online communication in education essay

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Introduction

While effectively communicating with the students in your online classes aids in the retention of your students, as educators, we should want to do more than just retain our students. We should provide them with a sense of community while enrolled in online classes to avoid the sense of isolation that some online students experience.  The goal of online communications is the same as the goal in face-to-face communications: to bond; to share information; to be heard, and to be understood. Fostering a sense of community in online classes will make the learning experience more meaningful for online students and help them stay connected during the life of the course.  Learning Management Systems (LMS) have built-in tools to assist in communicating with your online students, but there are also many other technology tools to help you bridge the gap between you and your online students.  This chapter will explore several tools and methods that can be used to enhance your communications with your online students.

“For most online students, their primary contact with an institution is through their communication with faculty” Betts (2009).

The above quote emphasizes why it is important that online instructors learn to communicate with their students in ways that will support and enhance their learning experience.  One of your primary goals as an online instructor should be to foster a sense of community within your online class. When and how you communicate with your students helps you foster a sense of community in your class which helps your students feel connected to you and their classmates. As an online instructor, you are expected to communicate with your students in a timely and effective manner. Whether you are new to teaching online or a veteran online instructor, finding the best methods for communicating with your students should be your number one priority.  How you communicate with your students and the methods you use to communicate can make a difference in whether or not a student is successful in your class.  This chapter will examine why effective communication is required in online classes. What it takes to show your presence in your online class.  How knowing your audience can help improve communications. How to make your communications personal. Methods that can be used to communicate more effectively in online environments; and how having a communication plan in advance helps you communicate better.

Why Effective Communication is Required in Online Classes

When we are communicating with students whether in a face-to-face (F2F) class or an online class, we are communicating to give information or get information to gain understanding and build relationships.  Communicating with students in an online environment requires a little more thought and planning than communicating with students in an (F2F) environment due to the absence of body language in the online environment.  In an (F2F) class, you have the benefit of using body language and facial expression to help you communicate and get your message across to your student. When communicating in an online class, since you are limited to using text and/or images to help you get your point across, you do not have the benefit of using body language to help you communicate to your students. Awareness of limitations to communication capabilities within online environments will help you determine how to develop timely and relevant communications and how to effectively communication with your online students.  To determine what would be considered timely and relevant communication in your online class, you first need to decide why and what you need to communicate to students.

Why are you communicating with your online students? To answer this question, you have to know the end result you want to achieve with the communication you are sending to your students. Think about why you need to communicate with your students and what you want to gain from your communication.  For example, you need to send a notice to your online students to let them know that the deadline to complete a test has been extended. Why are you communicating with students in this particular instance? To let students know they have more time to complete the test if needed. What do you want to achieve with this communication? To inform your students that the deadline to complete the test has been extended. Now, if you were in an (F2F) class, it would be sufficient to tell your class that the deadline has been extended and you would probably write the information on the board so that they could copy it down as a reminder. When teaching online, it is up to you to craft the message that you want to send to your students and then determine the best method to use to send your message to your students.

Crafting a timely, relevant and useful communication to your online students is not always a simple task. Here are some guidelines that you can use to help you write a communication that will be timely, relevant, and useful to your online students:

• Remember, Less is More – When you are composing the message that you will be sending to your online students, try to use as few words as possible while ensuring that your intended message is communicated with your choice of words. Online students are bombarded with communications that consist of mostly text, so the last thing they want is to read a lengthy online message from their instructor. Your students are more likely to read and get the message from a concise, well-crafted communication.
• Be Clear – Not only should your message to your students be concise, but it also needs to be clear and leave no room for confusion on the student’s part. Using the example above, if you want to let your online students know that the deadline for the test has been extended, the message that you write to them should only talk about the extended deadline for the test. You need to make it clear by giving them all the details they need to know about the deadline extension:

_______ Example Communication _____________

Hello, Students:

The deadline for this week’s test has been extended.  You will now have until 7/10/— to submit your test for grading. If you have additional questions, please contact me.  Thank you.

Professor Bee

_______End Example Communication _ _________

• Method of Communication – Before you determine how you will send your message to your students you will need to determine how important the information being sent is to your students.  To decide how important your message is to your students, ask yourself these questions?

Do your students need to have the information right now? If the answer is yes to this question, then you will want to ensure that the method you use to send your communication is a method that will contact your students immediately such as a text message because most everyone is attached to their cell phones. You’ll also want to post an announcement in your online class to serve as a permanent record to show that particular information was communicated to your students. Also, to catch the students attention, use bold and capital letters and include “IMPORTANT’ in the subject line of the communication.

Is the information concerning an imminent deadline? If the answer is yes to this question, you can use additional methods to communicate with your students to increase the chances that they get the message quickly.  Once again, because everyone is literally attached to their cell phones, you can use this to your advantage by tweeting, texting and emailing them to communicate your message regarding imminent deadlines or you can go old school and call them.

Be Courteous: Reread your communication to make sure that it sounds the way you intend it to sound. Check the tone of the communication and check for clarity and completeness of your message. Invite your students to ask questions about your message if they don’t understand it. You want your messages to be professional and let your students know that you welcome their questions.

Robinson, Segal and Smith (2015) stated that “Effective communication is also a two-way street. It’s not only how you convey a message so that it is received and understood by someone in exactly the way you intended, it’s also how you listen to gain the full meaning of what’s being said and to make the other person feel heard and understood.” I think the previous statement illustrates why it is important to utilize different ways to communicate with your students. To effectively communicate with your online students, you have to think outside of the box, the text box that is. Everyone does not like to communicate using the same methods, so you have to be prepared to use different types of communications and different methods to communicate. Your communications with your online students can and should go beyond the written word. Since you will already have several communication options available in your Learning Management System to you to help you communicate more effectively with your students, you should start by using the communication tools most readily available to you. You are not limited to using only the communication tools included in your LMS to communicate with your students, there are numerous online communication tools that you can easily use to help you get your message across to your students. Some of those other online communication tools will be discussed in more detail later in this chapter. Because the success of your online class relies largely on how effective the communications are between you and your students, you will need ways to determine if your students are getting your message.  Some of the ways I use to determine that my students are understanding and responding to my communications are:

• Message Receipt – Did my students get/acknowledge my message?
• Did my communication achieve the desired outcome for me?
• Did my students follow the instructions in my communication?
• Did my students ask follow-up questions?

Know Your Audience

Flahavan (2001) writes that “When communicating online, your tone will be communicated to your students through your choice of words, your sentence structure, the punctuation that you use and the order of the information that you present.“  When you are communicating with your online students it is important to remember that they may be ethnically diverse and of varying ages. These factors may affect how they perceive your communication. First, as stated before, keep your message short and to the point. Do not use acronyms or slang terms unless you are sure that everyone reading the communication will know what you are referencing. Your communications may be important to you and your students but go easy on the punctuation that you use to show this. Your students will get your message without the use of emoticons and exclamation points. Even though it is best to keep your communication brief and to the point, you will always want to give your students the opportunity to ask you additional questions if they do not understand your message.

Make Your Communications Personal

Venable (2015) state “Personalizing your communications will help you connect with and build positive relationships with your online students.” The students in your online classes want to feel connected to the instructor and to their classmates. That is the primary reason why you should make your communications personal and why you should encourage your students to make their communications with each other personal. What does it mean to make your communications personal? Making your communications personal does not mean that you get to ignore good netiquette or that you get to judge your student’s personal feelings.  Making communications with your students personal means that you should communicate with your students in such a way that they know that you feel that they are a real person and that you respect and you value your communications with them. Here are some tips to use to help your keep your communications personal with your online students:

• Make a personal connection early. Provide an instructor bio which includes a picture of you early in your class. Providing your students with your information will help them get to know a little about you before the class gets started and help start the bonding process.
• When responding to a student’s communication to you, always start by using their name:

_______ Example Communication  _____________

Thank you for letting me know that you will be late submitting quiz #5. Please email me once you have completed it, so that I can grade it.

