch period, when classes shut down online for about an hour, they sometimes offer online activities. One was a virtual escape room, where students had to team up to get out of a room. “We just wanted to have fun,” he said.

5. Effectiveness

There are excellent online programs and lousy online programs, and it is difficult to paint all virtual learning with a single brush, just like it is to do for brick-and-mortar schools.

Some kids are comfortable with being online or will learn quickly and have teachers who know how to translate classroom activities into virtual ones. Some students won’t be comfortable. Some teachers just aren’t tech-savvy.

What does the research say? That, too, is complicated. Available research looks at online programs, not unexpected shifts. Much of the research comparing the effects of online education with in-person schooling shows a negative effect on outcomes. But it depends on the population of students, and online education, relative to bricks-and-mortar, is still young.

If you ask Jay-len McLean, an 18-year-old student in New York City who plays the saxophone, clarinet and flute, he will tell you he is finding online learning “rather unproductive at the moment.” He attends Talented Unlimited High School in Manhattan’s District 2.

“I feel like I’m not learning anything because all I’m being asked to do is go onto Google Classroom, look at the assignments and finish them by a certain due date. So it’s like I’m teaching myself rather than being taught.” The senior takes a mix of academic and music classes and is spending “significantly a lot less time at home” working on assignments than he does in school because they are easy and short.

What he misses from being in class, he said, is “human interaction.”

“Just talking to your friends, listening to them reasoning out their answers. Why they thought this interpretation for something was this and not something else. The constant push of the teachers looking at your work, pushing your ideas. That’s all important.”

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Learning online: problems and solutions, blog post by unicef young reporters matej milosievski (16), dorisa zemon (16), jana stojkovska (17) and kristijan popovski (17).

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Like in many countries, in the fight against COVID-19, schools in North Macedonia have closed and learning is taking place online. The amount of content, online assessment, much of it without adequate instructions, are just some of the problems that young people face in this new learning environment. The Ministry of Education and Science in cooperation with UNICEF and other partners created a new online-learning platform called EDUINO, where pre-primary and primary school students can continue their education through video lessons, resources and a variety of games. In addition an educational program called TV Classroom is being broadcast on the national television. The primary and secondary schools have also started holding online classes through various digital platforms. All of these are good efforts, but - do all students have the means to attend online classes and what can we say about the actual quality of education in this online environment? These are some different perspectives and views on how we can make it work.

Student’s Perspectives

The truth is, for many students, online learning is only a formality and not a real substitute for regular teaching. Some teachers only share material to students without teaching it. Online testing is sometimes based on the principle of “work it out yourself”. Students are not acquiring real, long-lasting knowledge. And some students don’t have the opportunity to leave their home during the two hours allowed during the curfew because they have to sit in online classes. Some students don’t even have proper equipment to attend online classes. They don’t have electronic devices such as computers, telephones and cameras. The number of these devices in households is often limited which can be very inconvenient for online appointments, classes, and meetings that take place simultaneously. Also, some teachers don’t consider the fact that during online testing, the student may lose the internet connection. Unfortunately, if this happens, the student gets graded based on the number of questions answered and recorded in the system before the connection was lost. Students also face problems managing their own time as a result of online teaching.

Parents Perspectives

Online learning is new, unknown and different for students, teachers and parents. It’s especially difficult for lower grade students. Parents of these young learners more often have to spend most of their time, helping their children navigate through platforms, working with them on homework and explaining the curriculum. This is true of parents who work from home, but what about those children whose parents go to work? How can these parents help their children? With this online learning, they need to find more time, concentration and focus to support their children to learn and master the subjects. Those parents who don’t have IT skills face greater problems, and need to seek help from relatives, friends, colleagues, etc. Parents and students from vulnerable communities also face difficulties, as many don’t have the means to provide their children a computer or smartphone to attend classes.

Teachers Perspectives

For now, everyone is going on as if the most important thing is to teach what is the remaining curriculum, to get the final grades and to finish the school year formally. But is it really necessary for students? Is that the right way to deal with this new situation?

Certainly not! In this big picture, perhaps the biggest burden is put on teachers. They are in a situation where they are unprepared and without proper support. Criteria and guidelines imposed by the institutions are not sufficient to deal with the situation effectively. Existing assessment criteria that include tests and examinations are not suitable for digital learning. No teacher can assess with certainty whether the homework assigned to students is written independently and assigning separate homework to each individual student is simply an overload and difficulty.

Teachers need serious preparation to use online tools and platforms. They are not all ready for the new situation, which further opens the issues with our overall education. We are all aware that if we want to improve the quality of education, we need to better use digital technologies, but we also need to provide appropriate support and training to teachers to support the quality of instruction.

When asked about their experience with learning online teachers say: “Most of the students are attending the classes and fulfil their homework but now we can’t tell whether they completed the tasks independently or if it was a group effort. As teachers, we found ourselves unprepared . It is really challenging since we never had any training on distance learning.”

Online education, students struggling to learn

Our views and suggestions

It is obvious that the situation affects everyone, and everyone needs to come together so that we can overcome the pandemic. However, we must not allow the situation to compromise the quality of learning for those whose hands the future of our country lies. That’s why we, as young reporters, while considering the issue we were researching, are giving our own opinions and suggestions for improving online learning:

Systemic solutions from the Ministry of Education and Science and the Bureau for Development of Education should develop a well-designed platform with a specific given curriculum, as well as a fair and effective way of assessment.
Vulnerable families should be supported so that they have the means to acquire equipment and skills to be able to support their children learn online.
Students and young people should be consulted. Future decisions should also take into consideration how students feel, their views, their conditions and needs. Students should have access to materials without feeling discriminated against, left to feel helpless when they have questions, or unheard when they have an opinion or request.
Students should not be assessed with numerical grades rather descriptively.
As the situation evolves, a more purposeful approach is definitely required, by including representatives from multiple areas in evaluating and sharing their experiences about what worked well and what didn’t. It should consider the problems and solutions faced by students, parents and teachers.
Achieve compromise, because only together and with joint forces we can get the best results out of this whole situation.

Written by:

Kristijan, 17

Blogs written by UNICEF Young Reporters are part of a UNICEF volunteer initiative to give young people the space to share their own views on topics important to them. The work of the Young Reporters during COVID-19 pandemic is partly funded by USAID.

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What are the Biggest Challenges of Online Education Today?

The education industry was one of the worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic , with institutions scrambling to find solutions to keep their doors open. In these times of need, online learning tools emerged as a boon. In the last two years, investments in EdTech tools, especially in the online education segment, have skyrocketed, resulting in significant technological improvements.

What are the Top 10 Key Challenges of Online Education in 2023 & How to Overcome Them? 1. Lack of Motivation in Students 2. Infrastructural Problems 3. Digital Literacy and Technical Issues 4. Lack of In-person Interaction 5. Lack of EdTech and Online Learning Options for Special Needs of Students 6. Course Structure and Quality 7. Lack of Accredited Degrees From Top Universities 8. Abundant Distractions, Lack of Discipline 9. Financial Hurdles 10. Acceptance by Teachers

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Online education has many benefits such as portability, ease of access, reduced need for physical infrastructure, lowered costs, and greater flexibility. But that isn’t to say that it doesn’t come with its demerits. In a recent survey , 60% of the students who have recently shifted to an online – learning system thought of the experience as boring and struggled with motivating themselves to pay attention in class.

In another survey, 77% of 800 college students prefer in-person learning in class better than online methods. These statistics point to the fact that there is a need to understand the various online education problems and address the challenges of online learning.

What are the Top 10 Key Challenges of Online Education in 2023 & How to Overcome Them?

1. lack of motivation in students .

It was thought that online learning would be the new interactive and immersive method to teach the new generation of students. Though, the results speak on the contrary. Endless oceans of texts, quizzes, frequent learning assignments, and MCQs have led to students losing motivation to keep revisiting the learning portal.

