Have you ever wondered how online education affects students? As COVID-19 is widespread around the world, a lockdown has led to many online activities – especially, online education has replaced offline education. Online classes have become prevalent worldwide, being the norm of education. When these changes take place, teachers and students need to adapt to the online system. As everything has its advantages and disadvantages, online education also has its pros and cons.
Online education has many positive aspects due to its practicality and high attendance rate. As online classes take place at home, students tend to attend classes more. Since students have more time at home, oversleeping will no longer be an issue for students taking online classes. Moreover, students with illnesses can also join online classes without any difficulty. As presented by Statista, it is shown that in Romania, 55.1% of the respondents of a survey stated that everyone is attending online classes (2021). This shows that the majority of students attend their classes. In addition, online classes are more practical for students since they can take classes anywhere. Besides, they can also record their lectures, which makes a lesson easier to review.
On the other hand, digital education has many negative aspects such as a decreased concentration and increased screen time. When students spend countless hours in front of their computer screens, students tend to lose focus and get distracted by other electronic devices. Not to mention, access to the Internet is very tempting for many students. This results in lower grades and affects the student’s concentration. Furthermore, the overall increase in screen time damages one’s eyes and causes eye strains. According to the article Eye Health in the Digital Age: Does Too Much Screen Time Hurt Your Vision?, “Digital eye strain often leads to dry eyes and puts an extra burden on the muscles that help the eye focus” (2021). As a result, computer screens lead to eye fatigue, which can negatively impact a student’s quality of education.
Online education has both strengths and weaknesses. Due to the pandemic, many students struggle with the switch from offline to online education. To prevent eye fatigue and decreased focus level, students should blink often and rest the eyes to help them focus during class. Although there are many disadvantages to this change, students should attempt to acknowledge the benefits and use them to their advantage.
By: Reea Kim