_______End Example Communication __________

Use Introductions.  Using an introduction assignment can be a fun way to introduce yourself to your online students and to have the students introduce themselves to each other.  The introduction “icebreaker” assignment can give your students a chance to bond and learn things about each other.  The first requirement in my online class is the introduction assignment. I used to set this assignment up as a discussion board where I would ask my students to share three things with the class:

• Tell us a little about yourself.
• Which degree are you seeking and why you choose that degree?
• What do you like to do in your spare time?

I ask my students to get to know their classmates by responding to at least two other student’s posts. The instructor should always participate in this assignment so that the students get the sense that the instructor is a part of the class and is a real person.

More recently, I have my students use VoiceThread. VoiceThread is a collaborative tool that allows you and your students to create a video message such as a class introduction and then share the message with their classmates. Their classmates can then respond to their introduction by leaving a text, audio or video comment on their introduction.  VoiceThread offers a free account for anyone who is 13 or older and has a valid email address. You can use the free account to create up to five VoiceThreads, leave comments by microphone or text and then share your VoiceThreads via the share link provided. You can check out VoiceThreads at http://voicethread.com . Video messaging is a tool you and your students can easily use to make class communications more personal and more meaningful. Seeing the person who is communicating with you adds another level of connectedness to the conversation.

• Send audio messages.  I have used audio emails or audio messaging to provide feedback to my online students and I have found that they like to hear the messages.  Some of the students have commented that the audio messages added a more personal touch to the feedback and made it more meaningful to them.  I also like to use the voice podcaster feature in my LMS to create voice podcasts that I use to introduce each learning module in my class. Allowing your online students to hear your voice will also help them form a bond with you and help them to feel your presence more firmly in the class.
• Provide Timely Feedback. Because your online students are learning from a distance, it is important that they receive timely and consistent feedback regarding their progress in the class. If a student asks you a question regarding an assignment, you should first provide that student a personal response to their question and then if you feel that their question is important to the rest of the class, you should address the question with the rest of the class and thank the student for bringing it to your and the class’s attention.
• Keep your Virtual Gradebook Current. Your online gradebook should be the place where your students can consistently go to assess how they are progressing in your class. Your gradebook is the most important tool you have as an online instructor to help you communicate a student’s personal progress in your class.
• Go! Live and synchronous. Hosting online office hours using Blackboard Instant Messaging or Chat Quick can make a more personal connection with your online students. During virtual office hours, students can ask questions and get an answer in real time. I also like to use Blackboard Collaborate to hold online study sessions. I use the web conferencing tool to provide my students with extra learning support and to enhance my communications with them. Blackboard Collaborate allows real-time interactions and you can record the session for those students who are not able to attend the live session.
• Ask for their opinion. Asking your students what they think adds another personal touch to your communications. I have found that students appear more interested in the class when I use surveys or short opinion polls to get a feel of how they think things are going in the class. Students like to give their personal opinion and their feedback helps me improve the course content for future students.

Methods that can be used to communicate more effectively in Online Environments Hranstinski suggests that “Social support is desirable as a way to foster knowledge work and collaborative learning; it provides an environment where communication is encouraged; e.g., anecdotes and personal experiences encourage trust, which foster receptive and creative learning environment” (2008).  The ways we communicate with online students should mirror the diversity of our students. There are many synchronous tools available to help increase the effectiveness of your communications with students.  You can start by using the communication tools included in your LMS to get a quick start in communicating with students, but your class becomes more interesting with more innovative communication methods. Wardlow (2014) wrote that “communicating with your students is now possible “ 24/7-anytime, anywhere .” Technologies like email, texts, websites, electronic portfolios, online surveys and video chat applications like Skype and Google Hangout have made communication between instructor and students more timely, efficient, productive, and satisfying for both parties.”  Some of the methods that I have explored using to communicate with my students are:

• VoiceThread –   http://voicethread.com is a web-based platform that allows teachers and students to upload images, video, or documents, record audio, video, or text comments, and then invite others to record comments as well. You can use VoiceThread with your students in a variety of ways such as a live introduction assignment, for peer reviews, or to create a presentation using images, video, and audio.
• Google Hangouts –  https://plus.google.com/hangouts is a messaging, video, and voice application. With the messaging feature, you can have a private conversation with one of your students, a small group, or you can talk to all of your students at once. Using the video feature, you can turn your conversation into a video chat.
• Wikis – are a collaborative tool that allows users to contribute to and modify pages of course-related materials. You can use this tool for group assignments because it is easy to see which students have been participating and contributing to the project.
• GoToMeeting – www.gotomeeting.com is a video conferencing software that allows users to collaborate in real time. You can use GoToMeeting to host study sessions. You can use the whiteboard to share your screen or illustrate learning concepts. Students can use computer audio or their phones to connect to the meeting. GoToMeeting also allows you to record the session viewing at a later date.
• Podcasting applications like www.spreaker.com – Podcasting, a series of audio files, can be distributed on a regular basis for summarizing learning content and be distributed to your students to use as a study guide.

The online tools mentioned above comprise the top five communication methods I use to increase the effectiveness of my communication with online students. There are so many other synchronous tools that you can use with your students. When you are making a communication plan in advance, be creative and think outside the box to find your top five communication tools.

Have a Communication Plan in Advance Planning how, when and why you will communicate with your online students in advance is a great way to ensure that you are able to provide your students with meaningful, timely, and consistent communications. It would be useful if you wrote out your communication plan and kept it handy for future use, that way you will always know what your communication plan is for different situations. Your communication plan should include:

• Methods you will use to communicate with your online students such as email, announcements, messages, podcast, video messages, video conferencing or even phone calls. It is important that you decide how you will contact your students so that when the time comes, it will be easy for you to choose the right method to contact them. It is also equally important for you to tell your students which methods you plan to use to contact them so that they know where to look for your communications. You don’t want your students to miss any of your communications because your communication to them is the lifeline between you and them.
• How often you will communicate with your students. For routine communications such as announcements, you need to plan in advance how often you will post announcements for your class. Will it be bi-weekly, weekly, or once a day?  It’s up to you how often you want to make class announcements, my only suggestion is that you be consistent with the timing of your announcements, so if you choose to make announcements weekly, always make announcements weekly so that your students expect and look for your weekly announcement.
• How do you want your students to communicate with you? Do you prefer to be contacted via text, messages, email, or phone? Whatever your preferred method of contact, make sure that you clearly communicate so your students know how to contact you. It is also a good idea if you give them another way to contact you in case the first method of contacting you does not work. I make sure that I tell my students what my preferred method of contact is in my course syllabus, in my course bio, in my course introduction, in my first class announcement, and then I also remind them periodically throughout the class.
• Which communications method will you use for the different types of communications to your students?  I like to use weekly announcements for general announcements to the whole class to comment on how the past week’s assignments went or to clarify a learning concept. My students know that they can find general class announcements on the announcements page. I use email or messages if I want to send my students a personal communication and video or voice messaging to provide personal and sometimes group communications to my students. I use my class grade center to provide my students with timely feedback on their course progress. My students know that I may use any of these communication methods because I tell them in advance and remind them throughout the course of my class.
• Messages – I like to use the LMS messages function because it provides a permanent record of communications within the class. I have my students use this when they need to ask personal or general questions.
• Email – I have my students use email if they need to contact me fairly quickly because I check my email every day.
• Text – I have my students text me if it’s an emergency. I always have my phone handy.
• Phone Call – I have my students call if it is an emergency that must be addressed quickly.

Know what type of communication methods you choose to use since it’s important for your students to know how you will be communicating with them and how they can communicate with you.