Students complain of lacking motivation due to a lack of interpersonal touch between the students and the teacher in the online classes. The need for physical interaction between the students is also a necessity for maintaining engagement which the online learning methodology has no answers for yet. Institutions need to deliver interactive lessons to students.

How to Solve –

Introduce rewards and recognition for students who actively participate in the online learning platform. This could be done by providing them with certificates or other rewards such as discounts on course fees.
Break up long lectures and sessions with interactive activities such as quizzes and polls to keep students engaged.
Incorporate discussion boards and forums in the online learning platform to encourage students to interact and engage with each other.
Allow students to work in small groups or teams to foster collaboration.
Use visuals to make lessons more engaging. Incorporate videos, animations, and other visuals to keep students motivated.
Offer personalized learning experiences to students. Give them the freedom to choose the topics they are interested in and the resources that they would like to use.
Provide more opportunities for teacher-student interaction. Have one-on-one sessions with each student to discuss their progress and address any questions or concerns they may have.

2. Infrastructural Problems

Though online learning doesn’t require huge buildings, big classrooms, chairs, tables, blackboards, or chalk doesn’t mean there are no infrastructural requirements. The need for a computer, adequate software, constant electricity, and high-bandwidth internet is quite a big demand.

In most developed nations, this infrastructure is available to the public through public libraries if they cannot personally afford it. But for developing countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and many others, this quality of infrastructure is only available to a select few percent of the population, further compounding their online education problems.

Governments in developing countries should invest in providing free access to computers and the Internet in public libraries and schools.
Private businesses should be encouraged to support online learning initiatives by providing free or discounted access to computers and the Internet.
Private funding organizations should establish grants and scholarships for individuals to access computers and the Internet.
Non-profit organizations should provide free computer and internet access at local community centers.
Educational institutions should provide access to computer labs and the Internet for students.
Local authorities should provide internet access in public parks and other public spaces.

Facts About E-Learning Industry

3. Digital Literacy and Technical Issues

One of the critical problems with online learning for the new generation is proficiency in working with computers doesn’t necessarily translate to Digital Literacy. To proficiently learn through an online system requires understanding the workings of multiple software, which presents a huge learning curve, which is a tricky challenge to overcome. Also, the lack of awareness among the students to understand online communication etiquette and know student rights and responsibilities in an online learning environment is one of the challenges in online learning.

A bigger problem is with constant technical issues faced by both teachers and students on these platforms. These problems of online education often require technical support to rectify, causing frequent disruptions in the learning flow.

How to Solve –

Technical support should be made available to both teachers and students to help identify and address any issues that arise. Schools and universities should provide technical support staff or contact info to help troubleshoot any technical issues.
Schools and universities should also provide training and support to help develop digital literacy skills. This could be in the form of webinars, tutorials, and courses that cover topics such as online communication etiquette and student rights and responsibilities in an online learning environment.
Schools and universities should also invest in reliable and secure online learning platforms . This would help ensure that online learning sessions are not disrupted by technical issues.

4. Lack of In-person Interaction

Humans are social animals. The growth of the internet hinged on the principle that humans will always be curious to interact and know more about one another. That said, on a psychological level, virtual interaction cannot mimic that of a physical one.

The physical presence inside a classroom with a teacher and fellow peers often leads to an atmosphere that can’t be replicated through virtual means. The physical model also ensures discipline as students cannot switch off webcams and doze off. Physical classrooms also allow for teachers to provide more personal attention to each student’s needs. However, interactive eLearning modules can help improve student engagement.

One possible solution to the lack of in-person interaction in virtual classrooms is to create smaller groups of students for virtual sessions. This would enable students to interact with one another as well as with the instructor, creating a more engaging atmosphere. Additionally, the instructor could assign interactive exercises or projects for students to complete in small groups, providing them with a chance to collaborate online.
Furthermore, instructors should set up regular virtual office hours where students can chat with them one-on-one. This would allow instructors to provide individual attention to their students and help them work through any issues they might be having with their coursework. Finally, instructors should also leverage technology to its fullest, such as adding virtual reality components to their lessons. This would enable students to virtually explore different environments, engage in immersive learning experiences, and interact with other students more realistically.

5. Lack of EdTech and Online Learning Options for Special Needs of Students

The segment of students who have been completely ignored in the evolution of online learning is students with special needs. Special needs students need a more personalized and hands-on method of teaching. Though technology has improved drastically, it is still heavily dependent on the need for an expert or a teacher to be there full-time to guide the student through the tasks. These problems have caused special needs students to fall behind others in their academic pursuits.

To ensure that special needs students can keep up with their peers, there needs to be a shift in the way that education technology is used. EdTech tools need to be tailored to the needs of special needs students. Customized learning plans should be created for each student.
These plans should take into account the student’s individual learning style, abilities, and disabilities. Technology should also be used to provide students with the resources they need to succeed. For example, computer programs can be used to help students practice reading, math, and other skills.
Voice recognition software can be used to help students with fine motor skill difficulties. There are also a variety of apps that can be used to help special needs students with communication, organization, and more.
In addition, teachers should be properly trained in the use of EdTech tools and best practices for teaching students with special needs. This will ensure that special needs students can access the same quality of education as their peers.

Hurix Mini-Book: The Paradigm Shift in Higher Education with Curriculum Development

6. Course Structure and Quality

The shift to online learning and other modern teaching tools was thought to bring about modernization even in the course curriculum and structure. Sadly, that hasn’t been the case. Institutions have retained their obsolete course curriculum and structure even after shifting online. With companies such as Google and Tesla choosing to forego college as a prerequisite for employment, students are reconsidering college as a whole.

Online resources such as YouTube, Google, Skillshare, Udemy, and others offer better content on these subjects for cheaper or even free. These platforms also let them pick and choose their subjects, making the learning structure highly flexible. This should cause Educational Institutions to rethink their approach to teaching as a whole.

Institutions should restructure their courses to be more engaging and relevant. They should also focus on providing more practical knowledge and skills, instead of relying solely on theoretical knowledge.
Institutions should also focus on creating courses that are more in line with the modern world. This would include courses on topics such as machine learning , data science, and artificial intelligence.
Institutions should also look into creating more flexible course structures. This could include the option to take courses online or in person, as well as the option to customize your curriculum.
Institutions should also focus on providing quality content. They should ensure that their content is up to date with the latest developments in the field, as well as provide high-quality audio and video content.
Lastly, institutions should also focus on providing better support for students. This could include providing more online tutoring options, as well as creating online forums and discussion groups where students can ask questions and get assistance.

7. Lack of Accredited Degrees From Top Universities

Education has more to do about branding than learning. It matters more about where you studied than what you studied. In such a market where the brand is a huge factor, the online learning sphere is yet to convince prestigious higher learning institutions to offer their courses through online/ distance learning modes.

The online courses for degrees are often not accredited and mostly not recognized by the job market or other institutions. Though schools have embraced the online learning system, higher education institutions and governments have yet to recognize them as legitimate methods of obtaining a professional degree.

Governments should recognize online courses and degrees as legitimate forms of education.
Educational institutions should partner with top universities to offer accredited courses and degrees.
Online learning platforms should be developed to ensure that the courses offered are of high quality and are recognized by employers.
Online courses should be designed to offer the same educational experience as traditional universities.

8. Abundant Distractions, Lack of Discipline

With recurrent technical issues, bandwidth problems, and monotonous lectures, online attendance has seen a drastic dip. Most students find learning online boring and often complain of lacking the motivation to make it through a class. Even teachers often complain of a lack of tools to make the classes engaging, leading to a loss of interest from both parties.

With the lack of accountability in the online teaching method, education quality often becomes compromised. Coupled with the free use of laptops and mobile phones during classes, distractions have become countless, often coming at the cost of focusing during class.

