INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & MANAGEMENT NAME: DIPAN MUKHERJEE ENROLLMENT NUMBER: 12021002003101 SECTION: H1 ROLL NUMBER: 04 STREAM: ECE Challenges of Online Teaching-Learning Process DIPAN MUKHERJEE Department of Basic Science & Humanities Institute of Engineering & Management,IEM Kolkata ABSTRACT:The sheer number of courses and subject to choose from with the added benefit of not compulsory to have a related academic background has made online learning a very popular choice. Its widespread reach to people of all kinds is one of the important driving factors for its acceptability. But it can be hard for a distinguishably large group of people. The teaching style is often aimed at the large number of students and might be unsuitable for individuals who might need a more focused and tailored approach. It can be both fairly easy and hard to learn online. However, this is one side of the story. The other side includes the teaching process itself. A lot of things have to be kept in mind for one to propagate the seed of knowledge via the online medium to the student. Just like many things in life, online teaching and learning also come with their unique advantages and drawbacks. Technology and its understanding can itself be a big deciding factor for the overall experience. This paper aims to shed light on both sides of the process and of possible problems and their solutions for a better experience. Keywords:- approach, knowledge, acceptability, drawbacks. INTRODUCTION:The internet has made the world a smaller place. Everything is now connected to each other and information exchange has never before been easier. Everything can be done over the internet. From lab simulations to entertainment streaming,most of the thingsare possible on the modern household pc with the aid of the connectivity of internet andthis huge connectivity is responsible for changing a lot of things.However, the biggest change without doubt has been to the education scenario. Its popularity has sky rocketed at an unprecedented rate compared to any other industry in the world due to the internet. Even half a decade back, online education was something that people have not heard about but nowadays it’s rare to find people who do not understand the term. A lot of students use online learning as a tool to aid their education while for many it’s the only source of knowledge. This is exceptionally true for school students. Also, it depends upon the teacher to make the online learning more or less interactive compared to a physical classroom interaction.Often it is misunderstood that online learning is only the process of watching tutorials and giving exams through the digital method and completing the course. It consists of things more than that. Online simulations that allow one to simulate lab experiments virtually are also a part of the online learning process.It also allows people to access resources that in may not be abundant or readily available to them by normal non-digital means. Rather it can be said that a lot of subjects can be taught better to students using online learning videos. Another thing that people overlook is a majority of college students use different online learning platforms to study. Also, the event of novel coronavirus or known by the its popular name COVID-19 has forced the schools and educational institutions to close down. To combat this problem and continue the process of teaching and learning, both the students and teachers have moved to the online form of learning and teaching. ASPECTS OF ONLINE EDUCATION:Online learning is dependent on many factors. Most fundamentally on the fact that the student needs a device to be able to connect to the internet and a course from which he can learn accurately and reliably. Focusing on the Indian example, a report from ‘India Today’ in which survey conducted by ‘Learning Spiral’, one of the leading online examination solutions providers, shows that across India on an average of only 27% of the total population of India has access to the internet while even in it, a little less than half (47%) own a computer device and that includes smartphones as well. In simpler terms about 1/4 th of the student population of India has access to the internet. But this is not the only factor. The fact that many parts of the country till date have not been able to develop a reliable and continuous source of electricity also further decreases the number of students who would use online learning. The frequent outage of electricity limits the use of the electrical device and internet connections as both are heavily depended on the availability of electricity. An average middle class man in India earns about ₹ 45,000 per month. Even a budget laptop which only has the bare minimum feature, still costs more than ₹ 50,000. A full month’s salary still costs less than a budget laptop and that’s the salary even before the cost of essentials items is taken out. This makes buying a budget laptop possible only after a longtime savings that may expand into a couple of years. This halts online learning and makes physical mode of education more preferable even though it most possibly can turn out to be more costly in the long turn. CHALLENGES:- Online learning faces many challenges ranging from learners’ issues, educators’ issues, and content issues. It is a challenge for institutions to engage students and make them participate in the teaching–learning process. It is a challenge for teachers to move from offline mode to online mode, changing their teaching methodologies, and managing their time. It is challenging to develop content which not only covers the curriculum but also engage the students (Kebritchi et al., 2017). The quality of e-learning programs is a real challenge. There is no clear stipulation by the government in their educational policies about e-learning programs. There is a lack of standards for quality, quality control, development of e-resources, and e-content delivery. This problem needs to be tackled immediately so that everyone can enjoy the benefits of quality education via e-learning (Cojocariu et al., 2014). One should not merely focus on the pros attached to the adoption of online learning during the crises but should also take account of developing and enhancing the quality of virtual courses delivered in such emergencies (Affouneh et al., 2020). A lot of time and cost is involved in e-learning. It is not as easy as it seems, a considerable amount of investment is needed for getting the devices and equipment, maintaining the equipment, training the human resources, and developing the online content. Therefore, an effective and efficient educational system needs to be developed to impart education via online mode. Benefits of Online Teaching and Learning:Why online distance learning and why now? Online distance learning meets the needs of an ever-growing population of students who cannot or prefer not to participate in traditional classroom settings. These learners include those unable to attend traditional classes, who cannot find a particular class at their chosen institution, who live in remote locations, who work full-time and can only study at or after work, and those who simply prefer to learn independently. The minimum requirement for students to participate in an online course is access to a computer, the Internet, and the motivation to succeed in a non-traditional classroom. Online courses provide an excellent method of course delivery unbound by time or location allowing for accessibility to instruction at anytime from anywhere. Learners find the online environment a convenient way to fit education into their busy lives. The ability to access a course from any computer with Internet access, 24 hours a day, seven days a week is a tremendous incentive for many of today’s students.Some of the main advantages of online learning include: • Convenience: 24/7 access from any online computer; accommodates busy schedules; no commuting, no searching for parking. • Enhanced Learning: Research shows increased depth of understanding and retention of course content; more meaningful discussions; emphasis on writing skills, technology skills, and life skills like time management, independence, and self-discipline. • Leveling of the Playing Field: Students can take more time to think and reflect before communicating; shy students tend to thrive online; anonymity of the online environment. • Interaction: Increased student-to-teacher and student-to-student interaction and discussion; a more student-centered learning environment; less passive listening and more active learning; a greater sense of connectedness, synergy. • Innovative Teaching: Student-centered approaches; increased variety and creativity of learning activities; address different learning styles; changes and improvements can translate to on-ground courses as well • Improved Administration: Time to examine student work more thoroughly; ability to document and record online interactions; ability to manage grading online. • Savings: Accommodate more students; increased student satisfaction = higher retention and fewer repeats. • Maximize Physical Resources: Lessen demand on limited campus infrastructure; decrease congestion on campus and parking lots. • Outreach: Give students options; reach new student markets; appeal to current students thus increasing enrollments. Conclusions:Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization of education has been deteriorated remarkably due to limited mobility and limitedly confined exchange programmes of academic activities among the countries during the COVID-19 lockdown. The third world countries are facing policy paralysis in handling the sudden shifting scenario of educational planning, management and organization during this pandemic with their fractured technical infrastructure, academic incompetency and lack of resources; especially among them, low and middle-income countries would suffer the setbacks most as they were already running out of finance (Thomas, 2020). But noticeably everyone must learn to live and survive with the present crisis as it is the beginning only; in the long run, no can afford the negligence towards digital transformation in HEIs. To develop multimodal approaches to achieve course content objectives for better learning outcome can be a better idea to deal with the complexity of online education. Undauntedly, the governments must ensure the availability of reliable communication tools, high quality digital academic experience, and promote technology-enabled learning for students to bridge the disparities originated in the education system before and after COVID-19 catastrophe which is also inevitably necessitated for uninterrupted learning. Few steps should be accounted in the wake of this pandemic; to develop such a curriculum that reflects the perceptible change in the content knowledge and learning experience of students as well as enable them to think critically. Reference:https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/latest-studies/story/more-than-50-of-indianstudents-in-rural-and-urban-areas-don-t-have-access-to-internet-survey-1770308-2021-0217 https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/number-theory-how-much-does-an-averageindian-earn-101610760612856.html https://www.digit.in/top-products/best-budget-laptops-41.html