Summary Using different methods to communicate with your online students can aid in their retention in your class. Personalizing your communications can help foster a sense of community in your class and help avoid the sense of isolation that some online students experience. It’s important to know your audience so that you are able to effectively communicate with your students to get your message across. Planning your communication strategy in advance will help you be prepared to efficiently communicate with your students in a timely and relevant manner.

Betts, K. (2009). Lost in translation: Importance of effective communication in online education. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, (12)2.

Flahavan, L. and Rudick, M. (September 28, 2001). “5 Tips to a ringing email tone” http://www.inc.com/articles/2001/09/23688.html

Robinson, L., Segal, J. and Smith, M. (July 2015).  “Effective communication: Improving communication skills in your personal and work relationships.” Helpguide.org http://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships/effective-communication.htm

Venable, M. (July 22, 2015)  “Make a personal connection in your online classroom.” http://www.onlinecollege.org/2013/07/22/make-a-personal-connection-in-your-online-classroom/

Wardlow, L. (November 14-2014) “Using technology for effective parent-teacher communication” http://www.digitalpromise.org/blog/entry/using-technology-for-effective-parent-teacher-communication#.VbZwrVnpuLA.email

Additional Reading

Tannen, D. (2011). “That’s not what I meant!” New York: Harper Collins Publishing.

Carvill, M. and Taylor, D. (2013). “The business of being social: A practical guide to harnessing the power of Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Youtube for all businesses.” Great Britain: Crimson Publishers.

Wang, H. (2-18-2010) “Eight ways to increase social presence in your online classes.” Faculty Focus.   http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/eight-ways-to-increase-social-presence-in-your-online-classes/

Junk, V., Deringer, N. and Junk, W. (2012). “Techniques to engage the online learner.” research in Higher Education Journal.   http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/10597.pdf

Hrastinski, S. (2008). The potential of synchronous communication to enhance participation in online discussions: A case study of two e-learning courses, Information & Management, 45.

Communication – an exchange of information to facilitate understanding.

Community – a sense of fellowship with others.

Conversation – a casual exchange of thoughts.

Effective – producing the intended result.

Instructor – a person who teaches something to another person.

Online Learning – education conducted in a virtual environment;  connected by a network.

Social network – an online application that facilitates social interactions.

Education – the processing of teaching someone to do something.

Synchronous – actions occurring at the same time.

Humanizing Online Teaching and Learning Copyright © 2016 by Whitney Kilgore is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Chapter 8: COVID and learning

8.5 The effect of online learning on communication during COVID-19 (synthesis)

Anonymous English 102 Writer

February 2021

Have you ever thought about how a virus   could change the habits of the world, especially in education? The crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic hit all over the world and has completely changed education. Some colleges refused to switch from the traditional teaching style to virtual classes. Many argue about this issue and how to deal with these new circumstances; some of them claim that the coronavirus is a good turning point that can open our eyes to a new style of learning. Others, however, prefer traditional, in-person learning. So, I am interested in learning how Covid-19 affects communications and our lifestyle specifically between the years 2020-2021 because our education system is impacted by this crisis   and I am   also   interesting to find the results and the studies that people have done about this topic.   I was surprised to see the number of studies   discussing COVID-19 that have already been published.   

The article “Online and Remote Learning in Higher Education Institutes: A Necessity in Light of COVID-19 Pandemic” by Wahab Ali discusses how higher education is being affected by COVID-19; specifically, the article describes the shift to online learning, difficulties students face, and the challenging teaching environments.   Ali argues   that virtual learning is more  effective than traditional learning , he   discuss   the difficulties that faced the students,   which caused a lot of challenges in the teaching   environments   ,   due to the rapid technological development beyond the crisis that led people to turn to technology in order to study and   communicate with each other effectively   (16). Also, some colleges give tools to the students   in order to   help them study effectively and give them the opportunity to study and communicate (16).   He relates to Gee’s   secondary discourse when he claims that in this   period of time, all people, especially students, will easily adapt to online learning due to   their   big knowledge, skills and   familiarity   with technology,   so he   stats that   the new technology   affects our communications in our daily   life style,   and how our education under this pandemic   allow   us to learn a   new ways   to communicate   (Ali   17).   If, for example, students want to contact their teachers, they will have to learn how to send formal emails; but, the knowledge of sending emails and communicating online is already ingrained in them. However, some   universities closed because they could not create a good environment for their students to learn. Ali encourages authorities and teachers to provide more information and to be prepared to improve the education system, strengthen their plans to provide more   effective lectures, and give students the opportunity to understand their lectures (17). He refers to Gee’s article, “The Oral Mode is More Narrowly Useful,” because both mention that the development of technology has major impacts upon society and communication; Gee emphasizes in his article the importance of learning new methods and how to deal with technology. The oral mode refers to spoken language during face-to-face classes. Gee and Ali also have the same opinion about the importance of learning new   technology. In addition, Ali motions in his article that some universities, such as New York University, were prepared for rapid change and met all their students’ needs for online classes by giving them tools and technology (19); successful adaptations require prior plans and an awareness of all changing circumstances (19).   

Moreover, an article by Deepika Nambiar,   “The   impact of online learning during COVID-19: students’ and teachers’ perspective” discusses the impacts of online learning on the communications between the students and their teachers. She argues that interactions between   them depend on their perspective and experiences of online learning (1); she includes a study with a survey method to collect data from universities in Bangalore to determine educators’ and teachers’   prescriptives   because education has a special place and plays a big role in India (1). She observed that rapidly switching the education system in India to be online has a very big  impact on the students’ interactions and communications due to the lack of required methods and apps for virtual learning (7); students were adapting to take their lecture in-person   even though   some colleges give tools to the students. Even so, they cannot   make every aspect of online   education equal; for example, not all students have access to reliable internet, which immediately   puts them at a disadvantage. This rapid switch affects their performances, grades, and attendance, lowering their ability to effectively participate during class time (7). Also, online learning reduces students’ understanding of lectures and prevents them from physically interacting in their labs or researching (7). Nambiar states in her article that “the results of the survey showed that 86.9% of the teachers reported that they preferred classroom teaching method more than online teaching mode” and “11.8% preferred online classes” (4). So, online learning prevents teachers from understanding their students’ understanding of the material which allows them to know the effectiveness of their materials and method they use. Also, it minimizes their ability to individually contact their students to evaluate their levels. Furthermore, teachers had difficulty adapting to an online format while still teaching effectively (Nambiar   2). Teachers also confirmed that online learning is an evidence of the evolution that allows them to teach from anywhere, but it has harmful effects on their interactions with students and prevents them from engaging with their students physically (7). It allows students to have more absences due to the lack of internet services or poverty. Lastly, teachers must spend many more hours preparing their lectures because online learning has a more formal form (7). Overall, this study shows how online learning affects students and faculty and discusses all negative aspects that the authorities   should be aware of when they are making the rules for the education systems.   In order to   obtain a comfortable environment for the students to learn and support the teachers, authorities   must create strong strategies to improve learning under this pandemic (10).  

Furthermore,   Settha   Kuama   in “Is Online Learning Suitable for All English Language Students?” begins by explaining how online   learning affects students who are studying the English language.   Kuama   states that, despite all the advantages of online learning due to its flexible environment, English learners have faced many difficulties throughout online learning such as the “cognitive challenge,” which includes understanding apps’ dynamic functions in order to succeed (65). Students also have trouble organizing their time to ensure they never miss their due dates and watch their lectures, which don’t include any attendance grades.   In addition, according to Aydin (2011), students may have “computer   and Internet   anxiety,” anxiety caused by a poor internet connection or slow computer, which also prevents them from having a comfortable space to study. Also, students are used to asking instructors questions and studying with their peers, and online learning prevents them from having these opportunities (Kuama   65). This article divides students into two groups: the students who succeed and those who struggle   Kuama   states in this article that successful students have a high level of self-regulation, know how to study effectively, and are aware of their responsibilities. They check their homework daily and use the internet to learn new studying strategies   in order to   study effectively. On the   other hand, the students that   do not succeed   in their studies do not learn any strategies to help them during their studies (69). But overall, both kinds of students agree that face-to-face learning is an opportunity to interact with each other, especially because the English language depends on conversations between students and their instructors and group work. Additionally, students will get more motivation from their peers (73). Moreover,   Kuama   discusses through the article that,   in order to   give all the students a quality online education, they   have to   have the opportunities to   learn about the online programs and apps (74).   Also,   students who have a low efficiency in   English   have   to   improve their English skills in order to   communicate   and participate with others (74).   