Establish a clear structure for online classes with specific goals, objectives, and expectations.
Utilize interactive tools such as breakout rooms and whiteboards for collaborative learning sessions.
Incorporate creative activities such as video projects, online polls, and quizzes to keep students engaged.
Establish a strict discipline policy and enforce it to ensure that students are not using their laptops or mobile phones for other activities during classes.
Encourage students to take breaks between classes to avoid burnout and keep them refreshed and motivated.
Provide incentives such as rewards and recognition for students who complete their classes on time and are actively participating.

Also Read – Best Learning Experience Platforms to Consider for Online Education

9. Financial Hurdles

The cost of online education can be a financial burden for some students. These hurdles arise due to the financial challenge posed by the expenses associated with online learning. Such costs may include tuition fees, course materials, internet access, and technology requirements.

Schools should offer scholarships to economically disadvantaged students. These can cover tuition fees, textbooks, and technology expenses.
Schools should offer options for students to pay tuition and fees in installments, making it more manageable for those with limited resources.
Offer financial counseling services to help students manage their budgets, explore financial aid opportunities, and make informed decisions about their education costs.
Develop online work-study opportunity, allowing students to earn income while gaining valuable experience in their field of study.
Advocate for government policies that increase funding for education and promote affordable online learning options.
Provide loaner devices and internet connectivity assistance to students who lack access to necessary technology.

10. Acceptance by Teachers

Some teachers may simply prefer traditional education, either because they believe it is more effective or because they are more comfortable with it.

Provide thorough training for teachers to enhance their digital literacy skills for online teaching.
Ensure teachers have access to reliable technology, software, and technical support to reduce technological barriers.
Communicate clear expectations and guidelines for online teaching, including assessment methods, communication protocols, and class schedules.
Establish peer support networks where teachers can share experiences, tips, and best practices for online instruction.
Implement regular feedback mechanisms, to allow teachers to provide input on online teaching methods, tools, and resources.
Offer opportunities for teachers to attend conferences, workshops and webinars focused on online education.

Conclusion

Where there is a problem, there is always a solution. The current Edu Tech system in the online learning segment has many shortcomings not limited to the list above. That said, the segment is relatively young and even so has improved by leaps and bounds. The system is changing and evolving rapidly and is soon to become the norm in the education industry.

The online education world has multiple upsides and will make education cheaper and more widely available. Gone are the days of fixed curriculums and rigid subject choices as the new generation of students demands greater freedom in their education. Yet, the biggest hurdle that EdTech has to overcome is replicating the charm of in-person learning and making the experience more immersive as technical difficulties often get smoothened out over time.

1. How do educators adapt to the challenges of online education?

A. Educators must learn to utilize digital tools effectively, provide personalized feedback, and create a sense of community in the virtual classroom. They may need to adjust their teaching methods to accommodate different learning styles and ensure accessibility for all students.

2. What are some common technical challenges in online education?

A. Technical challenges in online education can include unreliable internet connections, difficulties with video conferencing platforms, and limited access to necessary devices or software.

3. What are the social and emotional challenges faced by online learners?

A. Online learners often lack the social connections and peer support found in traditional classrooms, leading to feelings of isolation, decreased motivation, and diminished accountability.

4. How does online education address the needs of diverse learners?

A. Inclusive online education should prioritize diverse learners’ needs, yet faces hurdles of equitable technology access, accommodating learning styles, ensuring accessibility for students with disabilities & balancing personalized learning with standardized assessments.

5. How can online education maintain student motivation and engagement?

A. Maintaining student motivation and engagement in online education presents challenges, but incorporating interactive activities, fostering discussions, providing timely feedback, and supportive a learning environment can enhance student engagement.

Designation: Senior Vice President – Business Development Over 25 years of experience in the edtech and workforce learning industry with strong skills in Business Development, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Strategy.

Online Education Essay in English (200-250) Words Paragraph & PDF

Online Education Essay in English: Online education is one of the major changes in the global education industry after COVID hits the country. Read Online Education Essay from here only.

Table of Contents

Online education is a type of learning in which students get instructional content via the internet. It is a flexible and convenient method of learning that has grown in popularity in recent years.

Online Education Essay

Online education is one of the major changes in the global education industry after COVID hits the country. The internet is used for this type of learning. This form of learning has been made easier with new and improved technologies. Higher education institutions favour online learning as well. In short and extended articles about online education, this article will inform students of its benefits and outcomes.

Education spans a range more than just attending classes and reading books to learn things. It exceeds all restrictions. Learning extends beyond the pages of a book. We are fortunate to live in a time where learning is accessible online. Yes! We can educate our kids and ourselves while sitting in our own homes. Online education is a good option for doing this. All needy kids who are unable to enroll in local schools now have access to education thanks to online learning.

Online Education Essay in English (200-250) Words Paragraph & PDF_3.1

Online Education Essay PDF

Download Online Education Essay PDF: Online Education Essay in English

Online Education Essay in English (200-250) words

Today’s Essay on Online Education covers an important subject. There are different types of essays about online education in English for students and children in this post.

Here we, at adda247 are providing 10 lines essays, short essays, and long essays on online education.

Online education is the process of acquiring education using the internet.
The Internet is the foundation of online learning.
Online education was an idea that existed years back.
It protects students’ sensitive time and money.
It provides students with a range of courses while sitting at their homes.
It helped in achieving a balance between safety and education during the pandemic.
However, it may be shown that it is bad for students’ health.
In areas with poor network connectivity, studying online is challenging.
There are numerous online learning resources, including Adda247,Coursera, Udemy etc.
Online learning features including texts, videos, and animations aid in student comprehension.

Online Education Essay in English (200-250) Words Paragraph & PDF_6.1

Online Education Essay in Paragraph 200-250 Words

These days, technology has impacted every industry, including education. The most recent method of getting an education through the internet is online education. Utilizing your smartphones, laptops, or tablets for learning is a fun and productive method. Both teachers and students can benefit greatly from it, but there are also many drawbacks. Learning from anywhere is flexible with online education.

Non-time-boundness is another advantageous property. You don’t have to sit from morning until lunch like in a typical school. Depending on your preference, you can study online day or night. There is no upper age limit for learning online, in addition to the flexibility of time and location. You can pick the subjects and skills you want to learn by using online education. There are numerous institutions that provide their degrees and courses online. As a result, it is a more practical option to educate yourself without physically visiting schools or universities. Additionally, it helps you save money on transportation and other expenses.

People who reside in areas with poor internet connectivity, however, struggle with online learning. The core of online education is the internet. Your health may suffer if you spend more time in front of devices. Only those with the ability to discipline themselves should consider it.

Online Education Essay in 500-1000 words for UPSC

Introduction: Online education is a flexible method of providing instruction that includes all online learning. Online learning helps students who need to do their work on their own time and at their own speed and gives teachers access to students who may not be able to enroll in a regular classroom course.

The modern method of education, known as online education, differs greatly from the traditional method of learning. For a better comprehension of the students, the instructor or mentor employs a variety of techniques, including texts, audios, films, animations, etc.

Every field is experiencing a rapid increase in the amount of distant learning and the awarding of online degrees. The number of institutions and schools that provide online education is likewise increasing. Students who are seeking degrees online need to be careful in making sure that they finish their coursework through a reputable and recognized university.

Synchronization is a well-known benefit of online learning. Here, the chosen format allows for lively dialogue between the students and the teachers. Sources are exchanged through these communications, and a synergy that is open-ended develops as a result of a learning process. It helps the learner learn more when each person shares their point of view or opinion through conversations and comments on others’ work. This unique advantage can only be achieved through online learning, which creates a virtual learning environment focused on the needs of the students.

We don’t need to commute over long distances or travel to different place because we can take classes online. While pursuing a degree online to advance our careers, we can remain where we are and keep our current jobs. Digital nomads—those who advocate a technologically enabled or location-independent lifestyle—are also helped by online schooling. No matter where we are, we may finish our schoolwork and view lectures.

