
The education industry was hit hard by COVID-19 virus. There was a stop in all learning because in-person learning wasn’t supported any more to prevent circulation of the virus. This stopped things for a while until the reintroduction of online education as a way to combat that problem.
Online education was used in various countries and sanctioned by various governments for easy, accessible ways to learn. Online education has many advantages like portability, ease of access, no much need for physical infrastructure, lowered cost of education, greater flexibility.
With all these advantages comes it’s own disadvantages too. Online education has some problems facing it today. Some problems are worse than others. In a recent survey carried out, 57% of students that switched over to an online learning platform thought it was so boring, they lost concentration so much in classes and had to struggle to motivate themselves and pay attention.
Others prefer the methods used in the traditional educational system. There are some common problems facing the online educational system that can be adjusted, continue reading to see more.
1. NO MOTIVATION IN STUDENTS
Lack of physical activities and social interaction make students lose interest in online educational activities easily. Students complain of lacking motivation due to a lack of interpersonal touch between the students and the teacher in the online classes.
It was thought that the new method of teaching will encourage students to catch up. The flood of quizzes, assignments and so much more only discourage students and make them revisit the portal often. This doesn’t deliver interactive lessons to students.
2. PROBLEM OF INFRASTRUCTURE
Although online education does not require much infrastructure like buildings and big classrooms, chalks, practical rooms, sports field, it requires students to do as much research or even more than the traditional student would do. Also, the need for the internet, a good laptop and constant electricity is a huge demand.
Students sometimes lack the resources to acquire all this at the necessary times.In some developed nations, there are massive libraries free to all but in some developing nations, they find it difficult to afford educational materials and necessary materials needed for research.
3. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS AND DIGITAL ILLITERACY.
Although this generation can work with the internet, it doesn’t sum up to digital literacy. Most students find it hard to use various softwares. Understanding unique softwares and how to use it efficiently well when learning is stressful.
A bigger problem is with constant technical issues faced by both teachers and students on these platforms. These problems often require technical support to rectify, causing frequent disruption in the learning flow.
4. NO IN-PERSON INTERACTION
Humans are social beings, interacting with other people is the core base of our being. It also contributes greatly to the positive ways of learning. Reading with friends for example, having social interactions thar jog your memory helps you put your best foot forward.
The physical presence of teachers and students in a classroom cannot be copied in the virtual space. The physical means also ensures discipline that might not be easily achieved in the virtual space. physical classrooms help teachers understand how to work with each individual student independently.
5. ABUNDANT DISTRACTIONS; LACK OF DISCIPLINE.
A lot of distractions come your way when you are at home or anywhere else. House chores often come up when working and you need to meet up with them. Distraction in the form of family members, friends, noise, family obligation can come any students way. This causes reduction in activity, uncompleted work and so many more.
With recurrent technical issues, bandwidth problems and monotonous lectures, online attendance has seen a drastic dip. Most students see classes as very boring because there is no proper interaction between the students and tutors. Even tutors complain about lack of tools that promote interaction.
With the lack of any accountability in the online teaching method, education quality often becomes compromised. Coupled with the free use of mobile devices and laptops, distractions have become unavoidable as students can go from one app to the other instead of being focused. Even recent notifications can distract them.
As much as there are problems facing online education, every problem has it’s solutions. Make sure to choose the best online platform for you.