James Gee’s article “What is Literacy” attempts to describe literacy by describing   discourse, the effective way of using words to communicate with each other and write our own   thoughts (23). Gee defines literacy as being able to use a set of words for multiple purposes   and in numerous settings (23). Where these settings are defined as discourses, and they are   categorized into primary and secondary discourses and even these types of conversation can be   broken down. For example, a primary discourse is that way of speaking that you mostly acquire   from your family and the people around you at   birth. An example of some primary   discourses includes being in a certain country, playing with a friend, or speaking with family   members around us: these examples are described as languages a person acquires for free (22).   Secondary discourses are uses of   a language that people actively and primarily; it requires effort,   practice, and experiences, and a person does not grow up speaking in the dialect. Examples can   include the way we speak when working as a team in our workplace or if we want to engage in a   new community with a new group we have to learn their language and their styles in order to   deal with   them.  

Works Cited    

Ali, Wahab. “Online and remote learning in higher education institutes: A necessity in light of   COVID-19 pandemic.”   Higher Education Studies   10.3 (2020): 16-25.    

Gee, James Paul. “What is Literacy?”   Negotiating academic literacies: Teaching and learning   across languages and cultures   (1998): 51-59.    

Kuama,   Settha. “Is Online Learning Suitable for All English   Language   Students?.   “   PASAA:   Journal of Language Teaching and Learning in Thailand   52 (2016): 53-82.   Nambiar, Deepika. “The impact of online learning during COVID-19: students’ and teachers’   perspective.”   The International Journal of Indian Psychology   8.2 (2020): 783-793.  

Understanding Literacy in Our Lives by Anonymous English 102 Writer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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• Published: 25 January 2021

Online education in the post-COVID era

• Barbara B. Lockee 1  

Nature Electronics volume  4 ,  pages 5–6 ( 2021 ) Cite this article

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• Science, technology and society

The coronavirus pandemic has forced students and educators across all levels of education to rapidly adapt to online learning. The impact of this — and the developments required to make it work — could permanently change how education is delivered.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the world to engage in the ubiquitous use of virtual learning. And while online and distance learning has been used before to maintain continuity in education, such as in the aftermath of earthquakes 1 , the scale of the current crisis is unprecedented. Speculation has now also begun about what the lasting effects of this will be and what education may look like in the post-COVID era. For some, an immediate retreat to the traditions of the physical classroom is required. But for others, the forced shift to online education is a moment of change and a time to reimagine how education could be delivered 2 .

Looking back

Online education has traditionally been viewed as an alternative pathway, one that is particularly well suited to adult learners seeking higher education opportunities. However, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has required educators and students across all levels of education to adapt quickly to virtual courses. (The term ‘emergency remote teaching’ was coined in the early stages of the pandemic to describe the temporary nature of this transition 3 .) In some cases, instruction shifted online, then returned to the physical classroom, and then shifted back online due to further surges in the rate of infection. In other cases, instruction was offered using a combination of remote delivery and face-to-face: that is, students can attend online or in person (referred to as the HyFlex model 4 ). In either case, instructors just had to figure out how to make it work, considering the affordances and constraints of the specific learning environment to create learning experiences that were feasible and effective.

The use of varied delivery modes does, in fact, have a long history in education. Mechanical (and then later electronic) teaching machines have provided individualized learning programmes since the 1950s and the work of B. F. Skinner 5 , who proposed using technology to walk individual learners through carefully designed sequences of instruction with immediate feedback indicating the accuracy of their response. Skinner’s notions formed the first formalized representations of programmed learning, or ‘designed’ learning experiences. Then, in the 1960s, Fred Keller developed a personalized system of instruction 6 , in which students first read assigned course materials on their own, followed by one-on-one assessment sessions with a tutor, gaining permission to move ahead only after demonstrating mastery of the instructional material. Occasional class meetings were held to discuss concepts, answer questions and provide opportunities for social interaction. A personalized system of instruction was designed on the premise that initial engagement with content could be done independently, then discussed and applied in the social context of a classroom.

These predecessors to contemporary online education leveraged key principles of instructional design — the systematic process of applying psychological principles of human learning to the creation of effective instructional solutions — to consider which methods (and their corresponding learning environments) would effectively engage students to attain the targeted learning outcomes. In other words, they considered what choices about the planning and implementation of the learning experience can lead to student success. Such early educational innovations laid the groundwork for contemporary virtual learning, which itself incorporates a variety of instructional approaches and combinations of delivery modes.

Online learning and the pandemic

Fast forward to 2020, and various further educational innovations have occurred to make the universal adoption of remote learning a possibility. One key challenge is access. Here, extensive problems remain, including the lack of Internet connectivity in some locations, especially rural ones, and the competing needs among family members for the use of home technology. However, creative solutions have emerged to provide students and families with the facilities and resources needed to engage in and successfully complete coursework 7 . For example, school buses have been used to provide mobile hotspots, and class packets have been sent by mail and instructional presentations aired on local public broadcasting stations. The year 2020 has also seen increased availability and adoption of electronic resources and activities that can now be integrated into online learning experiences. Synchronous online conferencing systems, such as Zoom and Google Meet, have allowed experts from anywhere in the world to join online classrooms 8 and have allowed presentations to be recorded for individual learners to watch at a time most convenient for them. Furthermore, the importance of hands-on, experiential learning has led to innovations such as virtual field trips and virtual labs 9 . A capacity to serve learners of all ages has thus now been effectively established, and the next generation of online education can move from an enterprise that largely serves adult learners and higher education to one that increasingly serves younger learners, in primary and secondary education and from ages 5 to 18.

The COVID-19 pandemic is also likely to have a lasting effect on lesson design. The constraints of the pandemic provided an opportunity for educators to consider new strategies to teach targeted concepts. Though rethinking of instructional approaches was forced and hurried, the experience has served as a rare chance to reconsider strategies that best facilitate learning within the affordances and constraints of the online context. In particular, greater variance in teaching and learning activities will continue to question the importance of ‘seat time’ as the standard on which educational credits are based 10 — lengthy Zoom sessions are seldom instructionally necessary and are not aligned with the psychological principles of how humans learn. Interaction is important for learning but forced interactions among students for the sake of interaction is neither motivating nor beneficial.

While the blurring of the lines between traditional and distance education has been noted for several decades 11 , the pandemic has quickly advanced the erasure of these boundaries. Less single mode, more multi-mode (and thus more educator choices) is becoming the norm due to enhanced infrastructure and developed skill sets that allow people to move across different delivery systems 12 . The well-established best practices of hybrid or blended teaching and learning 13 have served as a guide for new combinations of instructional delivery that have developed in response to the shift to virtual learning. The use of multiple delivery modes is likely to remain, and will be a feature employed with learners of all ages 14 , 15 . Future iterations of online education will no longer be bound to the traditions of single teaching modes, as educators can support pedagogical approaches from a menu of instructional delivery options, a mix that has been supported by previous generations of online educators 16 .