The online education experience offers a lot more reasonable schedule, whether we are full-time or part-time students. The low cost of online education has contributed to its popularity. Online courses are less expensive than those provided at schools or colleges because of this. While attending a university, we might need to pay for things like transportation, lodging, and meals; however, online education might not.

The inherent flexibility of online learning is one of its key benefits, but there is a catch: one needs to be very self-motivated. The top online learners use a variety of strategies for maintaining their assignments. Setting aside time each week for studying and designing a workspace with few distractions can both be highly beneficial.

Conclusion: Increased educational access, high-quality learning opportunities, improved student outcomes and abilities, and more educational options are some of the possible benefits of online education. Because of online education, variables like location, time, and quality are no longer taken into account when looking for degree programmes or higher education.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Education for Essay

Advantages of online education.

Save time and money: Students who pursue their education online do so at a considerable time and financial savings. It cuts down on both the cost and time of transportation. Accessible to All : Everyone has access to online schooling. Online education is available to students of all backgrounds and ages. For students who have physical disabilities, this is one of the main benefits. They can receive an education from the comfort of their own home without having to travel anyplace. No Time Limit : Students have a lot of freedom with online education. Anytime, students can seek knowledge. There is no time limit like there is in the traditional learning method.

Choice : Online education offers a wide range of courses. Students can study skills like personality development and other things that are typically challenging to master offline in addition to course material.

Disadvantages of Online Education

Dependency : Online learning is beneficial for those who can study independently. Kids and other students cannot effectively study online without help. Self-concentration is necessary for this kind of study. Lack of Resources : Online education requires computers or mobile devices as well as strong internet connectivity. Online study is not possible for those without computers or in places with network problems. Disengagement from Society : Spending a lot of time in front of a screen could be bad for your health. The students’ physical growth is also impacted by it. They will grow apart from their friends and society if they don’t attend school.

Online vs Offline Education Comparision

Time management: Unlike online education, where you can choose a time slot that best suits your needs, offline education has a set timetable.
Cost-Effectiveness : Online learning is significantly less expensive than traditional learning. Transportation costs are just one of the numerous costs associated with the existing educational system. Students require appropriate uniforms as well as a number of other items.
Online learning presents new challenges for students, but it also has the potential to cut them off from their surroundings. Children’s physical and mental development are both aided by attending school. They enjoy spending time with their friends and teachers.
Choice: In an online classroom, students are allowed to select the subject they want to learn about. They can view it multiple times for better comprehension. Students have no options in offline schooling.
Knowledge Outside the Books: In an offline setting, students physically interact. They also learn other manners, such as self-control, appropriate behaviour, and other related abilities. These competencies are not produced by offline schooling.

Online Education Essay in Hindi

ऑनलाइन शिक्षा पर आज का निबंध एक महत्वपूर्ण विषय को शामिल करता है। इस पोस्ट में छात्रों और बच्चों के लिए अंग्रेजी में ऑनलाइन शिक्षा के बारे में विभिन्न प्रकार के निबंध हैं।

ऑनलाइन शिक्षा पर 10 पंक्तियों के निबंध, लघु निबंध और लंबे निबंध प्रदान कर रहे हैं।

ऑनलाइन शिक्षा इंटरनेट का उपयोग करके शिक्षा प्राप्त करने की प्रक्रिया है। इंटरनेट ऑनलाइन सीखने का आधार है। ऑनलाइन शिक्षा एक ऐसा विचार था जो वर्षों पहले अस्तित्व में था। यह छात्रों के संवेदनशील समय और धन की रक्षा करता है। यह छात्रों को उनके घरों पर बैठकर कई तरह के पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करता है। इसने महामारी के दौरान सुरक्षा और शिक्षा के बीच संतुलन हासिल करने में मदद की। हालांकि, यह दिखाया जा सकता है कि यह छात्रों के स्वास्थ्य के लिए खराब है। खराब नेटवर्क कनेक्टिविटी वाले क्षेत्रों में, ऑनलाइन अध्ययन करना चुनौतीपूर्ण है। Adda247, Coursera, Udemy आदि सहित कई ऑनलाइन शिक्षण संसाधन हैं। टेक्स्ट, वीडियो और एनिमेशन सहित ऑनलाइन सीखने की विशेषताएं छात्र की समझ में सहायता करती हैं। 250-300 शब्दों में ऑनलाइन शिक्षा निबंध

इन दिनों, प्रौद्योगिकी ने शिक्षा सहित हर उद्योग को प्रभावित किया है। इंटरनेट के माध्यम से शिक्षा प्राप्त करने का सबसे हालिया तरीका ऑनलाइन शिक्षा है। सीखने के लिए अपने स्मार्टफोन, लैपटॉप या टैबलेट का उपयोग करना एक मजेदार और उत्पादक तरीका है। इससे शिक्षक और छात्र दोनों ही काफी लाभान्वित हो सकते हैं, लेकिन कई कमियां भी हैं। ऑनलाइन शिक्षा के साथ कहीं से भी सीखना लचीला है।

गैर-समयबद्धता एक और लाभप्रद संपत्ति है। आपको एक ठेठ स्कूल की तरह सुबह से दोपहर के भोजन तक बैठने की ज़रूरत नहीं है। आप अपनी पसंद के आधार पर दिन हो या रात ऑनलाइन पढ़ाई कर सकते हैं। समय और स्थान के लचीलेपन के अलावा, ऑनलाइन सीखने के लिए कोई ऊपरी आयु सीमा नहीं है। आप ऑनलाइन शिक्षा का उपयोग करके उन विषयों और कौशलों को चुन सकते हैं जिन्हें आप सीखना चाहते हैं। ऐसे कई संस्थान हैं जो अपनी डिग्री और पाठ्यक्रम ऑनलाइन प्रदान करते हैं। नतीजतन, शारीरिक रूप से स्कूलों या विश्वविद्यालयों का दौरा किए बिना खुद को शिक्षित करना एक अधिक व्यावहारिक विकल्प है। इसके अतिरिक्त, यह आपको परिवहन और अन्य खर्चों पर पैसे बचाने में मदद करता है।

हालांकि, जो लोग खराब इंटरनेट कनेक्टिविटी वाले क्षेत्रों में रहते हैं, उन्हें ऑनलाइन सीखने में कठिनाई होती है। ऑनलाइन शिक्षा का मूल इंटरनेट है। यदि आप उपकरणों के सामने अधिक समय बिताते हैं तो आपका स्वास्थ्य खराब हो सकता है। केवल उन्हें ही इस पर विचार करना चाहिए जो स्वयं को अनुशासित करने की क्षमता रखते हैं।

यूपीएससी के लिए 500-1000 शब्दों में ऑनलाइन शिक्षा निबंध

परिचय: ऑनलाइन शिक्षा निर्देश प्रदान करने का एक लचीला तरीका है जिसमें सभी ऑनलाइन शिक्षण शामिल हैं। ऑनलाइन सीखने से उन छात्रों को मदद मिलती है जिन्हें अपना काम अपने समय पर और अपनी गति से करने की आवश्यकता होती है और शिक्षकों को उन छात्रों तक पहुंच प्रदान करता है जो नियमित कक्षा पाठ्यक्रम में नामांकन करने में सक्षम नहीं हो सकते हैं।

शिक्षा की आधुनिक पद्धति, जिसे ऑनलाइन शिक्षा के रूप में जाना जाता है, सीखने की पारंपरिक पद्धति से बहुत अलग है। छात्रों की बेहतर समझ के लिए, प्रशिक्षक या संरक्षक कई तरह की तकनीकों का इस्तेमाल करते हैं, जिनमें टेक्स्ट, ऑडियो, फिल्म, एनिमेशन आदि शामिल हैं।

