How Online Courses might be your Saviour during Lockdown

Education is the key to transform the world! Education is the light that destroys darkness. The darkness caused by COVID-19 pandemic that has befell upon us is no exception. This time around too, education can be crafted to sail us through safely and steadily!

With new cases emerging every alternate day, it could be said that the coronavirus pandemic is getting unpredictable day by day. Lockdown keeps getting extended, curfew hours are getting tighter and despite several attempts at finding a cure, more people are growing restless as there is no potent outcome as of yet. Lockdown has hit the business sector hard and education sector harder. Schools and colleges have been shut down under the lockdown protocol which raised a big question mark for education system. The ultimate solution to fulfil all those criteria is online learning through online courses. During these times, online courses are not only the saviours for education system but also for surviving the new isolated lifestyle under lockdown.

Is online coaching a new concept?

The first computer based training program was introduced in early 1960 in U.S. and earlier was designed for colleges but got sporadically distributed to schools as well. The earlier programs were intended to deliver information to students but by the time we got to 70’s, online training took more interactive approach.

During the 80’s, computers and internet were introduced which further boosted the online learning technology. E-learning adopted innovational modes such as virtual learning in a simulated environment which truly marked a new age of online technology.

90’s were the beginning of a new era for technological advancements. By this time, the concept of distance learning was introduced and started geting implemented in schools and colleges. This proved to be a boon for people who couldn’t afford to go to college due to financial, location or time constraints. Distance learning mode of education fees were lower as compared to the conventional modes which helped in bringing education to a much diverse crowd.

Online learning took a step ahead at the onset of 2000’s and introduced online training to multi-businesses. Employee training started happening on the net which proved to be a major upgrade in business planning and management.

Hence, online learning has come a long way and is definitely not a newly coined concept. Like its counterparts, online learning has made an evolutionary journey which is still advancing.

How it is this the most relevant mode of education these days?

Rather than the most relevant, it is the ONLY mode of education that is feasible enough to withstand the current pandemic situation. To handle the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing is the ultimate preventive measure among others. A cure is soon on its way, until then prevention is the best option. But the lockdown imposed in the same light does-not hold back the mandatory education for young minds. Online learning is a boon to solve this and is getting implemented in almost every town.

Obstacles that are in its way

I said almost, because there are some roadblocks that have prevented online learning to flourish in every part of nation. Not every province or state of India is technologically advanced enough to adopt this method. The rural areas for example are still on the question mark zone where online education is difficult to establish. Other pronounced obstacles are as follows:   

• Struggle to adapt at such short notice. Lockdown happened suddenly. It didn’t give us enough time to make a contingency plan for household management, let alone making arrangements for children’s education.
• Poor or weak computer skills
• Weak internet connections
• Technical issues
• Problems to teach a huge number of students in syn
• Lack of proper time management

Advantages of online learning

Despite these technical obstacles, online learning is still the most beneficial and relevant mode of education.

One of the major advantages of online learning is that it is a boon for working parents especially who have toddlers.

Online learning is easily accessible at any time. All you have to do is to log in and you can start from there. Let me give you the main advantages of online learning that might save you during lockdown:

1.Ease of opting from a wide range of educational programs

Be it a traditional college degree course, honors or open University course, or even a professional career course, online learning is adroit at managing all of them. Online classes are often topped up with multifarious courses and study programs that are aligned strategically to facilitate the student in deciding their course of choice.

It is a very beneficial factor for those students who cannot attend regular classes or find the task of shuffling through the massive pile of course subjects too frantic. No need to wait in the long student queues outside the office to get brochures. Online classes have the facility to provide the needed information right there. Students can easily find their course of choice online.

2.Earn your career certificate or Master degree online

Authenticated online courses are 100% productive. Students after successful completion of their course can receive their qualifying degrees via online mean. Bachelor or masters degrees are at some level already downloadable, online mode just makes the process more hassle free. Some centres even offer training for various qualifying exams that are not available at traditional institutions. Gratis Learning in Panchkula provides online courses for international language proficiency tests such as IELTS, CELPIP, PTE. In addition to the preparation training for clearing the exams, the institute also offers professional certificate for various career courses. Visit g-sol.net, gratislearning.in and gratissoftsolutions.com for further details.

3.Comparatively more affordable than traditional institutions

Online classes are more affordable than conventional learning programs in terms of miscellaneous fee structure. For example, there are no additional charges for books or course materials, they can be downloaded online. The cost of course materials could be added to the total fee amount, but they are very low as compared to the traditional costs.

The associated expenses are significantly lesser for online classes in terms of travelling and accommodation charges as well. Since there is no need to pay for transportation and registration fees for student hostels, students can save quite a buck on them. They don’t have to physically attend the classes hence their transportation costs are not applied on total course fee. School uniforms are out of the picture here. There is no obligation to abide by the dress code and hence no need to pay for them. Talking about course materials, institutions can convert their text books into e-books that are less expensive and also serve the purpose of eco-friendly education. You know, save paper, save trees! Overall, online learning is a very substantial option for students to save their money for future investments which is a far bigger picture in itself.  

4.Ease of access for everyone

Students can have easy access to their course work and home assignments right from the comfort of their homes. They can log in anytime and go on with their assignments in most arrangements. As far course materials are concerned, they remain accessible whenever needed by the students. Whole curriculum can be made easily available in addition to lectures, notes, descriptions and queries. Students will be able to clear their doubts and give answers to their teachers and also discuss and share notes among their fellow classmates. This has great significance for enhancement of community learning.