Also significant are the changes to how learning outcomes are determined in online settings. Many educators have altered the ways in which student achievement is measured, eliminating assignments and changing assessment strategies altogether 17 . Such alterations include determining learning through strategies that leverage the online delivery mode, such as interactive discussions, student-led teaching and the use of games to increase motivation and attention. Specific changes that are likely to continue include flexible or extended deadlines for assignment completion 18 , more student choice regarding measures of learning, and more authentic experiences that involve the meaningful application of newly learned skills and knowledge 19 , for example, team-based projects that involve multiple creative and social media tools in support of collaborative problem solving.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, technological and administrative systems for implementing online learning, and the infrastructure that supports its access and delivery, had to adapt quickly. While access remains a significant issue for many, extensive resources have been allocated and processes developed to connect learners with course activities and materials, to facilitate communication between instructors and students, and to manage the administration of online learning. Paths for greater access and opportunities to online education have now been forged, and there is a clear route for the next generation of adopters of online education.

Before the pandemic, the primary purpose of distance and online education was providing access to instruction for those otherwise unable to participate in a traditional, place-based academic programme. As its purpose has shifted to supporting continuity of instruction, its audience, as well as the wider learning ecosystem, has changed. It will be interesting to see which aspects of emergency remote teaching remain in the next generation of education, when the threat of COVID-19 is no longer a factor. But online education will undoubtedly find new audiences. And the flexibility and learning possibilities that have emerged from necessity are likely to shift the expectations of students and educators, diminishing further the line between classroom-based instruction and virtual learning.

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The effects of online education on academic success: A meta-analysis study

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The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of online education, which has been extensively used on student achievement since the beginning of the pandemic. In line with this purpose, a meta-analysis of the related studies focusing on the effect of online education on students’ academic achievement in several countries between the years 2010 and 2021 was carried out. Furthermore, this study will provide a source to assist future studies with comparing the effect of online education on academic achievement before and after the pandemic. This meta-analysis study consists of 27 studies in total. The meta-analysis involves the studies conducted in the USA, Taiwan, Turkey, China, Philippines, Ireland, and Georgia. The studies included in the meta-analysis are experimental studies, and the total sample size is 1772. In the study, the funnel plot, Duval and Tweedie’s Trip and Fill Analysis, Orwin’s Safe N Analysis, and Egger’s Regression Test were utilized to determine the publication bias, which has been found to be quite low. Besides, Hedge’s g statistic was employed to measure the effect size for the difference between the means performed in accordance with the random effects model. The results of the study show that the effect size of online education on academic achievement is on a medium level. The heterogeneity test results of the meta-analysis study display that the effect size does not differ in terms of class level, country, online education approaches, and lecture moderators.

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1 Introduction

Information and communication technologies have become a powerful force in transforming the educational settings around the world. The pandemic has been an important factor in transferring traditional physical classrooms settings through adopting information and communication technologies and has also accelerated the transformation. The literature supports that learning environments connected to information and communication technologies highly satisfy students. Therefore, we need to keep interest in technology-based learning environments. Clearly, technology has had a huge impact on young people's online lives. This digital revolution can synergize the educational ambitions and interests of digitally addicted students. In essence, COVID-19 has provided us with an opportunity to embrace online learning as education systems have to keep up with the rapid emergence of new technologies.

Information and communication technologies that have an effect on all spheres of life are also actively included in the education field. With the recent developments, using technology in education has become inevitable due to personal and social reasons (Usta, 2011a ). Online education may be given as an example of using information and communication technologies as a consequence of the technological developments. Also, it is crystal clear that online learning is a popular way of obtaining instruction (Demiralay et al., 2016 ; Pillay et al., 2007 ), which is defined by Horton ( 2000 ) as a way of education that is performed through a web browser or an online application without requiring an extra software or a learning source. Furthermore, online learning is described as a way of utilizing the internet to obtain the related learning sources during the learning process, to interact with the content, the teacher, and other learners, as well as to get support throughout the learning process (Ally, 2004 ). Online learning has such benefits as learning independently at any time and place (Vrasidas & MsIsaac, 2000 ), granting facility (Poole, 2000 ), flexibility (Chizmar & Walbert, 1999 ), self-regulation skills (Usta, 2011b ), learning with collaboration, and opportunity to plan self-learning process.

Even though online education practices have not been comprehensive as it is now, internet and computers have been used in education as alternative learning tools in correlation with the advances in technology. The first distance education attempt in the world was initiated by the ‘Steno Courses’ announcement published in Boston newspaper in 1728. Furthermore, in the nineteenth century, Sweden University started the “Correspondence Composition Courses” for women, and University Correspondence College was afterwards founded for the correspondence courses in 1843 (Arat & Bakan, 2011 ). Recently, distance education has been performed through computers, assisted by the facilities of the internet technologies, and soon, it has evolved into a mobile education practice that is emanating from progress in the speed of internet connection, and the development of mobile devices.

With the emergence of pandemic (Covid-19), face to face education has almost been put to a halt, and online education has gained significant importance. The Microsoft management team declared to have 750 users involved in the online education activities on the 10 th March, just before the pandemic; however, on March 24, they informed that the number of users increased significantly, reaching the number of 138,698 users (OECD, 2020 ). This event supports the view that it is better to commonly use online education rather than using it as a traditional alternative educational tool when students do not have the opportunity to have a face to face education (Geostat, 2019 ). The period of Covid-19 pandemic has emerged as a sudden state of having limited opportunities. Face to face education has stopped in this period for a long time. The global spread of Covid-19 affected more than 850 million students all around the world, and it caused the suspension of face to face education. Different countries have proposed several solutions in order to maintain the education process during the pandemic. Schools have had to change their curriculum, and many countries supported the online education practices soon after the pandemic. In other words, traditional education gave its way to online education practices. At least 96 countries have been motivated to access online libraries, TV broadcasts, instructions, sources, video lectures, and online channels (UNESCO, 2020 ). In such a painful period, educational institutions went through online education practices by the help of huge companies such as Microsoft, Google, Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, and Slack. Thus, online education has been discussed in the education agenda more intensively than ever before.

Although online education approaches were not used as comprehensively as it has been used recently, it was utilized as an alternative learning approach in education for a long time in parallel with the development of technology, internet and computers. The academic achievement of the students is often aimed to be promoted by employing online education approaches. In this regard, academicians in various countries have conducted many studies on the evaluation of online education approaches and published the related results. However, the accumulation of scientific data on online education approaches creates difficulties in keeping, organizing and synthesizing the findings. In this research area, studies are being conducted at an increasing rate making it difficult for scientists to be aware of all the research outside of their ​​expertise. Another problem encountered in the related study area is that online education studies are repetitive. Studies often utilize slightly different methods, measures, and/or examples to avoid duplication. This erroneous approach makes it difficult to distinguish between significant differences in the related results. In other words, if there are significant differences in the results of the studies, it may be difficult to express what variety explains the differences in these results. One obvious solution to these problems is to systematically review the results of various studies and uncover the sources. One method of performing such systematic syntheses is the application of meta-analysis which is a methodological and statistical approach to draw conclusions from the literature. At this point, how effective online education applications are in increasing the academic success is an important detail. Has online education, which is likely to be encountered frequently in the continuing pandemic period, been successful in the last ten years? If successful, how much was the impact? Did different variables have an impact on this effect? Academics across the globe have carried out studies on the evaluation of online education platforms and publishing the related results (Chiao et al., 2018 ). It is quite important to evaluate the results of the studies that have been published up until now, and that will be published in the future. Has the online education been successful? If it has been, how big is the impact? Do the different variables affect this impact? What should we consider in the next coming online education practices? These questions have all motivated us to carry out this study. We have conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis study that tries to provide a discussion platform on how to develop efficient online programs for educators and policy makers by reviewing the related studies on online education, presenting the effect size, and revealing the effect of diverse variables on the general impact.

There have been many critical discussions and comprehensive studies on the differences between online and face to face learning; however, the focus of this paper is different in the sense that it clarifies the magnitude of the effect of online education and teaching process, and it represents what factors should be controlled to help increase the effect size. Indeed, the purpose here is to provide conscious decisions in the implementation of the online education process.

