Online Class in the new Genre, is making so much noise. Every household, rich and poor is well aware of these Online Classes. Imagine a situation, where online classes were non-existent and the students were only meant to play? Yes, it is a messy situation and equally, troublesome for parents to bring control in these children and also educate them.
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It is after the Covid-19 Pandemic that the online classes got an extra push. Not that it wasn’t existent, well it was existing much before the Covid-19 Pandemic where few of these educative Apps created a buzz like Byju's and Vedantu for example. Where these Apps try to fill the gaps in education by providing online tutorials even today by taking these educative Apps on a storm. Each household nowadays sees children glued to their computer, laptop, tabs, mobile phones attending Online Classes making them "kind of Tech Savvy!".
This article is based on a small survey, wherein I took the opportunity to speak to students, teachers, and parents to gather more information to find out whether these Online Classes are effective in providing the required information and knowledge to the students of this generation.
It’s been close to a year, the virtual world in the field of education is trying to be more perfect and effective by trying to fill the gaps in education. By doing so, it has created a lot of pressure for teachers, students, and parents, and in some cases for Grand Parents too! Since providing education to children is the main priority, it even saw poorer parents taking up loans to buy a smartphone for their children. Parents had a hard time initially making their children get used to these Online Classes. Parents became more aware of what was being taught in these Online Classes and how to better it.
These online classes, according to my survey has more flaws, when compared to the normal classroom set up.
Discipline
Students lack discipline during Online Classes, they sounded too lethargic or less interested. They simply say "yes" to everything even if they don’t understand a word. It is also reported that students just keep the camera "On" and move around. The students also speak during the teaching sessions even before the teacher stops speaking.
Punctuality
There are reports that students don’t log in on time to the scheduled classes. Some students do forget schedule timing and some students wanting not to attend these classes, and teachers are helpless on how to make students attend these classes. They call the parents and make these students attend, but it doesn’t happen always, since some students don’t listen to their parents either.
Technical Issues
Students complain about "Ma’am I can’t hear you, Ma’am, Ma’am I can’t see you Ma’am" is very common. And, teachers asking the students to listen carefully and fix the camera properly is also commonly noted. There is also a bad network. So, online classes come with a lot of "Systemic Technical Issues!"
Lack of Grooming
I have seen students just sit for their Online Classes with their home-wear clothes, more often "not so decent clothing". Even if they are to wear a uniform, they are not uniformly dressed from top to bottom. While they go to school or college they are well dressed from top to bottom when compared to being on the Online Classes.
There is a lot of distractibility in the house while the online classes are on. If there are pets at home the students are even more distracted. A few students admitted to watching movies or playing video games during these classes. This distraction brings down the attention span and students lack learning. The normal classroom session at schools/colleges has a conducive atmosphere for learning.
Lack of In-Depth Learning
Students lack in-depth learning. First, depending on their interest they do not pay attention to all the classes properly. And even if they do, they only do to finish their assignment. Moreover, when all information comes handy, students do not give much insight into a particular subject and there is less thinking and work they give to their brains.
Lack of Sympathetic and Empathetic Learning
The relationship between a teacher and a student is somewhere lost during these Online Classes. There has always been a Sympathetic and Empathetic understanding between a teacher and students. A teacher used to understand students better than their parents most of the time. Teachers used to give more focus on students who required extra help in their studies. The Teachers also understood the students' emotions too. This understanding and focus cannot be given completely during these online classes.
Lack of Focus on Slow Learners
Since the Online Class comes with a "set time frame". The time required to give more focus towards Slow Learners or underperformers is lost. These Slow Learners could have faired much better, giving them time and extra focus.
Health Issues
Many students complain about eye pain, eye-burning, etc, and also back pain and neck pain due to sitting for long hours during Online Classes. It is also medically proven that the lights emitted from the computer or mobile phones are not good for the eyes.
Missing School/College Atmosphere
Every Student misses his/her school or college. The atmosphere such as the playground, fun learning activities, friends, campus, canteen, lunchtime, etc. Even being an adult and after moving out of the campus, we cherish those days. We all miss the ambience and energy the campus had. Unfortunately, it is a pity, that these students don’t have that kind of atmosphere due to this pandemic.
In spite of many of these issues, there are also students who completely enjoy their online classes.
I may have listed only the flaws of Online Classes, but we shouldn’t forget that these classes have kept the education system afloat. Some Online Classes make the students involved in fun creating activities. Still, Online Classes are finding ways to make classes interesting to students.
Let’s hope the normalcy bounce back and the students have the same energy and enthusiasm to attend school/college that they had before the pandemic as soon as possible, and the quality of the education system improvise.
Let’s keep studying now and even after!
Author: Smt. Krithika A M, MSW
The author runs a training center that trains students and professionals in communicating at various levels. She trains students to crack competitive examinations and present themselves better. She trains students to get jobs by training them in interview skills. She fine-tunes the communication skills to present themselves better for good sales and marketing professionals. The training center also teaches corporate ethics.{alertInfo}
