Student Attitude To Online Education

The current scenario has impacted the global education sector in a massive way. The shift to online school education has been sudden leaving teachers and students overwhelmed. With the pandemic not showing any signs of slowing down, it is safe to say that online education is here to stay. Teachers are busy preparing lesson plans and coming up with innovative ways to support student learning. However, for a lot of students, this form of learning experience is a first. Here, we take a look at factors impacting student attitude towards online education. 

Computer skills

Not every student may have access to a computer or the necessary skills to use a computer. This can be a major factor impacting student attitude. As inclusive education in India offers all children the right to education, there are students from diverse financial backgrounds in the same classroom. Students from rural backgrounds may not have access to computers or the experience of using them as compared to their urban counterparts.

Pace of learning

Online education offers certain flexibility when it comes to the pace of learning. Students with higher intelligence can move forward at a faster pace. On the other hand, students with poor retention can take time to pause the lessons or re-visit certain videos multiple times to ensure a clearer understanding. 

Teaching format

The use of multimedia in online education can be a major boost for student learning and retention. In addition, the thought of bite-sized videos and infographics can keep a lot of students better engaged than hour-long lectures in a classroom. However, in case of a student with a learning disability, lack of teacher and peer interaction may make it difficult to follow certain topics leading to frustration and demotivation. 

Thus, while online education in itself is a great teaching avenue, it requires the proper foundation and tools to be implemented correctly. Students need to be able to easily access lessons and be able to understand the material just like they would in a classroom. Students with special needs may require additional time that may be difficult for a teacher already burdened with preparing online lesson plans.