The general impact of online education on the academic achievement will be discovered in the study. Therefore, this will provide an opportunity to get a general overview of the online education which has been practiced and discussed intensively in the pandemic period. Moreover, the general impact of online education on academic achievement will be analyzed, considering different variables. In other words, the current study will allow to totally evaluate the study results from the related literature, and to analyze the results considering several cultures, lectures, and class levels. Considering all the related points, this study seeks to answer the following research questions:

What is the effect size of online education on academic achievement?

How do the effect sizes of online education on academic achievement change according to the moderator variable of the country?

How do the effect sizes of online education on academic achievement change according to the moderator variable of the class level?

How do the effect sizes of online education on academic achievement change according to the moderator variable of the lecture?

How do the effect sizes of online education on academic achievement change according to the moderator variable of the online education approaches?

This study aims at determining the effect size of online education, which has been highly used since the beginning of the pandemic, on students’ academic achievement in different courses by using a meta-analysis method. Meta-analysis is a synthesis method that enables gathering of several study results accurately and efficiently, and getting the total results in the end (Tsagris & Fragkos, 2018 ).

2.1 Selecting and coding the data (studies)

The required literature for the meta-analysis study was reviewed in July, 2020, and the follow-up review was conducted in September, 2020. The purpose of the follow-up review was to include the studies which were published in the conduction period of this study, and which met the related inclusion criteria. However, no study was encountered to be included in the follow-up review.

In order to access the studies in the meta-analysis, the databases of Web of Science, ERIC, and SCOPUS were reviewed by utilizing the keywords ‘online learning and online education’. Not every database has a search engine that grants access to the studies by writing the keywords, and this obstacle was considered to be an important problem to be overcome. Therefore, a platform that has a special design was utilized by the researcher. With this purpose, through the open access system of Cukurova University Library, detailed reviews were practiced using EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) that allow reviewing the whole collection of research through a sole searching box. Since the fundamental variables of this study are online education and online learning, the literature was systematically reviewed in the related databases (Web of Science, ERIC, and SCOPUS) by referring to the keywords. Within this scope, 225 articles were accessed, and the studies were included in the coding key list formed by the researcher. The name of the researchers, the year, the database (Web of Science, ERIC, and SCOPUS), the sample group and size, the lectures that the academic achievement was tested in, the country that the study was conducted in, and the class levels were all included in this coding key.

The following criteria were identified to include 225 research studies which were coded based on the theoretical basis of the meta-analysis study: (1) The studies should be published in the refereed journals between the years 2020 and 2021, (2) The studies should be experimental studies that try to determine the effect of online education and online learning on academic achievement, (3) The values of the stated variables or the required statistics to calculate these values should be stated in the results of the studies, and (4) The sample group of the study should be at a primary education level. These criteria were also used as the exclusion criteria in the sense that the studies that do not meet the required criteria were not included in the present study.

After the inclusion criteria were determined, a systematic review process was conducted, following the year criterion of the study by means of EBSCO. Within this scope, 290,365 studies that analyze the effect of online education and online learning on academic achievement were accordingly accessed. The database (Web of Science, ERIC, and SCOPUS) was also used as a filter by analyzing the inclusion criteria. Hence, the number of the studies that were analyzed was 58,616. Afterwards, the keyword ‘primary education’ was used as the filter and the number of studies included in the study decreased to 3152. Lastly, the literature was reviewed by using the keyword ‘academic achievement’ and 225 studies were accessed. All the information of 225 articles was included in the coding key.

It is necessary for the coders to review the related studies accurately and control the validity, safety, and accuracy of the studies (Stewart & Kamins, 2001 ). Within this scope, the studies that were determined based on the variables used in this study were first reviewed by three researchers from primary education field, then the accessed studies were combined and processed in the coding key by the researcher. All these studies that were processed in the coding key were analyzed in accordance with the inclusion criteria by all the researchers in the meetings, and it was decided that 27 studies met the inclusion criteria (Atici & Polat, 2010 ; Carreon, 2018 ; Ceylan & Elitok Kesici, 2017 ; Chae & Shin, 2016 ; Chiang et al. 2014 ; Ercan, 2014 ; Ercan et al., 2016 ; Gwo-Jen et al., 2018 ; Hayes & Stewart, 2016 ; Hwang et al., 2012 ; Kert et al., 2017 ; Lai & Chen, 2010 ; Lai et al., 2015 ; Meyers et al., 2015 ; Ravenel et al., 2014 ; Sung et al., 2016 ; Wang & Chen, 2013 ; Yu, 2019 ; Yu & Chen, 2014 ; Yu & Pan, 2014 ; Yu et al., 2010 ; Zhong et al., 2017 ). The data from the studies meeting the inclusion criteria were independently processed in the second coding key by three researchers, and consensus meetings were arranged for further discussion. After the meetings, researchers came to an agreement that the data were coded accurately and precisely. Having identified the effect sizes and heterogeneity of the study, moderator variables that will show the differences between the effect sizes were determined. The data related to the determined moderator variables were added to the coding key by three researchers, and a new consensus meeting was arranged. After the meeting, researchers came to an agreement that moderator variables were coded accurately and precisely.

2.2 Study group

27 studies are included in the meta-analysis. The total sample size of the studies that are included in the analysis is 1772. The characteristics of the studies included are given in Table 1 .

2.3 Publication bias

Publication bias is the low capability of published studies on a research subject to represent all completed studies on the same subject (Card, 2011 ; Littell et al., 2008 ). Similarly, publication bias is the state of having a relationship between the probability of the publication of a study on a subject, and the effect size and significance that it produces. Within this scope, publication bias may occur when the researchers do not want to publish the study as a result of failing to obtain the expected results, or not being approved by the scientific journals, and consequently not being included in the study synthesis (Makowski et al., 2019 ). The high possibility of publication bias in a meta-analysis study negatively affects (Pecoraro, 2018 ) the accuracy of the combined effect size, causing the average effect size to be reported differently than it should be (Borenstein et al., 2009 ). For this reason, the possibility of publication bias in the included studies was tested before determining the effect sizes of the relationships between the stated variables. The possibility of publication bias of this meta-analysis study was analyzed by using the funnel plot, Orwin’s Safe N Analysis, Duval and Tweedie’s Trip and Fill Analysis, and Egger’s Regression Test.

2.4 Selecting the model

After determining the probability of publication bias of this meta-analysis study, the statistical model used to calculate the effect sizes was selected. The main approaches used in the effect size calculations according to the differentiation level of inter-study variance are fixed and random effects models (Pigott, 2012 ). Fixed effects model refers to the homogeneity of the characteristics of combined studies apart from the sample sizes, while random effects model refers to the parameter diversity between the studies (Cumming, 2012 ). While calculating the average effect size in the random effects model (Deeks et al., 2008 ) that is based on the assumption that effect predictions of different studies are only the result of a similar distribution, it is necessary to consider several situations such as the effect size apart from the sample error of combined studies, characteristics of the participants, duration, scope, and pattern of the study (Littell et al., 2008 ). While deciding the model in the meta-analysis study, the assumptions on the sample characteristics of the studies included in the analysis and the inferences that the researcher aims to make should be taken into consideration. The fact that the sample characteristics of the studies conducted in the field of social sciences are affected by various parameters shows that using random effects model is more appropriate in this sense. Besides, it is stated that the inferences made with the random effects model are beyond the studies included in the meta-analysis (Field, 2003 ; Field & Gillett, 2010 ). Therefore, using random effects model also contributes to the generalization of research data. The specified criteria for the statistical model selection show that according to the nature of the meta-analysis study, the model should be selected just before the analysis (Borenstein et al., 2007 ; Littell et al., 2008 ). Within this framework, it was decided to make use of the random effects model, considering that the students who are the samples of the studies included in the meta-analysis are from different countries and cultures, the sample characteristics of the studies differ, and the patterns and scopes of the studies vary as well.