हर क्षेत्र दूरस्थ शिक्षा और ऑनलाइन डिग्री प्रदान करने की मात्रा में तेजी से वृद्धि का अनुभव कर रहा है। ऑनलाइन शिक्षा प्रदान करने वाले संस्थानों और स्कूलों की संख्या भी बढ़ रही है। ऑनलाइन डिग्री चाहने वाले छात्रों को यह सुनिश्चित करने में सावधानी बरतने की जरूरत है कि वे एक प्रतिष्ठित और मान्यता प्राप्त विश्वविद्यालय के माध्यम से अपना शोध कार्य पूरा करें।

तुल्यकालन ऑनलाइन सीखने का एक प्रसिद्ध लाभ है। यहां, चुना गया प्रारूप छात्रों और शिक्षकों के बीच जीवंत संवाद की अनुमति देता है। इन संचारों के माध्यम से स्रोतों का आदान-प्रदान किया जाता है, और एक सीखने की प्रक्रिया के परिणामस्वरूप एक तालमेल विकसित होता है। यह शिक्षार्थी को अधिक जानने में मदद करता है जब प्रत्येक व्यक्ति बातचीत और दूसरों के काम पर टिप्पणियों के माध्यम से अपनी बात या राय साझा करता है। यह अनूठा लाभ केवल ऑनलाइन सीखने के माध्यम से प्राप्त किया जा सकता है, जो छात्रों की जरूरतों पर केंद्रित एक आभासी सीखने का माहौल बनाता है।

हमें लंबी दूरी तय करने या अलग-अलग जगहों की यात्रा करने की आवश्यकता नहीं है क्योंकि हम ऑनलाइन कक्षाएं ले सकते हैं। अपने करियर को आगे बढ़ाने के लिए ऑनलाइन डिग्री का पीछा करते हुए, हम जहां हैं वहीं रह सकते हैं और अपनी वर्तमान नौकरी रख सकते हैं। डिजिटल खानाबदोश – जो तकनीकी रूप से सक्षम या स्थान-स्वतंत्र जीवन शैली की वकालत करते हैं – को भी ऑनलाइन स्कूली शिक्षा से मदद मिलती है। चाहे हम कहीं भी हों, हम अपना स्कूल का काम पूरा कर सकते हैं और व्याख्यान देख सकते हैं।

ऑनलाइन शिक्षा का अनुभव बहुत अधिक उचित कार्यक्रम प्रदान करता है, चाहे हम पूर्णकालिक या अंशकालिक छात्र हों। ऑनलाइन शिक्षा की कम लागत ने इसकी लोकप्रियता में योगदान दिया है। इस वजह से स्कूलों या कॉलेजों में प्रदान किए जाने वाले ऑनलाइन पाठ्यक्रमों की तुलना में ऑनलाइन पाठ्यक्रम कम खर्चीले हैं। विश्वविद्यालय में भाग लेने के दौरान, हमें परिवहन, आवास और भोजन जैसी चीज़ों के लिए भुगतान करना पड़ सकता है; हालाँकि, ऑनलाइन शिक्षा नहीं हो सकती है।

ऑनलाइन सीखने का अंतर्निहित लचीलापन इसके प्रमुख लाभों में से एक है, लेकिन एक पकड़ है: किसी को बहुत आत्म-प्रेरित होने की आवश्यकता है। शीर्ष ऑनलाइन शिक्षार्थी विभिन्न प्रकार की रणनीतियों का उपयोग करते हैं

अपने कार्यों को बनाए रखने के लिए। अध्ययन के लिए हर हफ्ते समय अलग करना और कुछ ध्यान भटकाने वाले कार्यक्षेत्र को डिजाइन करना दोनों ही अत्यधिक फायदेमंद हो सकते हैं।

निष्कर्ष: बढ़ी हुई शैक्षिक पहुंच, उच्च गुणवत्ता वाले सीखने के अवसर, बेहतर छात्र परिणाम और क्षमताएं, और अधिक शैक्षिक विकल्प ऑनलाइन शिक्षा के कुछ संभावित लाभ हैं। ऑनलाइन शिक्षा के कारण, डिग्री प्रोग्राम या उच्च शिक्षा की तलाश में स्थान, समय और गुणवत्ता जैसे चरों को ध्यान में नहीं रखा जाता है।

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Essay on Online Education- FAQs

Q.Are online learning and distance learning the same?

Ans. Online learning follows a school learning format and provides students more campus-like feel. Students have a formal or informal interactions with the teachers as well as their peers. But in distance learning, there is no interaction with teachers or classmates.

Q. What are some benefits of online classes?

Flexibility.
Reduced Costs.
More Free Time.
Increased Course Variety.
Career Advancement Opportunities.

Q. How does online education affect students?

Ans.Online learning has helped students to become independent learners before they make their way into the real world.

Q. Are online classes good for students?

Ans. The importance of online classes are that they are much more convenient and flexible as compared to traditional learning platforms.

Q. Why do students prefer online learning?

Ans. Online courses are easily accessible on much smaller budgets . In addition to the convenience and the cost, a large number of students are turning to online learning courses because they have become a better way to learn.

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Are online learning and distance learning the same?

Online learning follows a school learning format and provides students more campus-like feel. Students have a formal or informal interactions with the teachers as well as their peers. But in distance learning, there is no interaction with teachers or classmates.

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The Many Problems of Online Education

J.M. Anderson

December 20, 2011
Character/Attitudes
Liberal Arts
Online Education

This article is cross-posted from Minding the Campus .

One thing we learn from the new Babson report is that the number of students enrolling in online courses continues to grow, and apparently there's no end in sight. In fact, "the number of students taking at least one online course has increased at a rate far in excess of the growth for the overall higher-education student body," according to the report, which is based on responses from over 2500 colleges and universities. Another thing we learn is that most chief academic officers have "a more favorable opinion of the learning outcomes for online education" and rate the learning outcomes for online instruction "as good as or better" than face-to-face instruction--67%, to be precise, up from 57% when this study was first conducted in 2003.

That sounds good, but are chief academic officers--presidents, chancellors and other high-level administrators of colleges and universities--in the best position to know that learning outcomes are "as good as or better" than face-to-face instruction?

When was the last time your typical college president or chancellor set foot in a classroom or taught a class online? And by what criteria are they making such a statement when they also admit in the study that less than one-third of faculty--i.e. those in the trenches who actually teach--"accept the value and legitimacy of online education"--a "perception that has changed little over the last eight years?"

The basis of their claim is "the level of student satisfaction." Really? Is that such a reliable indicator? Students might think that their online courses are just as good as or better than their face-to-face courses, but that doesn't mean that what they think necessarily correlates with reality. Many of my students think that they can read and write--after all, they've gotten As and Bs in high school--but invariably they experience something like shell shock when I begin to show them how they should be reading books and documents or when I give them back their papers. In fact, several recent studies suggest that students perform better in face-to-face classes--see, for example, here , here , here , and here --and that we should be offering more (not fewer) of them. So when 67% of chief academic officers say that online learning outcomes are "as good as or better" than outcomes in face-to-face instruction, it is merely an opinion, an assumption.

It is also self-serving. That's because chief academic officers care primarily about the bottom line. They are rewarded for higher enrollments, higher retention, higher success rates. Online courses are a cheaper, easier, and more efficient way to get and retain more students. For-profit institutions have known this for some time (including Kaplan University, a major sponsor of the Babson survey), which is why they continue to lead the charge for more online courses, according to the study. Not only is online education growing most rapidly in the for-profit sector, for-profit institutions "remain the leader among institutions in including online [instruction] in their strategic plan."

