Computer-based or an online education is the entire rave these days. From massive open online courses (MOOCs) like those offered by Coursera and Udacity to free online classes on edX and other platforms, it seems like computer-based learning is taking over traditional in-classroom learning. But should this be the case? Is online learning truly better than traditional education?
Lets Discuss:
Students don’t get to interact with their teachers as much
Education is a process of sharing information, ideas, and experiences. The more people you talk to, the more you learn. But when we’re all learning online, how do we get to interact with our teachers as much?
A study by the University of California Riverside found that students who only used computers for their coursework had lower grades than those who used computers for homework only. This is because when you learn online, you don’t get to see your teacher’s face or interact with them in real time. You can’t ask them questions or get feedback on your work in progress—you have to submit it and wait for your grade. And while it’s great that there are so many resources available online these days, there’s something to be said for having someone watch over your shoulder while you learn new skills.
Learning online can be lonely.
The Problem with Computer-based Education and Online learning is that it can be a lonely experience, and it’s not just because you’re sitting in front of your computer alone. Sure, some advantages come with learning at your own pace and on your own time. But there’s something important missing from this kind of education: community. When we get together with friends, family, and colleagues to learn something new or share ideas, we’re more likely to retain what we’ve learned and apply it in real-life scenarios.
In the 21st century, our lives are becoming increasingly digital — from shopping online to socializing via Facebook or Twitter. And while technology has made it easier for us to connect with people worldwide, it has isolated us from our local communities more than ever before.
Sometimes students aren’t able to access the right documents.
Computer-based education is great because it allows students to study anywhere at any time. Still, if they don’t have access to the necessary resources, they won’t be able to learn effectively. One of the biggest problems with computer-based education is that students aren’t always able to log in and access the right documents, which can be frustrating. Although these issues can be frustrating, they’re not insurmountable. Most schools have resources available to help you find solutions when you need them.
It isn’t always easier to write papers without a teacher’s help.
When students started using computers to do their homework, it seemed a great way to save time. After all, it’s much faster to type up an essay than it is to write one out by hand. However, when it comes time for grading, teachers don’t just look at the text of your paper—they also look at the structure of your work and how you’ve put together your arguments. The structure of your essay is just as important as its content!
For example: If you’re trying to argue that cats are better than dogs and you start by saying, “Cats are better than dogs,” then there’s no way I can give you full credit for that part of your argument. It doesn’t matter how much research you did or how many facts about cats and dogs you put into your paper; if all you did was tell me what to think about them both and didn’t explain why one is better than the other, then I can only give you partial credit for that part of your paper (and probably none for any other part).
There are distractions online that make learning harder.
Another problem with online learning is that it can be distracting. These distractions make learning harder and less effective. One of the biggest distractions is social media. When students are online, they have access to social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat—and they may be tempted to spend time on these sites instead of focusing on their work. Another distraction is video games or other forms of entertainment on the Internet. This can make it hard for students to focus on studying or doing homework without being distracted by other games or apps that are interesting and fun to play but take away from studying time.
Not enough feedback from their teachers
One of the major problems with computer-based education is that students do not always receive enough feedback from their teachers about how well they’re doing in class or what areas need improvement before moving on to new content or lessons, which can lead to a lack of motivation towards completing assignments because they don’t feel like they’re progressing at all within a course which makes them feel like they’re wasting their time so they might as well just quit altogether because nothing is working for them.
This can be especially true for younger students who may not be able to articulate what’s going on in their heads or why they feel this way. Still, teachers need to try and get a sense of what students are feeling to help them move forward positively within the course structure instead of pushing them away entirely, which would defeat the purpose of having an online learning experience altogether!
Technical problems
If you’re trying to learn computer programming or coding online, you might be frustrated with the trouble that can come from using a computer-based learning platform. You might encounter problems like slow load times and long loading screens or even trouble getting into your account. These problems can significantly affect your learning ability, especially if they happen often enough.
For example, if you’re trying to learn how to program in Python, and every time you try to enter a code block or write some code on an online platform, it takes 30 seconds for the screen to load—that’s 30 seconds of wasted time. If this happens every time you try something new or want to do something else on the platform, it will make learning more difficult because it takes longer than necessary for each step of learning—and that means less time spent learning.