Not only school/ college students but also working professionals who are balancing both worlds can take the benefit of this feature. All that is needed is a computer system and decent internet connection that is easily available with great schemes. Taking online classes is equivalent to having a business webinar. Business meetings have been happening through webcams before and in these times all of the business operations are straight led digitally. Online learning uses the same picture. Your schedules will be well balanced with one another. No need to juggle your work timings with study schedule anymore. You will just have to sit through each, at their own timings.

5.Time management with flexibility

Although I have already mentioned the time flexibility that we get through online learning, here emphasis is put more on time management. No matter how hard you have tried, at some point of your schooling you must have struggled with time management. Though on-campus courses have a fixed and somewhat tight schedule which makes you learn time management throughout your school/college year, but admit it getting late is inevitable. Especially when you reside in a remote location, being on time is a task. Online classes are completely immune to this matter for your timings are well controlled and specifically designed for you. Your house and study centre is the same so there is no chance of being late.

On-campus traditional classes are usually of longer durations than online classes. Some of the breaks that are provided are also insignificant. With online classes you have complete control over your timings with preferable breaks when needed. Also some classes might allow you to reasonably pause the session or save the notes to study laterwards.

Online learning allows you to learn time management at your own will with certain flexibility that enhances your learning experience. Make no mistakes, you are still bound by your online class regulations and you have to sincerely follow them. Only change is with learning at your own pace which is not bad if you ask me.  

6.Effective interaction

Efficient teaching comprises of effective interaction between students and teachers. Traditional classrooms have a certain affinity of putting students in a tight spot which some students find intimidating. Shy or extremely introverted students do-not take part in classroom discussions because of this reason, which is a shame since most of them are academically gifted. As a result, student-teacher interaction becomes ineffective. Online classrooms serves as sort of a personal tuition for each student. One on one interaction becomes less stressful in this case and leads to more involvement, enhanced concentration and positive feedback. Not only for few students, overall class performance also gets better as more and more interactions transform into productive learning environment. After-school doubt clearing sessions makes up for any remaining gaps.     

7.Accomplish dual task of studying and working

Many students pursue their degree while working. Although they go on to handle this by allotting time for both, studying while working takes much more than managing time. Even if you manage to attend to both, it can take a toll on the productivity of either one of them. I have already mentioned how you can balance your study and work schedules at the same time through online learning. You can also accomplish your work tasks and study assignments with online management. What I mean is if you are working from home and at the same time taking online classes then your performance will have better results than doing it otherwise. You can mix and swap the timings and assignments of both online activities if favourable. This switch between complete different niches can also act as a refreshing task for you.

If you are one of those bravest souls who are independent and supporting themselves, then the idea of online operation is custom made for you, especially during these times of quarantine. You don’t have to refrain from either tasks and carry on with your admirable efforts.

8.Stable-enough alternative during the pandemic

We all are hoping for this time of crisis to pass soon. It is for sure that the days of coronavirus terror will be over soon. Until it happens, self-quarantine is the best precautionary measure against COVID-19, the disease caused by CoV-2. For the time being, as far as education system is concerned, online education is the best practice. It serves almost every purpose of effective teaching without any risk of infection spread. Internet world is a vast realm which has plenty of space for taking care of millions of worldwide education criteria. Although there are certain limitations of online learning, such as lack of accredited programs, plagiarism issues, less effective classroom experience and most of all- limited resources in most (small scale) institutions to support online learning as major education platform, etc. It is not perfect yet, I agree, but we could get by with it during these times which are hopefully temporary. It is the best back-up plan we have so far which needs to be implemented on global level.  

Some online courses to take up to survive this lockdown

Find a silver lining in this crisis. Take this period as an opportunity to upgrade yourself by signing up for online courses that will enhance your skills or help you learn new ones.

Some of the courses that you can choose from are:

• Computer science

Topics that are covered in the courses are basics of Computer software- hardware, Digital Images Functioning, Coding or Programming, Structured Data, Internet Technology, Digital media, images, sounds, video, device security, etc.

• Artificial Intelligence

Go to “A Beginner’s Guide for Free Online Artificial Intelligence Courses”

• Data science courses

Go to “Top 10 in Demand Data Science Technologies” for detailed information about data science.  

• Competitive exam coaching

NET, GATE, Banking, SSC, IELTS, CELPIP, TOEFL, and many more.  

• Language courses

Time to hone your language skills and brush up your knowledge of already learnt language. If you always felt your English needed training, this is the best time to do it. You will find many free online language training courses on the internet. There are Apps that also does the job for you.

You can take Spoken English course taught by professional trainers from Gratis Learning. Visit gratislearning.in  for further details.

• Arts and crafts courses

Explore your artistic side by learning new crafty skills online. Such courses are fun to learn and great for you to become productive. You can add the learnt skills in your resume for future interviews. It will be a plus to let them know you invested your time in productive things.  

To summarise it all

Education sector has taken great fall in terms of stagnant or interrupted education system. College admissions are getting delayed and exams are getting postponed due to the COVID-19 situation. Online learning and training has emerged as a boon amid these times of crisis and have the capability to solve many of such problems. Virtual communication and online training will sail us safely until this period passes.

Online courses provides you the opportunity to become productive even in these times of adversity. Pick up a course and learn a new skill or upgrade yourself. With online learning, you would be able to accomplish all that right from the comfort of your homes.

Don’t let coronavirus ruin your idea of living. You just have to be crafty enough to find your way around it.

Your life mustn’t stop because of COVID. Be strong and functional!