The study also points out that "not all program areas are seeing the same levels of growth." Some have declined, such as education and psychology, and some have gained traction, including engineering and even the liberal arts and humanities. But the vast majority of courses taken and degrees being offered online are not in fields associated with traditional liberal education. They are in skills-based and career-oriented disciplines, such as business, computer and information science, and health and human services. And since for-profit colleges and universities are in the business of selling credentials and degrees, it makes sense that these fields remain robust in the online education market. (A former colleague of mine at the for-profit institution where I worked once shrewdly observed that the only reason for-profits tolerate the social sciences and humanities--"foo-foo majors," the president of the university called them--is so that they can be called universities. They need them for general education requirements and accreditation.)

Don't get me wrong, I do not oppose online education. In principle it is a laudable endeavor because it attempts to make higher education accessible to greater numbers of people--and I am in favor of any medium that encourages curiosity and helps students to learn. This past summer I taught a hybrid class for adult students in an accelerated B.A. program. My students liked the format because it gave them flexibility, not only to learn at their own pace, but to accommodate their busy lives. Not surprisingly, other students agree. Not only do a majority of students prefer online instruction because it gives them "greater flexibility," 80% of the students surveyed by the Babson group said they prefer it to face-to-face instruction because they are better able to "work at their own pace."

Liberal Education Devalued

Nor do I oppose online instruction because it reinforces the notion that higher education is a means to accumulate gobs of information and obtain a degree. Colleges and universities have doing that long before the Internet was invented. And I agree that some subjects--particularly those that are information driven--lend themselves to online instruction better or more readily than others (try teaching someone how to swim or play the cello online). The issue isn't technology, or even online education, but whether online instruction is just as good as or better than face-to-face instruction in furthering the ends of undergraduate--i.e. liberal--education. That's one question the Babson Survey failed to ask.

At its best, liberal education creates personal contact and friendships between students themselves and their teachers, and it provides them with encounters that increase their knowledge, develop their skills, refine their tastes, and expose them to the unfamiliar. But at big schools and small, the trend--whether hiring more adjunct instructors or discouraging faculty from devoting time to their students by forcing them to obsess over research and publications--is to push teachers and students further away from each other and those experiences. I am not blaming online education; it is not the problem. Rather, online education is merely a symptom of a larger trend in higher education and another indication that liberal education has been devalued as a whole. Not only is the kind of personal contact and engagement that students get in face-to face classes at the heart of liberal education--in fact, the Babson Survey reports that academic leaders believe that face-to-face courses are seen as "far superior for student-to-student communications" and "student-to-student interactions"--personal interaction and contact is precisely what undergraduate students need and want.

According to the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College , a vast majority said that their education was more meaningful to them when these contacts existed, especially with professors who were not distant figures or only remotely accessible. Among the study's criteria for good teaching were a high quality of interaction with students; the interest that faculty showed in teaching and student development; the extent to which faculty were genuinely interested in teaching; prompt feedback; and the quality of non-classroom interactions between students and faculty. But a majority of students reported that they experienced these practices and conditions only "sometimes" or "occasionally." At small institutions, only 44 percent said these were strong, as compared to a meager 28 percent at larger institutions. In fact, many have used such statistics to prove their point about the superiority of online education. As a student of midwifery said about her online experience on NPR's Talk of the Nation , "I have a whole lot of interaction with my professors, far more so, actually, than I had when I had the walls and roof over me."

Reinforcing Adolescent Behavior

That may be true for her, just as it is for students who feel satisfied in traditional brick-and-mortar institutions, but it is also true that online courses are more likely to reinforce the kind of adolescent behavior that distracts undergraduates from developing intellectual maturity and the habits of thought and mind appropriate to the liberally educated person. The reality that proponents of online education ignore is that it is easier for students to shut off or block out opinions or views that might unsettle them run or contrary to their own while they are hiding behind computer screens. They are more likely to "multi-task" while online--check e-mail, chat with friends, view other web sites, Tweet, listen to music, talk on mobile phones, or even watch TV--when they should be attending to the issue at hand, and actually learn less in the process. As UCLA psychology professor Russell Poldrak discovered, "multi-tasking adversely affects how you learn. Even if you learn while multi-tasking, that learning is less flexible and more specialized, so you cannot retrieve the information as easily." Like traditional lectures, online instruction succeeds only with students who are mature and motivated to learn and capable of seeing the Internet and the World Wide Web as tools, not as ends in themselves.

Clearly that's not the case, as I've discussed here before. Students already have access to great books, complete libraries, masterpieces of art, and classical music online, but for the overwhelming majority technology is used and valued for entertainment and social networking. All the information available at their fingertips is worthless if they lack judgment and the ability to use it appropriately. And there is no evidence that online instruction is changing students' behavior. What's worse, the inability of online instructors to control the learning environment makes it almost certain that students will not achieve the full educational experience that traditional liberal education provides, or that they will not learn what their instructors are trying to teach them beyond accumulating information to pass a course and get a degree.

What the rampant growth of online education suggests more than anything else is the continuing commercialization of higher education. Online education is merely another service (like healthcare) in our service-oriented economy; students as consumers are satisfied because it makes "getting an education" convenient (like getting Urgent Care at Wal-Mart); from an economic (not necessarily educational) viewpoint, it shows growth and therefore it must be good; on that basis chief academic officers (like CEOs of companies) can claim success. Apparently this is the prevailing mentality in some quarters in Washington. U.S. Representative Virginia Foxx recently praised for-profit institutions (who lead the online surge, as mentioned above) during a panel discussion, not on the quality of education they are providing their students, but because they are more "efficient" at delivering their service. And therein lies the problem, as Jason Fertig (who teaches business) pointed out in a recent essay : "When professors strive for efficiency, learning decreases."

The real reason online education is attractive and growing is that modern educators in traditional brick-and-mortar institutions are failing to give students an educational experience that they cannot get anywhere else, including online. Colleges and universities, thinking they are too important and too big to fail, have become (like General Motors) oversized and overvalued and they are peddling products that most people need but few people want. But when students are told that they must have a college degree to succeed in today's world, can we blame them if they seek more online courses because they make it easier for them to get credentialed? We may very well end up with more people with degrees in this country than anywhere else in the world by 2020, as President Obama called for. But no one seems to be asking, "What kinds of human beings and citizens will they be?"

-------------------------------------------- J. M. Anderson is dean of Humanities, Fine Arts, and Social Sciences at Illinois Valley Community College, and author of The Skinny on Teaching: What You Don't Learn in Graduate School .

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Home » Social Justice » Issues related to Education Sector » Online Education

Online Education

The coronavirus pandemic has shuttered educational institutions across the globe. Closure of schools, colleges and universities, shutdown of routine life of students and teachers, disruptions in education and the education ministry remaining incommunicado, have created an unprecedented situation and thrown many unexpected challenges to administrators, educators, teachers, parents and students.

