Online or E-Learning is a revolutionary aspect of modern education. Today, knowledge is no longer confined to the boundaries of schools, college and libraries—it has become all-pervading and easily accessible to everyone. The advent of electronics, computer science and information technology changes the way we learn and acquire knowledge. The online education sector is booming, and the global lockdown of 2020 only highlighted the numerous advantages e-learning offers.

But, is everything genuinely perfect in every sense?

Well, not really. Like most things in this universe, online learning, too, comes with its fair share of disadvantages. While not crippling, these limitations can be detrimental to the longevity and feasibility of online learning as a viable means of education.

In this article, we are going to look into the severe limitations of online learning that may be killing your educational gains.

1. Limited or lack of feedback

Classroom education delivered knowledge in a way that went beyond engaging the auditory and visual senses. We cannot deny the benefits of having a live human tutor guiding us through a particular concept or course. THIS is probably the most significant handicap of online learning.

• One-on-one and personal interactions are highly effective in resolving problems and clearing confusion. Personalized feedback and guidance often work wonders in helping students grasp something with impunity.
• E-learning does not offer the same kind of one to one assistance as most online courses are designed to dispense education across a general population.

Today, several online learning platforms provide education on numerous disciplines and academic levels through a plethora of informative way. However, one particular thing, which they all have in common, is ineffective or an utter lack of personalized guidance.

• The online and always accessible nature makes it impossible to offer constant personalized assistance as and when required. While an online essay writer can provide substantial guidance quickly, the same cannot be said for tutors offering econometric assignment help.

Peer feedback systems and video chats with tutors & professors are some viable solutions for this specific downside of online learning.

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2. The End of Conventional Education?

An article on The Washington Post paints a bleak future where standard classes have become minimal, and distance learning has become the norm. As authorities and institutions across the world realize the benefits of online learning, we may soon witness the significant disruption of institutional & conventional education and the dominance of its digital counterpart.

• Soon, you might have to take your classes and your examinations through online means. And a day might come when attending classes may not even be compulsory. The very institutions that offered academic & intellectual freedom, sharing of knowledge and promoted diverse methods of knowledge gathering will be in danger if students incline more towards online learning.
• While access to content will become inexpensive with the aid of online learning, research endeavors might begin to suffer if students start avoiding conventional education altogether.
• Schools, colleges and universities are offering more and more of their courses online today. The reduced costs, simple infrastructure and always-accessible features of e-learning are enabling them to obtain a quicker ROI.

Many institutions are realizing, that in the long run, going online will change a student’s capabilities of learning, and that change may not always be positive. Thus, several reputed institutes offer a blend of both classes to keep things perfectly balanced. Compulsory attendance and other academic events ensure that students do not underestimate the criticality of traditional education.

3. Social Isolation

Classes inculcated a sense of belonging, unity and fraternity amongst the learning minds. Online learning’s remote access features make it an utterly solitary learning process, if not completely isolating.

• Choosing online learning as your only path to knowledge has a high probability of leaving you socially isolated. You might be able to interact with your peers through online chatting and the like, but a virtual class can’t hold a candle to its real-life counterpart.
• Lack of human interaction and communication has the potential to wreak havoc on the human mind. While such detrimental effects will not occur when one is studying online, certain risks do come into the picture.
• The recent quarantine measures due to the Covid-19 pandemic made online studies compulsory. Such prolonged instances of isolated learning can make people mentally unhealthy and lead to disorders like anxiety, stress, negativity, etc.

As usual, a mix of both online and conventional learning is an excellent solution. If personal interactions are not possible, then interactive video sessions and group studies can break the monotony and keep things interesting.

4. Poor development of communication skills

Most online learning platforms offer pre-fabricated courses that do not require students to interact much. The lack of communication can lead to stunted development of essential communicative skills. Online learning courses dispense education excellently but often neglect to address the student-teacher communication.

• Inadequate chances of communication and human exchange can damage a student’s teamwork capabilities.
• Many students can find themselves fluent in their theoretical knowledge. But they may find themselves struggling to communicate that same knowledge verbally to others.

Here again, interactive sessions, frequent inter-communication between tutors & students and group activities amongst peers are the ideal solution to this disadvantage.

5. Hard to monitor

It isn’t easy to monitor a student’s progress online. At the same time, it is hard to ascertain if someone is resorting to dishonest practices while participating in online assessments.

• Online learning platforms, courses, and even programs offered by reputed institutions offer many different ways for students to evaluate their progress. However, just like their regular counterparts, such evaluations can’t reflect a student’s actual progress accurately.
• Any online course is prone to cheating and plagiarism. It is not possible to keep tabs on the activities of every individual. Despite many measures to prevent dishonest practices, a foolproof solution is yet to be found.
• Many online learning programs do not adhere to any standards and regulations. While they may be good sources of knowledge, certifications of such course rarely hold any value. Too many online courses will not land you a good job but might help you gather better knowledge.
• The lack of standardization and accreditation can be lead to low quality of course content and haphazard structure.

Online education comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. It is up to you how you intend to circumvent its limitations and utilize it to enhance yourself.

All the best!