2.5 Heterogeneity

Meta-analysis facilitates analyzing the research subject with different parameters by showing the level of diversity between the included studies. Within this frame, whether there is a heterogeneous distribution between the studies included in the study or not has been evaluated in the present study. The heterogeneity of the studies combined in this meta-analysis study has been determined through Q and I 2 tests. Q test evaluates the random distribution probability of the differences between the observed results (Deeks et al., 2008 ). Q value exceeding 2 value calculated according to the degree of freedom and significance, indicates the heterogeneity of the combined effect sizes (Card, 2011 ). I 2 test, which is the complementary of the Q test, shows the heterogeneity amount of the effect sizes (Cleophas & Zwinderman, 2017 ). I 2 value being higher than 75% is explained as high level of heterogeneity.

In case of encountering heterogeneity in the studies included in the meta-analysis, the reasons of heterogeneity can be analyzed by referring to the study characteristics. The study characteristics which may be related to the heterogeneity between the included studies can be interpreted through subgroup analysis or meta-regression analysis (Deeks et al., 2008 ). While determining the moderator variables, the sufficiency of the number of variables, the relationship between the moderators, and the condition to explain the differences between the results of the studies have all been considered in the present study. Within this scope, it was predicted in this meta-analysis study that the heterogeneity can be explained with the country, class level, and lecture moderator variables of the study in terms of the effect of online education, which has been highly used since the beginning of the pandemic, and it has an impact on the students’ academic achievement in different lectures. Some subgroups were evaluated and categorized together, considering that the number of effect sizes of the sub-dimensions of the specified variables is not sufficient to perform moderator analysis (e.g. the countries where the studies were conducted).

2.6 Interpreting the effect sizes

Effect size is a factor that shows how much the independent variable affects the dependent variable positively or negatively in each included study in the meta-analysis (Dinçer, 2014 ). While interpreting the effect sizes obtained from the meta-analysis, the classifications of Cohen et al. ( 2007 ) have been utilized. The case of differentiating the specified relationships of the situation of the country, class level, and school subject variables of the study has been identified through the Q test, degree of freedom, and p significance value Fig.  1 and 2 .

3 Findings and results

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect size of online education on academic achievement. Before determining the effect sizes in the study, the probability of publication bias of this meta-analysis study was analyzed by using the funnel plot, Orwin’s Safe N Analysis, Duval and Tweedie’s Trip and Fill Analysis, and Egger’s Regression Test.

When the funnel plots are examined, it is seen that the studies included in the analysis are distributed symmetrically on both sides of the combined effect size axis, and they are generally collected in the middle and lower sections. The probability of publication bias is low according to the plots. However, since the results of the funnel scatter plots may cause subjective interpretations, they have been supported by additional analyses (Littell et al., 2008 ). Therefore, in order to provide an extra proof for the probability of publication bias, it has been analyzed through Orwin’s Safe N Analysis, Duval and Tweedie’s Trip and Fill Analysis, and Egger’s Regression Test (Table 2 ).

Table 2 consists of the results of the rates of publication bias probability before counting the effect size of online education on academic achievement. According to the table, Orwin Safe N analysis results show that it is not necessary to add new studies to the meta-analysis in order for Hedges g to reach a value outside the range of ± 0.01. The Duval and Tweedie test shows that excluding the studies that negatively affect the symmetry of the funnel scatter plots for each meta-analysis or adding their exact symmetrical equivalents does not significantly differentiate the calculated effect size. The insignificance of the Egger tests results reveals that there is no publication bias in the meta-analysis study. The results of the analysis indicate the high internal validity of the effect sizes and the adequacy of representing the studies conducted on the relevant subject.

In this study, it was aimed to determine the effect size of online education on academic achievement after testing the publication bias. In line with the first purpose of the study, the forest graph regarding the effect size of online education on academic achievement is shown in Fig.  3 , and the statistics regarding the effect size are given in Table 3 .

The flow chart of the scanning and selection process of the studies

Funnel plot graphics representing the effect size of the effects of online education on academic success

Forest graph related to the effect size of online education on academic success

The square symbols in the forest graph in Fig.  3 represent the effect sizes, while the horizontal lines show the intervals in 95% confidence of the effect sizes, and the diamond symbol shows the overall effect size. When the forest graph is analyzed, it is seen that the lower and upper limits of the combined effect sizes are generally close to each other, and the study loads are similar. This similarity in terms of study loads indicates the similarity of the contribution of the combined studies to the overall effect size.

Figure  3 clearly represents that the study of Liu and others (Liu et al., 2018 ) has the lowest, and the study of Ercan and Bilen ( 2014 ) has the highest effect sizes. The forest graph shows that all the combined studies and the overall effect are positive. Furthermore, it is simply understood from the forest graph in Fig.  3 and the effect size statistics in Table 3 that the results of the meta-analysis study conducted with 27 studies and analyzing the effect of online education on academic achievement illustrate that this relationship is on average level (= 0.409).

After the analysis of the effect size in the study, whether the studies included in the analysis are distributed heterogeneously or not has also been analyzed. The heterogeneity of the combined studies was determined through the Q and I 2 tests. As a result of the heterogeneity test, Q statistical value was calculated as 29.576. With 26 degrees of freedom at 95% significance level in the chi-square table, the critical value is accepted as 38.885. The Q statistical value (29.576) counted in this study is lower than the critical value of 38.885. The I 2 value, which is the complementary of the Q statistics, is 12.100%. This value indicates that the accurate heterogeneity or the total variability that can be attributed to variability between the studies is 12%. Besides, p value is higher than (0.285) p = 0.05. All these values [Q (26) = 29.579, p = 0.285; I2 = 12.100] indicate that there is a homogeneous distribution between the effect sizes, and fixed effects model should be used to interpret these effect sizes. However, some researchers argue that even if the heterogeneity is low, it should be evaluated based on the random effects model (Borenstein et al., 2007 ). Therefore, this study gives information about both models. The heterogeneity of the combined studies has been attempted to be explained with the characteristics of the studies included in the analysis. In this context, the final purpose of the study is to determine the effect of the country, academic level, and year variables on the findings. Accordingly, the statistics regarding the comparison of the stated relations according to the countries where the studies were conducted are given in Table 4 .

As seen in Table 4 , the effect of online education on academic achievement does not differ significantly according to the countries where the studies were conducted in. Q test results indicate the heterogeneity of the relationships between the variables in terms of countries where the studies were conducted in. According to the table, the effect of online education on academic achievement was reported as the highest in other countries, and the lowest in the US. The statistics regarding the comparison of the stated relations according to the class levels are given in Table 5 .

As seen in Table 5 , the effect of online education on academic achievement does not differ according to the class level. However, the effect of online education on academic achievement is the highest in the 4 th class. The statistics regarding the comparison of the stated relations according to the class levels are given in Table 6 .

As seen in Table 6 , the effect of online education on academic achievement does not differ according to the school subjects included in the studies. However, the effect of online education on academic achievement is the highest in ICT subject.

The obtained effect size in the study was formed as a result of the findings attained from primary studies conducted in 7 different countries. In addition, these studies are the ones on different approaches to online education (online learning environments, social networks, blended learning, etc.). In this respect, the results may raise some questions about the validity and generalizability of the results of the study. However, the moderator analyzes, whether for the country variable or for the approaches covered by online education, did not create significant differences in terms of the effect sizes. If significant differences were to occur in terms of effect sizes, we could say that the comparisons we will make by comparing countries under the umbrella of online education would raise doubts in terms of generalizability. Moreover, no study has been found in the literature that is not based on a special approach or does not contain a specific technique conducted under the name of online education alone. For instance, one of the commonly used definitions is blended education which is defined as an educational model in which online education is combined with traditional education method (Colis & Moonen, 2001 ). Similarly, Rasmussen ( 2003 ) defines blended learning as “a distance education method that combines technology (high technology such as television, internet, or low technology such as voice e-mail, conferences) with traditional education and training.” Further, Kerres and Witt (2003) define blended learning as “combining face-to-face learning with technology-assisted learning.” As it is clearly observed, online education, which has a wider scope, includes many approaches.

