Don’t you feel great about taking classes in your PJs? While most of us talk about how online courses removed geographical barriers and brought the entire world to our fingertips, it is no news that with them came the forever-rising cases of physical and mental health issues!
With technology becoming stronger than ever, we gain more knowledge from our phones than from textbooks. But is that always rewarding? Or have we been walking toward a future that brings fatal consequences?
Let’s understand the positive and negative impact of online class on academic success.
Positive Effect of Online Classes on Academic Performance
How many of you sat with the textbook open for hours before you started paying attention? How often did you tell your mom about that terrible headache or stomachache so you could skip school? While these excuses might seem age-old, before technology started dominating the world of education, we all would resort to these excuses!
However, virtual classes changed the scenario and student performance. How? Here’s the impact of online learning on students’ performance:
Time Flexibility
Don’t feel like waking up early in the morning to do your class? No worries; you can complete the assignments any time you wish. Waking up at 6 just to pack your bags and head toward the school is a thing of the past that no one even remotely remembers because now they can study remotely, and that too when they feel like it, and in the online learning environment, they can vibe in.
But that’s not all. You can also take a part-time job, enroll in multiple courses simultaneously, and travel around the world! You see, you are not chained by time to gain knowledge; education is now timeless!
Interactive Lessons
The engaging and interactive lessons, coupled with pre-recorded videos, make learning fun for students, which boosts students’ academic performance in online classes. Students do not feel distant. Students no longer dream of a land where learning math is actually fun; they genuinely enjoy solving math because the animated videos in online learning platforms make it easier to understand how x-1=7!
No wonder, a study found that 68% of students found online classes and education technology better than in-person learning. And we are not even kidding!
Unlimited Resources
While we all spent hours in the library and sometimes got frustrated when some other student would lend the book before us, with digital libraries on the rise, this search ended. Now you can access books from all across the world and store them for the rest of your life because they are free. Furthermore, with Perplexity AI, you can now research better as you will find the direct answer to your question and links to unlimited articles written on that topic, cited within the answer.
No More Broke Days!
If you have enrolled in an online class, you know very well that getting a degree is as low as getting a Netflix subscription ($299.88/ year), and Cengage Unlimited is $ 229.99. Thus, you can occasionally go out with friends to party while saving up some money! Also, there is no travel cost. Therefore, you can even buy expensive clothes while enjoying a virtual classroom experience. You can even invest the money in real estate or maybe choose the best online class help service to ensure you get nothing less than top grades.
As Vision says in Captain America: Civil War, “Our very strength invites challenge.”
In the same way, the online class effectiveness—the flexibility, the resources, the freedom—also brings its own challenges. After all, life is like Oppenheimer: we move toward the path that takes us down!
Let’s take a closer look at the other side of the student’s story: Challenges of Online Education.
Negative Impacts of Online Learning on Academic Success
Remember when you would simply run toward the door because the bell rang, and you couldn’t wait to catch up with your friends? Yeah, those days are now just a distant memory!
No John Keating to Help & Inspire!
Honestly, not having a teacher around at all makes it even scarier. Though we all might not be lucky to have a John Keating, not having anyone to rely on makes it more challenging to understand concepts. You can still ask for help online with instructor-led classes, but they cannot even properly help you because they can’t understand you. So, not having direct communication with the teacher can easily be marked as one of the biggest challenges of online classes.
Academic Integrity is at Stake!
Did you copy-paste the assignment from ChatGPT or genuinely sit down and write 4000 words? While some use AI to research and learn complex subjects, most copy and paste answers directly or even use AI to write case studies, assignments, and other projects because they either have less time or limited knowledge. The worst part is that this affects not only academic honesty but also skills. These days, students have no thinking, writing, research, or time management skills.
Not All Are Tech-Savvy Here!
Online classes are led by technology, and students who are not so confident with technology miss the chance to be the best in the class. After all, in online classes, everything is technology-based. From exploring LMSs and learning from digital resources to typing out the equations, you must be technologically up-to-date to advance in your career!
No Real-Life Experience
The resources might be unlimited, but you can never experience what an actual chemistry lab or fitness class is! Students might have much to read but not much hands-on experience. However, in real life and to advance in a career, one must use critical-thinking skills and hands-on experience. So, obviously, students pursuing STEM subjects miss a lot. And no learning management systems like zyBooks or MyITLab Excel grader project can actually teach that.
No Friends, No Fun
While online learning is a blessing for introverts, it is a punishment for those who love classroom banters. You can no longer exchange glances with your best friend if the person you both hate just walks into the class. And this actually increased the cases of depression and isolation. You can no longer share your favorite meal and not even go out to a party with the excuse of late-night study with friends. Some surveys even state that the impact on students’ participation and engagement is not increasing. Furthermore, students’ attention and retention powers have also decreased.
But the negative does not end here!
With these, you even get strained eyes because of screen time, physiological & mental issues because of long sitting and no outdoor activities, and face Vitamin C & D deficiency. And don’t even get us started on classroom ethics, because teachers have even said some students do not wear proper clothes during online classes.
How to Boost Academic Performance & Improve Online Learning Experience?
Well, to improve the positive impact of learning online, students and teachers must work together. Here are a few tips to reduce the negative effects of online learning on student performance:
1. Encourage Active Participation and Community Building: Many students reported that the limited or lack of personal interaction with instructors frustrates them. So, teachers must sometimes use different pedagogical methods and arrange virtual meet-ups and AMA for engaging learners more.
2. Establish Clear Routines and Time Management: Every student needs to practice time management skills. They must also have set goals, a proper routine, and a set learning environment.
3. Use Interactive and Engaging Content: Online teaching and learning platforms make e-learning interactive. Using online learning platforms can help improve academic achievement while improving engagement.
4. Provide Access to Academic Support: The impact of online learning led by instructors has proven more effective. Thus, higher institutions must move to instructor-led distance education rather than LMSs, which creates a sense of belonging and helps them.
5. Promote Health and Wellbeing: Great learning opportunities come with hours of sitting in the same place, so students struggle with physical problems. If you do not wish to suffer, get up and exercise. Also, take a break and use the 20-20-20 rule to care for your eyes.
6. Support Academic Integrity: The use of online learning methods and tools must be for research purposes only. Educators must also use plagiarism and AI detection technology tools to maintain academic integrity.
7. Address Technology Gaps: You must have a reliable internet connection because proper internet connectivity is essential. Instructors must provide tutorials and technical support to students unfamiliar with online platforms.
Parting Thought on Online Education
The impact of online class on academic success is still under scrutiny. However, no one can completely disregard the fact that artificial intelligence or technology has changed the face of education. We do not feel obligated to sit and learn like teachers want, but we can actually read at our own pace. Furthermore, enrolling in universities far from home, which once seemed like a distant dream, is now possible. Therefore, we must ensure that students’ use of technology responsibly is essential because, as Uncle Ben said, “With great power comes great responsibility.”