Covid-19 hit the poor and marginalised the most. A similar but less noticed deprivation is being visited to children of the same people, which may push the next generation in a direction of even greater comparative disadvantage.
Those with no access to the internet are still excluded from quality learning. Further, classes at times get disturbed due to connectivity issues.
As per NSSO data, only 4.4% of rural households and 23.4% of urban households have computer/laptop.
Difficult for parents to adjust to the online system. Parents complain of increased screen time for children, aren’t comfortable with technology themselves and increased pressure from the added household work due to the absence of domestic help adds to their problem.
Gender divide: Increased domestic responsibilities especially for girls is impairing the atmosphere of learning. According to a recent UN report, only 29% of all internet users are female, which indicates that transitions to digital learning may compound the gender gap in education.
Lack of vernacular content: Most of the content and existing lectures on internet are in English. In India, the Ministry of HRD data shows that there are only 17% English medium schools.
Creating new inequality: Only a handful of private schools, universities and IITs could adopt online teaching methods. Their low-income private and government counterparts, on the other hand, have completely shut down for not having access to e-learning solutions.
No inclusive: Issues of rural students, tribal children are not same. Not everyone can be onboarded to digital learning. Needs of these children must be thought of and a comprehensive learning policy must be made.
school and university closures will not only have a short-term impact on the continuity of learning for more than 285 million young learners in India but also engender far-reaching economic and societal consequences.
The pandemic has significantly disrupted the higher education sector as well, which is a critical determinant of a country’s economic future.
A large number of Indian students—second only to China—enroll in universities abroad, especially in countries worst affected by the pandemic, the US, UK, Australia and China.
Many such students have now been barred from leaving these countries. If the situation persists, in the long run, a decline in the demand for international higher education is expected.
The bigger concern, however, on everybody’s mind is the effect of the disease on the employment rate. Recent graduates in India are fearing withdrawal of job offers from corporates because of the current situation.
The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy’s estimates on unemployment shot up from 8.4% in mid-March to 23% in early April and the urban unemployment rate to 30.9%.
India is far behind some developing countries where digital education is getting increased attention.
Democratization of technology is now an important issue, comprising internet connectivity, telecom infrastructure, affordability of online system, availability of laptop/desktop, software, educational tools, online assessment tools, etc.
Census 2011 tells us that 71 per cent of households with three or more members have dwellings with two rooms or less (74 per cent in rural and 64 per cent in urban areas).
According to National Sample Survey data for 2017-18, only 42 per cent of urban and 15 per cent of rural households had internet access, and only 34 per cent of urban and 11 per cent of rural persons had used the internet in the past 30 days .
It is true that many traditional educational institutions (TEIs) (both public and private) have substandard infrastructure. But these data suggest that the majority (roughly two-thirds) of students are likely to be worse off at home compared to any campus.
The impact of smartphone capabilities and stability of net connectivity on OE pedagogy also needs to be examined.
But it is as a social rather than physical space that the college or university campus plays a critical role. We have long ignored the vital role public educational institutions play as exemplary sites of social inclusion and relative equality. In Indian conditions, this role is arguably even more important than the scholastic role.
the public educational institution is still the only space where people of all genders, classes, castes, and communities can meet without one group being forced to bow to others.
Women students, in particular, will be much worse off if confined to their homes by OE.
Poor are disconnected and irrespective of background, some children cannot relate to the online classroom, and many more are losing out on midday meals.
OE can play as a supplement to on-site education.
It can use content and methods that are hard to include in the normal curriculum. It can put pressure on lazy or incompetent teachers.
It can provide hands-on experience in many technical fields where simulations are possible.
And it can, of course, be a powerful accessory for affluent students able to afford expensive aids.
But it is fraudulent to suggest that OE can replace public education, the only kind that the majority can access.

To summarize, education must continue. Students should keep learning. The lockdown period should be productive. Educators should think creatively and introduce innovative ways of learning. In a country where access to the Internet and high-speed connectivity is a problem, and the digital divide is an issue, it is important to address the challenges. Those who are involved in education planning and administration should give a serious thought to reducing the digital divide in the country and popularize digital learning along with traditional education.

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Problems of education Essay

The fact that social classification stems from civilization and its many accomplices doesn’t mean that we have reached its peak thus far. One of the key pillars of civilization is and has been education. It is education which has facilitated the sharing of knowledge from a given generation to the next. Education therefore, if simply defined would mean a process of integrating relevant knowledge in a person so as to instill relevance in him or her.

That is my general understanding of the term education. Education has evolved from time immemorial, it has always been inspired by the quest for knowledge and as long as one gained knowledge about a given phenomena then that would denote learning. Education therefore has been there before the formality of reading and writing, and it has always achieved that purpose for which it has been intended for; passing down cultures and information and teaching norms through the generations that have been existent.

Education is not a simple undertaking in itself. Formal education itself demands sacrifice monetary wise, it needs time and also needs investment in terms of the effort one puts in an endeavor to attain the same.

One has to sacrifice so much and post pone activities just for the sake of gaining from education, but above all it is the promise that formal education presents. The promise of independence, a good stable family, a regular income and posterity motivate one to get education. It takes a lot of effort in itself, given the fact that it takes several years in a person’s life just to get through an educational system.

It brings me to the idea that in a person’s life as long as they begin attending school, one will start preparing for the life he would wish to live and there after prepare the life he would want his kids to have. There is never rest at the end of this, rather one embark on another phase of life; family. As a result, life progresses as a rolling stone, just changing course and the players within the game. In that regard children grow to replace parents and the cycle would continue. Above all the sacrifice has always been worth it.

The obstacles to the same are universal. The challenges have a pattern of semblance to each other and the resultant fruits also resemble. For instance, in several parts of the world, they have similar challenges such as scarce resources that would especially facilitate education.

The above is evident in Africa and some parts of Asia. They also have issues with access to other resources such as water and good health; all these directly affect education in general and also the quality of education that is being administered. In developed countries such as ours, the challenges are simpler and are easier to sort.

Some challenges education faces include lack of time. Education takes a lot of time and most people have to juggle been education and their job; however these happen in advanced stages such as in colleges and universities. In earlier stages they have to contend with academics because much of the time it is a fulltime engagement for them so their activities are limited. The other challenge for them is the fact that is expensive.

The cumulative cost is expensive and this contributes to the drop outs that come about as a result of the same. The students are exposed to other challenges such as drugs, mob psychology and even harassment from both their seniors at school and peers. The overall impact to the above is a dismal performance which if unchecked would go a long way in affecting the personality of a student. They would in the long run look down on themselves due to a low self esteem.

Problems of education

The above is simply premise to the fact that education has helped nature characters, in generations of yore. But can the same be said of education as at now? What with a curriculum that is imposed on students and bent on teaching given norms as opposed to embracing virtues? It is true that civilization has shaped the level of thinking and technology as it is now, resulting to the competitive world that is today.

It is also true that education is trying to teach us how to live and survive in the world that has emerged after, but education is prone to many other factors that have helped shaped society to what it is.

First of this is the fact that at the moment education is relying on a given curriculum, drafted by the people and wired to instigate certain characteristics and uphold some of them.

Before the current system of education which is majorly formal, there was informal education which was basically instincts. It was passed down through generations and was programmed basing on occurrences of nature as it evolved. As such, it was basically life skills.

Education as it stands has made societal gains and we can only marvel at the benefits it has brought about. For one, we have achieved the natural peaceful coexistence among nations. The presence of one common unitary language has achieved stability and enhanced trade and relations. It has also fostered the achievement of positive solutions in times of calamities. These are myriad achievements, communication in itself has been enhanced and the result thereof is the ability to conduct multinational trade and interactions on different platforms.

Formal education, as we know it today and as has been explained above is the product of a curriculum that is drafted and implemented for teachers to pass over to their students. It could also imply that it instills life skills to a small extent but that is as it is; majorly it is used as a social control mechanism.

The educational system in place at the moment trains one to think and act in a certain way, they also train the students to respond to situations in a given manner. This has been instrumental in gaining population control. It has facilitated tyranny in otherwise supposedly democratic states; the result to this has been revolutions and landmark incidences that have plagued these countries.

The above is evident in several cases in history, for instance the French revolution resulted from an adjustment in the social control structures in place. The people were plagued by hunger yet the government that was supposed to provide for the people didn’t care. This and other atrocities by the government irked the people and they took to the streets, the result was a revolution from which emerged a new set of leadership.

Education has brought the best and worst in everybody, however it has failed to change humanity and the essence of it therefore. We are still plagued by our ancestral cosmos which dictate to us our most natural instincts; as such it is prudent that the things that excite human beings are still war, food and affection.

These have been since the ancient of days and have never changed over time. Therefore, it is enough stated that education has yielded a totally different personality that could never have been, but it has also failed to ignite the embers of this new personality to take up on the primitive. The primitive is simply docile but very active within.

To conclude on the above, personally education has been instrumental to me in attaining dreams I once had, but it is also true that it is as perennial as it stands.

