In a world full of technological novelties, e-learning is becoming more and more crucial. A few years ago, people were not trusting online platforms and were only able to mention their disadvantages.
Nowadays, we see a lot of people doing e-learning and even comparing it with offline studying. When we dig deep, we can highlight both advantages and disadvantages and even bring some statistics to see what is preferable.
Teachers and students now give their choice to online learning platforms, which makes them more productive and flexible. Looking through the advantages and disadvantages, we can say that online learning benefits are dominating. We have highlighted seven benefits of online learning and how they affect our lifestyle.
The following article covers:
Some statistics about the e-learning industry
Advantages & Disadvantages of e-learning
What is e-learning?
In a world full of technological novelties, e-learning is crucial for self-development. E-learning stands for electronic learning or online learning and can be introduced as an easy and fast way to gain knowledge. There is no need to carry heavy books or articles and allocate time to attend certain classes because you can take your digital library wherever you go.
When we retrospect our childhood and school years, I am sure the saddest part is carrying heavy bags full of books and copybooks. If we analyze the situation from a medical viewpoint, it can cause many health issues.
Nowadays, children have a lot of opportunities to learn and grow without heavy bags and bent spines. Technological novelties bring lots of innovations that make us more productive. We can save a lot of time, have better day management, and spend our time more effectively. You only need a wish and motivation to start.
E-learning is a huge package that includes innovative ideas to your heart’s content, solutions to our daily problems, and benefits. When you start exploring the e-learning platforms, opportunities that they suggest, and solutions that they give, you automatically want to be part of that.
Endless sources, e-libraries, online courses, everything you need to make your learning process easier and more productive. The only risk with continuous learning can be the lack of appropriate motivation.
When you attend offline classes and surround yourself with many people, it is way easier to get motivated. People who share the same goals with you and the same interests can be a huge source of motivation for you. When sitting alone with your phone, the most important thing you need is motivation.
A few years ago, people were not open to the idea of digitalization, and online classes and training were not serious for many people. After Covid 19 and the pandemic period, when people could not communicate offline, online platforms were more than welcome. They helped people gather to organize their education and work, despite many obstacles and health issues. Online platforms became more popular from that time, and now they are more usable.
E-learning can seem horrible for those people who can’t imagine their life without communication. Some teachers still don’t accept online teaching, just because they are used to offline communication. But after using online platforms for some time, they will surely give their choice to online teaching.
E-learning makes teachers more concentrated on each student. They check their homework individually and can have private calls with them if one of the students needs an explanation of the topic for the second time. Teachers spend a bit more time because they become available all day long and can receive messages and calls all day. But actually, they get better results, and their bond with their students becomes tighter. So, we can proudly say that e-learning is beneficial both for students and teachers.
Some statistics about the e-learning industry
The information mentioned above can be more accurate if presented via numbers. Some statistics have been conducted, and they show the effectiveness of e-learning. 48% of graduated and undergraduate people consider online learning as effective as face-to-face learning. 37% considered e-learning better than offline education. 42 % of graduated people compared to 30 % of undergraduates preferred online learning to face-to-face learning. Students can get 25 % to 60 % of the information when learning online.
Considering statistics, we can notice that people have started to appreciate the e-learning process. Some don’t trust that process yet, but e-learning will likely dominate after a year or two. People who have already graduated choose online learning because they see how easy the teaching process can be. You don’t allocate a lot of time and effort; you don’t have to put your family or personal needs on one side and sit in the classroom and organize the teaching process. Now you can multitask because the digital world gives you a lot of opportunities.
Statistics also show that students get more information from e-learning than offline. Online education gives an opportunity to be in touch with the teacher all day long. If students have some questions or uncovered topics, they can have an individual call or lesson with the teacher. Teachers are always available, and you are free to call or message them during the day. Also, e-learning is effective because teachers can check assignments individually, or retake classes with students, and in the end, they get better results.
Advantages & Disadvantages of e-learning
Nothing can be absolutely positive or negative for someone. Each existing thing has its advantages and disadvantages. Today, we are mainly concentrated on e-learning. We will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of online education and see which one dominates.
Offline life is always more appealing and warmer because you communicate with people and exchange looks, smiles, and feelings. It is way easier to work or teach something when you are surrounded by people who share the same interests or thoughts with you. It becomes hard to concentrate when you are sitting alone, and the only thing you have is your phone. You must have a huge source of motivation and should be organized enough to benefit from online education.
E-learning can become a source of isolation. You are getting used to doing everything alone, in a quiet atmosphere, and solitude step by step becomes your best friend. Teachers for example are becoming used to working alone, building some strategies alone, and getting a more substantive working style. It is a drastic change in their working style and teaching methods. Teachers are also used to working with paper books, checking copy books, and keeping eye contact with students. It is a bit strange switching into ebooks, checking the results of quizzes, or sharing pdf files with students. After a while maybe this working style will be comfortable for them and become their favorite.
One more disadvantage of e-learning is the disability of managing screen time. Many people now try to manage the time they spend on social media or just using gadgets. Online learning is only possible via technologies because we take our eBooks with us or learning apps, and digital copybooks. Everything that helps us organize our learning/teaching process is connected to phones or computers.
