Learning is an activity that has to go on throughout our lives if we wish to improve our lives. People who keep learning despite facing obstacles, swear by the positive changes that learning promotes. In the current era of the internet, learning has become accessible to so many people in ways like never before. Even universities, colleges and other educational institutions have dedicated e-learning programs these days.

While online learning offers great benefits, there are some disadvantages to it too. Read on to understand what these are, and how to decide if online education is the right approach for your learning needs.

The Edge of Online Learning 

Online learning has been around for a while, but the recent developments in the global landscape have skyrocketed the interest and need for online education. 

Online learning provides greater access to quality education to people who cannot get access to traditional education. Through the power of the internet, anyone with a suitable device can get access to hundreds of courses on powerful platforms like Learning Cloud and acquire new skills within a few days! It does not matter what part of the world the student resides in; it is easier than ever to transform the mind completely with online learning.

With e-learning, instructors can use multiple tools like 3-D models to explain concepts considered difficult to explain traditionally. The students have an easier time visualising details, which is especially helpful in sciences, technology, medicine, and engineering. 

Most e-courses are designed in a way that students can follow them at their own pace, unlike classroom lectures which happen at a fixed time and cannot be repeated for individual students, multiple times. The level of attendance is also better here because anyone can tune in anytime 

The Downsides of Online Learning 

While it is self-paced and easily accessible, e-learning does have its fair share of pitfalls. One of the biggest concerns is loss of focus due to high screen time. Students have to look at their smartphones or laptops for a prolonged time which can be somewhat tiring. For recorded courses, there is no check mechanism and students can easily get bored, only to fall asleep.

Despite great internet connections, speed and power back up, technological issues are hard to avoid. They creep in without warnings and have the potential of hampering the entire learning experience. The worst part is that sometimes there isn’t anything you can do about it but wait for things to get back on track. Sometimes, prolonged screen-time and lockdown-like situations can cause emotional lows leading to anxiety or depression. With a healthy diet, exercise regimen and social conversations, students can lower the isolation that comes with e-learning. 

Whether you feel e-learning is your cup of tea or not, the fact of the matter is that it is already touching your life in one form or the other. Taking regular breaks away from the screen, moving your body to improve blood flow helps in developing a fresh state of mind that is conducive to more learning.