Do you remember when the government officially announced the Movement Control Order (MCO), and everyone was worried about how they were going to survive this? For some students, the MCO was a blessing in disguise. They were pretty happy when online classes took over because there is no need to experience the trouble of physically going to college anymore. Little did they know; their excitement was just momentary.
Communication is limited
Photo by Pikisuperstar from Freepik
When it comes to having consultations, it’s a must for students. They treated it like a gem, always going to the lecturers for clarifications on upcoming assignments. However, those moments did not last long, for when the MCO was implemented, students were now placed behind a screen. While experiencing ineffective face to face communication, some of them had trouble understanding certain subjects, especially those that focused more on practical work.
Distractions due to technology and surroundings
Nowadays, almost every student owns at least a smartphone. The difference between online classes and a physical classroom, is that during online classes, the students can use their phones whenever they want. But the downside of that is, it often only takes a single notification from their phones to get them distracted, causing an interruption in their learning flow. Now we know why phones weren’t allowed back in high school.
With just a smartphone drawing a person’s attention away easily, the next unexpected factor plays a role in distracting them subconsciously. Imagine a quiet classroom now turning into a hectic living room. And honestly, homes aren’t considered to be a friendly learning environment. With sound distractions from the television and conversations by family members that can affect the learning process, especially for those with shorter attention spans.
More susceptible to cheating
Remember what I said about being happy with online classes? That’s because there’s only minor control and supervision over the examinations. Students can cheat easily if the online security is weak and easily breachable. Dishonesty and cheating can cause unfairness in the performance of the students. In the long run, this may also be bad for the cheating students, because online classes are only temporary. Once everything goes back to normal, the educational institution will notice a huge drop in their performance. As they say, good things don’t last forever. Therefore, cheating will only give students temporary satisfaction.
Higher self-discipline and management is needed
Here comes the hardest part, students will be forced to learn how to manage themselves. Bad habits like procrastination and laziness are a lot more tempting to succumb to because of online classes. In a sense, students are not bound by ‘rules’, which gives them a little bit too much freedom. They have to constantly keep track of themselves, to ensure that they have the responsibility to not stray away from their responsibilities.
Looking at the brighter side, sometimes online classes are not all bad too. It made classes more affordable, accessible, and flexible for students. The plus side to this is that students don’t need to worry about what they need to wear. Many students do not need to carry heavy books to college because now all they need is a laptop and internet connection. Since classes are being held online, the cost is greatly reduced in terms of transportation and food. Most importantly, there are low opportunities for students to come up with excuses for them missing out on classes. As it can be seen, there is good and bad when it comes to online classes, but in the end it all comes down to your personal preferences. Happy Learning!
By: Arvinraj