E – learning: is it beneficial for all.

Now a days we are totally surrounded by technologies. Technologies has become an integral part of our lives and due to which our dependency on it increasing day by day. From waking up by using alarms to doing office work, doing assignments, playing games and many more day to day tasks, we are totally depend on technology.

E – learning also becoming very popular these days. E- learning is the delivery of any kind of knowledge (subjective knowledge or training) through digital platform. In this time of pandemic, E- learning proves very helpful for us. We can easily sit at their homes and attend their lecture, training etc. But this also led to difficulty to so many students as some students don’t have computer and laptop and some don’t have proper internet connection. So apart from the advantages of E-learning, it has some disadvantages too. It is boon for some whereas may be bain for others. So it is necessary to understand both the advantages and disadvantages of E-learning.

ADVANTAGES OF E-LEARNING

1. FLEXIBILITY OF TIME- In E-learning we can easily sit at home and attend the lessons whenever we have time according to our comfortablility. We need not to go anywhere and attend lectures on time. It is also beneficial for those also who are doing job or attend some other class along with online lectures.
2. SAVES MONEY- Online classes are cheaper than regular online classes. We can also save travelling money and time.
3. LEARN AT OUR OWN PACE – Some students can’t pay attention to longer time and can’t able to understand in one time and if they take classes in some regular institute so there is a fix time in which you have to pay attention and understand the particular topic at the teachers pace. But in E-learning we have videos so we can watch it and can learn at our own pace whenever we feel comfortable. Apart from that some students like to learn at day time, some at the morning or night time. So online learning give them flexibility to learn in their individual style.
4. LESS JUDGEMENTAL- Some students feel embarrassed to ask questions or doubts in front of the whole class but in online learning they are anonymous so there is no feeling of being judged and they can confidently ask their doubts.
5. ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY- E-learning saves tons of paper and textbooks and we know manufacturing of paper leads to cutting down of lots of trees, so it is cost efficient and saves our environment too.

DISADVANTAGES OF E-LEARNING

1. NO FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTION- Face-to-face interaction leads to better understanding of the topic. Teacher can motivate students to perform better. Teachers can personally give them feedback which encourage them to improve but in E-learning students lack such feedbacks. They can only ask done doubts only and there is no personalized feedback. There is no face-to-face interaction so teacher is unable to understand whether the students getting the topic or not.
2. NO SOCIAL INTERACTION- Learning is not only what we are studying or acquiring. It includes what we are learning through our peers, environment etc. In E-learning students get no opportunity to interact with anyone which limits their learning to knowledge which is being transmitted. In this they don’t have someone to talk, share their weaknesses, encourage them. There is no external motivation, so it sometimes leads to anxiety, isolation and depression.
3. LIMITED TO SOME DISCIPLINE- It is good for subjects such as arts and humanities and other disciplines in which we have to do theory, but E-learning is not convinient for those subjects which include practicals. As practicals require proper setup which is nearly impossible in online classes.
4. NO DIRECT ASSESSMENT- In online learning, assessments are taken indirectly, so there is higher chances of cheating and copying. So the real knowledge of the child cannot be assessed through this method.
5. INACCESSIBLE TO SOME PEOPLE- Some people lack laptop, Android phone or Computer and some lack good internet so they are access this , so it is limited to only those people who can afford these technology.

So if I conclude E-learning as both advantage and disadvantage, it can prove boon for some people and bain for others. So whether we have to learn online or in regular institute, it totally depends on what our need is. It is necessary not to generalize one method of learning to everyone. People should be given opportunity to choose in which way they are comfortable in learning. The more ways we are finding to impart knowledge, the more people we are including to learn.