Even if you have the will, you will not be able to decrease your screen time. Teachers always advise decreasing screen time, and they don’t have a positive attitude towards the digital world. Organizing classes online, both teachers and students have to spend a bit more time with their phones and gadgets, than they usually did.
When we have disadvantages, advantages can not be missed or ignored. The first and most crucial advantage of e-learning is flexibility. You can freely organize your teaching process wherever and whenever you want. Teachers get some freedom to schedule their classes and try different working styles, to analyze which one is more preferable and motivational for their students.
E-learning is more beneficial for teachers than offline teaching. Online learning demands just a computer or phone, and you can have your class no matter where you are. When you organize offline classes a lot of resources are needed, to have a pleasant studying process and good results. Also, e-learning gives teachers wider opportunities. They can take different courses and currently update their knowledge. They can organize masterclasses and workshops with foreign students. Distance is nothing when you have the will and enough time to enter a foreign market.
7 benefits of e-learning for teacher
#1 More time
Offline learning can seem appealing and more effective, but we spend extra time and effort to organize the process thoroughly. One thing about online learning that we can highlight is time management. We save a lot of time and resources by managing our learning/teaching process online. Teachers get some extra time to examine each student individually. They keep in touch all day long, and teachers can have additional lessons with students. Some time can also be allocated to organize online pieces of training and workshops.
#2 Flexibility
E-learning allows agile and flexible management. You don't have to provide your physical attendance or mess up your work and study hours. E-learning gives youthe opportunity to take your classes wherever you go. You don't have to cancel your classes because of traffic or inconvenient situations. Teachers also have the freedom to schedule their classes without worrying that classrooms may not be available, or students will have another activity.
Online platforms also suggest some quizzes check students' knowledge, or share some materials with them immediately. This makes the teaching process more productive and easy. Teachers save a lot of time because they don’t spend time on printing or preparing materials, online platforms provide all that staff.
#3 More engaging classes
E-learning provides more engaging classes and makes students actively involved in everyday practices. During offline courses, students can not attend or not actively participate. Online courses make the bond between teachers and students tighter. Teachers show an individual approach to each student, check their assignments, and explain details. In this case, students are always at the center of the teacher's attention. They are more involved in classes, discussions, and the whole teaching process.
Enough engagement also raises students' interest, makes them actively participate in classes, and be more productive. In the end, teachers get better results. They see the result of their work and get the motivation to move forward.
#4 Opportunity to grow skills
One of the most important aspects of e-learning is the opportunity to grow multiple skills. Teachers mainly spend their day at school, they stay after classes to check homework or organize workshops or training. They spend their day educating students, or solving their problems, and don't have spare time for their needs.
E-learning gives them the opportunity to multitask. Teachers save time and effort organizing classes online and have opportunities to develop their skills also. The world is changing so fast, and they need to update their knowledge from time to time. They can organize both their teaching process and training for their personal needs.
#5 Going global and making more money
When people learn something or get a new occupation, their main goal is to be a good professional in the foreign market. They do their best to have qualifications that foreign employees will accept. Some years ago, becoming an international professional was only possible when people visited other countries and got an education there.
Nowadays it is much easier and simple. The Internet suggests endless sources to improve yourself, and enter a foreign market. Teachers have the opportunity to teach students living miles away. They just need good language skills and professionalism to go global and make more money.
#6 Receiving feedback
The most important part of each working process is receiving feedback. Feedback helps you to notice your mistakes, to improve them, and always keep in touch with students, or customers, depending on what you are doing. E-learning platforms have live chats, where you can ask your questions immediately, and get quick answers.
Teachers also give you the opportunity to send them your questions or suggestions directly from the site, or app that you are using. Feedback helps teachers to improve their working style. They get a better understanding of students' needs and arrange a more useful teaching process.
#7 Customer loyalty
Schools or universities not only give us knowledge and skills but also professors who change our life or have a huge impact on us. Online classes make the bond between students and teachers tighter. Students have the opportunity to keep in touch with their teachers all day long and break the tension that they could have during offline classes.
Online platforms also keep students’ details and notify them about novelties, or current events. They are able to always follow their students and don’t lose contact with them. This system automatically provides loyal customers and continuous relations.
Sum up
Summing all these up, we can proudly say that e-learning is becoming more and more popular among teachers and students. People started to change their opinion and attitude toward online platforms. During Covid 19, when people had no other choice than to learn and study online, e-learning started to dominate. They understood that this kind of platform could actually be easy to use, trustworthy, and time-saving.
E-learning has its advantages and disadvantages, but advantages indeed dominate. Disadvantages can be noticed by those who are extroverts, who love offline communication and can't imagine working or studying via cold screens. If we speak about advantages, a lot of stuff can be mentioned. The most important benefits are flexibility, more engaging classes, the opportunity to grow skills, and going global.
E-learning also makes the bond between students and teachers tighter. Teachers become more concentrated on students, check their homework individually, and have extra classes with them. The E-learning process, all in all, makes the teaching process more productive․
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