Education is only for presentation purposes, and hence social control. If there was an alternative to education that would teach one to not only bow to the whims of the powers that are existent but to break all the rules and live harmoniously in peace and coherence with the next human being, such as is taught by the monks there would be a totally different society. Self actualization would be easier to attain, wars would be a preserve of the past and there would be fewer calamities as have been witnessed.

Education has brought us this far, but it is high time the systems incorporated teaching of virtues such as humility, patience and kindness unlike the present system which churns ambitious personalities that would stop at nothing in order to satisfy their cravings.

The result to the above would be fewer incidents of inhuman acts such as cannibalism as was witnessed in some of our colleges or reduced shooting sprees in which students take up arms and decide to shoot their innocent colleagues. This would also shape the type of leadership and cultivate servant leadership among the leaders these institutions would churn out.

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IvyPanda. (2018, December 27). Problems of education. https://ivypanda.com/essays/problems-of-education/

"Problems of education." IvyPanda , 27 Dec. 2018, ivypanda.com/essays/problems-of-education/.

IvyPanda . (2018) 'Problems of education'. 27 December.

IvyPanda . 2018. "Problems of education." December 27, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/problems-of-education/.

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By Jessica Grose

Opinion Writer

A few weeks ago, a parent who lives in Texas asked me how much my kids were using screens to do schoolwork in their classrooms. She wasn’t talking about personal devices. (Smartwatches and smartphones are banned in my children’s schools during the school day, which I’m very happy about; I find any argument for allowing these devices in the classroom to be risible.) No, this parent was talking about screens that are school sanctioned, like iPads and Chromebooks issued to children individually for educational activities.

I’m embarrassed to say that I couldn’t answer her question because I had never asked or even thought about asking. Partly because the Covid-19 era made screens imperative in an instant — as one ed-tech executive told my colleague Natasha Singer in 2021, the pandemic “sped the adoption of technology in education by easily five to 10 years.” In the early Covid years, when my older daughter started using a Chromebook to do assignments for second and third grade, I was mostly just relieved that she had great teachers and seemed to be learning what she needed to know. By the time she was in fifth grade and the world was mostly back to normal, I knew she took her laptop to school for in-class assignments, but I never asked for specifics about how devices were being used. I trusted her teachers and her school implicitly.

In New York State, ed tech is often discussed as an equity problem — with good reason: At home, less privileged children might not have access to personal devices and high-speed internet that would allow them to complete digital assignments. But in our learn-to-code society, in which computer skills are seen as a meal ticket and the humanities as a ticket to the unemployment line, there seems to be less chatter about whether there are too many screens in our kids’ day-to-day educational environment beyond the classes that are specifically tech focused. I rarely heard details about what these screens are adding to our children’s literacy, math, science or history skills.

And screens truly are everywhere. For example, according to 2022 data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only about 8 percent of eighth graders in public schools said their math teachers “never or hardly ever” used computers or digital devices to teach math, 37 percent said their math teachers used this technology half or more than half the time, and 44 percent said their math teachers used this technology all or most of the time.

As is often the case with rapid change, “the speed at which new technologies and intervention models are reaching the market has far outpaced the ability of policy researchers to keep up with evaluating them,” according to a dazzlingly thorough review of the research on education technology by Maya Escueta, Andre Joshua Nickow, Philip Oreopoulos and Vincent Quan published in The Journal of Economic Literature in 2020.

Despite the relative paucity of research, particularly on in-class use of tech, Escueta and her co-authors put together “a comprehensive list of all publicly available studies on technology-based education interventions that report findings from studies following either of two research designs, randomized controlled trials or regression discontinuity designs.”

They found that increasing access to devices didn’t always lead to positive academic outcomes. In a couple of cases, it just increased the amount of time kids were spending on devices playing games. They wrote, “We found that simply providing students with access to technology yields largely mixed results. At the K-12 level, much of the experimental evidence suggests that giving a child a computer may have limited impacts on learning outcomes but generally improves computer proficiency and other cognitive outcomes.”

Some of the most promising research is around computer-assisted learning, which the researchers defined as “computer programs and other software applications designed to improve academic skills.” They cited a 2016 randomized study of 2,850 seventh-grade math students in Maine who used an online homework tool. The authors of that study “found that the program improved math scores for treatment students by 0.18 standard deviations. This impact is particularly noteworthy, given that treatment students used the program, on average, for less than 10 minutes per night, three to four nights per week,” according to Escueta and her co-authors.

They also explained that in the classroom, computer programs may help teachers meet the needs of students who are at different levels, since “when confronted with a wide range of student ability, teachers often end up teaching the core curriculum and tailoring instruction to the middle of the class.” A good program, they found, could help provide individual attention and skill building for kids at the bottom and the top, as well. There are computer programs for reading comprehension that have shown similar positive results in the research. Anecdotally: My older daughter practices her Spanish language skills using an app, and she hand-writes Spanish vocabulary words on index cards. The combination seems to be working well for her.

Though their review was published in 2020, before the data was out on our grand remote-learning experiment, Escueta and her co-authors found that fully online remote learning did not work as well as hybrid or in-person school. I called Thomas Dee, a professor at Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, who said that in light of earlier studies “and what we’re coming to understand about the long-lived effects of the pandemic on learning, it underscores for me that there’s a social dimension to learning that we ignore at our peril. And I think technology can often strip that away.”

Still, Dee summarized the entire topic of ed tech to me this way: “I don’t want to be black and white about this. I think there are really positive things coming from technology.” But he said that they are “meaningful supports on the margins, not fundamental changes in the modality of how people learn.”

I’d add that the implementation of any technology also matters a great deal; any educational tool can be great or awful, depending on how it’s used.

I’m neither a tech evangelist nor a Luddite. (Though I haven’t even touched on the potential implications of classroom teaching with artificial intelligence, a technology that, in other contexts, has so much destructive potential .) What I do want is the most effective educational experience for all kids.

Because there’s such a lag in the data and a lack of granularity to the information we do have, I want to hear from my readers: If you’re a teacher or a parent of a current K-12 student, I want to know how you and they are using technology — the good and the bad. Please complete the questionnaire below and let me know. I may reach out to you for further conversation.

Do your children or your students use technology in the classroom?

If you’re a parent, an educator or both, I want to hear from you.

Jessica Grose is an Opinion writer for The Times, covering family, religion, education, culture and the way we live now.

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Ed Department error may delay student financial aid further

Sequoia Carrillo

There is yet another delay for prospective and current college students awaiting financial aid award letters. On Friday, the Education Department announced an error in its calculations for federal student aid that will result in delays for as many as 200,000 applicants.

The financial aid process for students is already about three months behind schedule. It was initially delayed due to a slow rollout of the new, simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid released this year. It was further delayed when the department's calculations failed to take inflation into account.

Exclusive: The Education Department says it will fix its $1.8 billion FAFSA mistake

Any student who receives financial aid has to fill out the form every year. Colleges use financial data from the FAFSA to determine how much to award a student in scholarships and grants. They run the numbers on their students every year, so it's not only prospective students who are playing the waiting game.

But some students are waiting longer than others – the recent error impacts dependent students with assets. The department says their forms will be re-processed and sent back to colleges at a later date.

Yet another FAFSA problem: Many noncitizens can't fill it out

This latest error comes about two weeks after colleges finally started to receive financial data from the Education Department. Although many schools were receiving exceedingly low numbers of FAFSA applications, the offices were able to start looking at the data. In their announcement the department urged financial aid offices to continue to process all other applications, so schools can get aid packages to students as soon as possible

Edited by: Lauren Migaki

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The effects of online education on academic success: A meta-analysis study

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1 Introduction

2.1 Selecting and coding the data (studies)

2.2 Study group

2.3 Publication bias

2.4 Selecting the model

2.5 Heterogeneity

2.6 Interpreting the effect sizes

3 Findings and results

4 Conclusions and discussion

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Online education in the post-COVID era

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Online learning and the pandemic

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