Pros and Cons of eLearning in the Lower Mainland

In January's edition of Student Choice, there was one article discussing eLearning and how the teachers here at Mulgrave were coping with it. Now that we have taken a look at the strategies used here at Mulgrave, let’s take a look at some pros and cons of reverting to eLearning in the Lower Mainland.

Pros:

During the first stages of COVID-19, many schools struggled with the change from face-to-face to online learning. However, this form of learning has proved to be the most convenient option because it easily meets everyone’s needs. This doesn’t just apply to students in elementary, middle and high school, but to adults as well. Online learning has made it easier for people to manage their schedules. eLearning has therefore become favoured by many university students with full-time jobs.

A larger number of people have turned to eLearning for another reason -- money. The reason for the great price reduction in online as opposed to in-person learning is that the students are not paying for the use of facilities and some of the materials the school doesn’t provide, such as textbooks. Students are also not required to pay for transportation when their school is located in another city or state.

The last, and likely most important, benefit brought to students by eLearning is its effectiveness. Ever since online learning took place, the results and scores on tests and certifications have improved, a higher number of people have exceeded expectations, and students have been able to retain information for longer periods. Although some students have also had trouble adjusting to a less restrictive environment, a majority of students who previously had lower marks and grades have thrived in an online environment. Dishonesty plays the main role in this; some students are unable to focus on their work and instead turn to more enjoyable activities such as online gaming.

Cons:

The first and most obvious downside to online learning would be the change in the class curriculum. As mentioned before, during a previous Student Choice article, teachers were interviewed and asked what some of the biggest challenges were regarding online learning, and many of them responded with having to change their class’s curriculum to meet the online standards and capabilities. Looking further into this, many schools have faced the same challenges. Because of the change in curriculum, students are getting less information over longer periods, or teachers are required to find new ways to share an equal amount of information.

The lack of communication between the teachers and their class is another drawback of eLearning. ELearning has proven to be effective during these times, however, because of the lack of face-to-face communication between students, people tend to lose interest in the class. Although, Google Meets has since added a new feature designed to allow students to better collaborate through their devices called breakout rooms. This has helped, but communication remains an issue.

Lastly, the setting created by online learning provokes students to feel more comfortable with cheating. Because almost all of the tests and assessments are done on computers nowadays, people have more opportunities to cheat during tests. Teachers have tried to manage these issues by having everyone’s cameras turned on and facing directly at them, but this still doesn’t fully put a rest to the problem.

It is uncertain whether or not eLearning is benefitting our learning or hindering it. There are many different ways of looking at this situation, and everyone has their own opinions. So what do you think?