How Education Has Changed From Traditional Distance Learning To Online Learning

1. Introduction
2. Some e-Learning Statistics
3. What Does This Indicate for Education Now?
4. The Difficulties of Online Education
5. Is Online Learning as Successful as Classroom Learning?
6. Education Must Adapt to the Changing World
7. Conclusion

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled the entire world to embrace virtual learning. While online learning and remote platforms have been employed to ensure educational continuity, such as in the aftermath of earthquakes, the current situation is unprecedented in scope.

The COVID-19 has caused schools all across the world to close. Over 1.2 billion youngsters are out of school worldwide.

As a result, education has undergone significant transformations, with the rise of e-learning, in which instruction is done remotely and via online learning platforms.

Students and educators at all levels of education have been compelled to adapt to online learning due to the coronavirus pandemic quickly. The ramifications of this — and the changes required to make it work — have had a long-term impact on how education is provided.

But with so many online learning platforms that are user-friendly and even free to use, we can indeed see a silver lining. This is the chance to upskill yourself while sitting at the comfort of your home and spending time solidifying your learning.

Some e-Learning Statistics

According to research, online learning increases information retention and takes less time, implying that the alterations created by the coronavirus are here to stay.

While countries’ COVID-19 infection rates vary, more than 1.2 billion children in 186 countries are being affected by school cancellations as a result of the pandemic.

Even before COVID-19, education technology was seeing rapid expansion and adoption, with worldwide ed-tech investments reaching US$18.66 billion in 2019 and the whole industry for online education expected to reach $350 billion by 2025. Since COVID-19, there has been a considerable increase in the utilization of language apps, virtual tutoring, video conferencing tools, and online learning software.

Speculation has now begun as to what the long-term consequences will be, as well as what education will look like in the post-COVID age. For some, a return to the actual classroom traditions is essential right away. Others, on the other hand, see the forced shift to online education as an opportunity to rethink how education may be delivered.

Also Read: Are Online courses preferred over distance learning?

What Does This Indicate for Education Now?

While some believe that the haphazard and hasty transition to online learning – with no training, insufficient bandwidth, and little preparation – will result in a poor user experience that will hinder long-term growth, others believe that a new hybrid model of education will emerge, with significant benefits. “I believe that the integration of information technology in education will speed even faster and that online education will eventually become an intrinsic part of classroom instruction,” says Wang Tao, Vice President of Tencent Cloud and Vice President of Tencent Education.

Many universities have previously completed successful conversions. For example, using “DingTalk ZJU,” Zhejiang University was able to get more than 5,000 courses online in just two weeks.

Many people are already praising the advantages: “It has transformed the style of teaching,” says Dr. Amjad, a professor at the University of Jordan who has been using Lark to teach his pupils. It allows me to communicate with my students more efficiently and effectively, especially during this pandemic, through chat groups, video sessions, voting, and document sharing. On Lark, my kids also find it easier to communicate. Even after the coronavirus, I’m sticking with Lark because I believe conventional offline learning and e-learning can coexist.”

The Difficulties of Online Education

However, there are obstacles to overcome. Some students who do not have dependable internet access or technology find it difficult to engage in digital learning; this divide exists across countries and between income levels within countries. According to OECD data, while 95 percent of students in Switzerland, Norway, and Austria have access to a computer for schooling, only 34% of students in Indonesia have.

In the United States, there is a considerable divide between those from affluent and poor homes: although nearly all rich 15-year-olds indicated they had access to a computer, nearly 25% of those from underprivileged families did not. While some schools and governments, such as those in New South Wales, Australia, have been providing digital technology to children in need, many people are worried that the pandemic may worsen the digital gap.

However, innovative solutions have evolved to give students and their families with the facilities and resources they need to participate in and complete coursework. School buses, for example, have been used to provide mobile hotspots, and class packages and instructive lectures have been broadcast on local public television stations. Furthermore, because of the importance of hands-on, experiential learning, innovations such as virtual field excursions and virtual labs have been developed.

Is Online Learning as Successful as Classroom Learning?

There is evidence that learning online can be more effective in a number of ways for people who have access to the correct technology. According to several studies, students who learn online retain 25-60% more content than those who learn in a classroom retain only 8-10%. This is primarily due to students’ ability to learn more quickly online; e-learning takes 40-60% less time to learn than traditional classroom learning since students may learn at their own pace, going back and re-reading, skipping, or accelerating through subjects as needed.

The efficiency of online learning, however, differs by age group. Children, especially younger ones, require a regulated environment, according to the widespread agreement, because they are more easily distracted. According to Dowson Tong, Senior Executive Vice President of Tencent and President of its Cloud and Smart Industries Group, there needs to be a concerted effort to provide this structure and go beyond replicating a physical class/lecture through video capabilities, instead of using a range of collaboration tools and engagement methods that promote “inclusion, personalization, and intelligence.”

According to BYJU’s Mrinal Mohit, studies have shown that children utilize their senses extensively to learn, making learning interesting and effective through the use of technology is critical.

“We’ve noticed over time that intelligent integration of games has shown higher engagement and enhanced motivation toward learning, particularly among younger pupils, helping them actually fall in love with learning,” he says.

Education Must Adapt to the Changing World

This pandemic has clearly wreaked havoc on an education system that many believe was already losing relevance. Yuval Noah Harari, in his book 21 Lessons for the Twenty-First Century, explains how schools continue to emphasize traditional academic abilities and rote learning over qualities like critical thinking and adaptability, which will be more necessary for future success. 

While there has been a blurring of the distinctions between traditional and distance education for decades, the web has hastened the erasure of these lines. Due to improved infrastructure and developed skill sets that let people travel across different delivery systems, less single-mode and more multi-modal (and thus more educator choices) is becoming the norm. Hybrid or blended teaching and learning best practices have acted as a roadmap for new instructional delivery combinations that have emerged in response to the shift to virtual learning. Multiple delivery options are expected to persist and will be a feature used by students of all ages.

Is Online Learning The Future?

Future generations of online educators will not be confined by the traditions of single teaching modes, as educators will be able to support pedagogical methods from a menu of instructional delivery options, a mix that earlier generations of online educators have supported.

Changes in how learning outcomes are determined in online environments are also significant. Many educators have changed the way they assess student success, removing assignments and completely modifying assessment methodologies. Learning through tactics that take advantage of the online delivery mode, such as interactive discussions, student-led instruction, and the use of games to promote motivation and attention is an example of such changes. Therefore, flexible or extended deadlines for assignment completion, more student choice in terms of learning measures, and more authentic experiences involving the meaningful application of newly learned skills and knowledge comes in handy. For example, team-based projects involving multiple creative and social media tools in support of collaborative problem solving, are all likely to continue.

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Conclusion

So, technological and administrative methods for adopting online learning, as well as the infrastructure that supports its access and delivery, had to adjust fast in response to the COVID-19 epidemic. While many people still struggle with access, large resources have been allocated and mechanisms built to connect students to course activities and materials, to enable communication between instructors and students, and to handle online learning administration. Paths for increased online education access and opportunity have now been built, and the next generation of online education adopters has a clear path before them.

0 Source: GreatLearning Blog