Hi there. In this education post, I would like to highlight weaknesses of online learning. As much I do like technological innovations and even online learning itself, there are weaknesses with online learning. Online learning does offer convenience and reach to a larger student/customer base but there are noticeable weaknesses that I highlight in this post.
Learning Curve For Teachers & Students
As a lot of learning is done online still, it is important for educators and students to be able to use technology. Teachers and educators who are not great with technology and teaching in an online environment will find it difficult in communicating ideas and information to their students. Students who are not great with technology will find learning more difficult than in the classroom.
Technologies in the education setting include typing software for documents, slideshow programs and internet browsers. Those who are good with using the computer mouse, webcam and with typing should do well in the online learning environment.
Managing Many Students On One Screen
In the online learning setting teachers can see their students on multiple windows on a single screen. Some more tech savvy teachers may have a second screen but I think this is unlikely. There may be students who may not show themselves on webcam. It could be audio only. With this scenario, the teacher/educator may not know if students are listening or are understanding the material. Combining this with a potentially fast or confusing teaching style, students can get lost easily.
Lack Of Hands On (Tactile) Learning
I do think a lot of learning and information transfer will be mostly online. However I do think that hands on learning is still important and is here to stay. We do need education for future chefs, manufacturers, engineers, welders, plumbers, electricians, artists, architects, martial artists and the like.
Online learning is not great for courses and careers that involve hands-on learning and interacting with people. I would not recommend to learn cooking, sports and martial arts online as hands on practice is needed. Online courses are mostly related to more theoretical subjects that require just pen and paper such as mathematics, economics, literature, business, finance. Computer programming does require a computer/laptop with enough CPU power as a part of learning requirements with the courses being mostly online.
