How Digital Learning Will Bridge the Gap Between Teachers and Learners?

As the impact of novel coronavirus continues to spread, schools and universities around the world are shut and a major chunk of them have shifted their curriculum to digital learning to curb any loss of learning. What remains a great inconvenience for many, the pandemic, has created a spike in demand for digital learning.

Online learning was already growing exponentially, and the situation further worked in favour of the sector.

How Did Digital Learning Popularise?

It is impossible to have great teachers everywhere. Also, the best teachers should not be restricted to certain institutes of the world. This is where e-learning plays a key role. It enables the students, in both rural and urban areas, to get access to the best learning resources while learning at their own pace. Penetration of smartphones and availability to affordable data packs is further making online learning resources ubiquitous. A lot of learning is already happening on the internet and with the government’s push we can expect it to grow to exponential levels. While traditional learning remains critical for student growth, educators are increasingly leveraging the benefits of e-learning initiatives to bridge the gap between them and learners, what classroom learning can’t.

The Google- KPMG study that estimated that India's online education market would be worth around $2 billion in 2021, with the number of paying users rising to 9.6 million, perhaps need significant revision, owing to the pandemic outbreak.

How’s Online Learning Helping Students?

1. Dual-purpose Approach

Problem-solving: As physical school infrastructure isn’t accessible,digital learning is helping to continue the course and instruction as usual.The virtual classroom environment that schools and universities have implemented, is nothing short of benefits that traditional classrooms deliver.

Practical supplementation: Incorporation of emerging technologies such as augmented and virtual reality is helping educators to integrate real-world experiences to provide deeper and concrete learning to students while they remain at home.

2. Lectures Can be Accessed Any Numbers of Time

Unlike the classroom learning, the lectures in digital learning can be accessed multiple times. Even the live lectures are uploaded in the recorded version on the student portal. This is especially helpful at the time of revision when preparing for an assignment.

3. Learning at own pace

Learners get to learn at their own pace with flexible class timings & course content available online for revision.

4. Broader perspective on subjects

Students have opportunity to access global content available online giving broader perspective on different subjects. Also one gets to learn from world class teachers across the globe because of the easy virtual accessibility.

5. Consistency

Digital learning enables teachers to deliver the lessons in a consistent way, ensuring a higher degree of coverage. This ensures that all learners receive the same type of learning with this learning mode.

Ms. Kiran Dham, CEO, Globus Infocom

6. Reduced Learning Time

As compared to classroom teaching method, online learning has relatively quick delivery cycles. This is because lessons start quickly and also wrapped up in a single learning session. Learners can easily interact with the educator and solve the queries via different communication platforms (chat, raise hand, message box) available in the virtual platform.

Summing It All Up

During the pandemic crisis, many online education sites have liberalised their norms to help students keep going amidst this tense situation. It is not only helping students gain more knowledge but also, online exercise games are helping them stay active indoors.

Though the situation remains uncertain and it cannot be stated as to when the situation returns to normalcy, one thing is certain that the situation will prepare the world to develop the ability to switch to online mode as when required.