As seen in Table 7 , the effect of online education on academic achievement does not differ according to online education approaches included in the studies. However, the effect of online education on academic achievement is the highest in Web Based Problem Solving Approach.

4 Conclusions and discussion

Considering the developments during the pandemics, it is thought that the diversity in online education applications as an interdisciplinary pragmatist field will increase, and the learning content and processes will be enriched with the integration of new technologies into online education processes. Another prediction is that more flexible and accessible learning opportunities will be created in online education processes, and in this way, lifelong learning processes will be strengthened. As a result, it is predicted that in the near future, online education and even digital learning with a newer name will turn into the main ground of education instead of being an alternative or having a support function in face-to-face learning. The lessons learned from the early period online learning experience, which was passed with rapid adaptation due to the Covid19 epidemic, will serve to develop this method all over the world, and in the near future, online learning will become the main learning structure through increasing its functionality with the contribution of new technologies and systems. If we look at it from this point of view, there is a necessity to strengthen online education.

In this study, the effect of online learning on academic achievement is at a moderate level. To increase this effect, the implementation of online learning requires support from teachers to prepare learning materials, to design learning appropriately, and to utilize various digital-based media such as websites, software technology and various other tools to support the effectiveness of online learning (Rolisca & Achadiyah, 2014 ). According to research conducted by Rahayu et al. ( 2017 ), it has been proven that the use of various types of software increases the effectiveness and quality of online learning. Implementation of online learning can affect students' ability to adapt to technological developments in that it makes students use various learning resources on the internet to access various types of information, and enables them to get used to performing inquiry learning and active learning (Hart et al., 2019 ; Prestiadi et al., 2019 ). In addition, there may be many reasons for the low level of effect in this study. The moderator variables examined in this study could be a guide in increasing the level of practical effect. However, the effect size did not differ significantly for all moderator variables. Different moderator analyzes can be evaluated in order to increase the level of impact of online education on academic success. If confounding variables that significantly change the effect level are detected, it can be spoken more precisely in order to increase this level. In addition to the technical and financial problems, the level of impact will increase if a few other difficulties are eliminated such as students, lack of interaction with the instructor, response time, and lack of traditional classroom socialization.

In addition, COVID-19 pandemic related social distancing has posed extreme difficulties for all stakeholders to get online as they have to work in time constraints and resource constraints. Adopting the online learning environment is not just a technical issue, it is a pedagogical and instructive challenge as well. Therefore, extensive preparation of teaching materials, curriculum, and assessment is vital in online education. Technology is the delivery tool and requires close cross-collaboration between teaching, content and technology teams (CoSN, 2020 ).

Online education applications have been used for many years. However, it has come to the fore more during the pandemic process. This result of necessity has brought with it the discussion of using online education instead of traditional education methods in the future. However, with this research, it has been revealed that online education applications are moderately effective. The use of online education instead of face-to-face education applications can only be possible with an increase in the level of success. This may have been possible with the experience and knowledge gained during the pandemic process. Therefore, the meta-analysis of experimental studies conducted in the coming years will guide us. In this context, experimental studies using online education applications should be analyzed well. It would be useful to identify variables that can change the level of impacts with different moderators. Moderator analyzes are valuable in meta-analysis studies (for example, the role of moderators in Karl Pearson's typhoid vaccine studies). In this context, each analysis study sheds light on future studies. In meta-analyses to be made about online education, it would be beneficial to go beyond the moderators determined in this study. Thus, the contribution of similar studies to the field will increase more.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of online education on academic achievement. In line with this purpose, the studies that analyze the effect of online education approaches on academic achievement have been included in the meta-analysis. The total sample size of the studies included in the meta-analysis is 1772. While the studies included in the meta-analysis were conducted in the US, Taiwan, Turkey, China, Philippines, Ireland, and Georgia, the studies carried out in Europe could not be reached. The reason may be attributed to that there may be more use of quantitative research methods from a positivist perspective in the countries with an American academic tradition. As a result of the study, it was found out that the effect size of online education on academic achievement (g = 0.409) was moderate. In the studies included in the present research, we found that online education approaches were more effective than traditional ones. However, contrary to the present study, the analysis of comparisons between online and traditional education in some studies shows that face-to-face traditional learning is still considered effective compared to online learning (Ahmad et al., 2016 ; Hamdani & Priatna, 2020 ; Wei & Chou, 2020 ). Online education has advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of online learning compared to face-to-face learning in the classroom is the flexibility of learning time in online learning, the learning time does not include a single program, and it can be shaped according to circumstances (Lai et al., 2019 ). The next advantage is the ease of collecting assignments for students, as these can be done without having to talk to the teacher. Despite this, online education has several weaknesses, such as students having difficulty in understanding the material, teachers' inability to control students, and students’ still having difficulty interacting with teachers in case of internet network cuts (Swan, 2007 ). According to Astuti et al ( 2019 ), face-to-face education method is still considered better by students than e-learning because it is easier to understand the material and easier to interact with teachers. The results of the study illustrated that the effect size (g = 0.409) of online education on academic achievement is of medium level. Therefore, the results of the moderator analysis showed that the effect of online education on academic achievement does not differ in terms of country, lecture, class level, and online education approaches variables. After analyzing the literature, several meta-analyses on online education were published (Bernard et al., 2004 ; Machtmes & Asher, 2000 ; Zhao et al., 2005 ). Typically, these meta-analyzes also include the studies of older generation technologies such as audio, video, or satellite transmission. One of the most comprehensive studies on online education was conducted by Bernard et al. ( 2004 ). In this study, 699 independent effect sizes of 232 studies published from 1985 to 2001 were analyzed, and face-to-face education was compared to online education, with respect to success criteria and attitudes of various learners from young children to adults. In this meta-analysis, an overall effect size close to zero was found for the students' achievement (g +  = 0.01).

In another meta-analysis study carried out by Zhao et al. ( 2005 ), 98 effect sizes were examined, including 51 studies on online education conducted between 1996 and 2002. According to the study of Bernard et al. ( 2004 ), this meta-analysis focuses on the activities done in online education lectures. As a result of the research, an overall effect size close to zero was found for online education utilizing more than one generation technology for students at different levels. However, the salient point of the meta-analysis study of Zhao et al. is that it takes the average of different types of results used in a study to calculate an overall effect size. This practice is problematic because the factors that develop one type of learner outcome (e.g. learner rehabilitation), particularly course characteristics and practices, may be quite different from those that develop another type of outcome (e.g. learner's achievement), and it may even cause damage to the latter outcome. While mixing the studies with different types of results, this implementation may obscure the relationship between practices and learning.

Some meta-analytical studies have focused on the effectiveness of the new generation distance learning courses accessed through the internet for specific student populations. For instance, Sitzmann and others (Sitzmann et al., 2006 ) reviewed 96 studies published from 1996 to 2005, comparing web-based education of job-related knowledge or skills with face-to-face one. The researchers found that web-based education in general was slightly more effective than face-to-face education, but it is insufficient in terms of applicability ("knowing how to apply"). In addition, Sitzmann et al. ( 2006 ) revealed that Internet-based education has a positive effect on theoretical knowledge in quasi-experimental studies; however, it positively affects face-to-face education in experimental studies performed by random assignment. This moderator analysis emphasizes the need to pay attention to the factors of designs of the studies included in the meta-analysis. The designs of the studies included in this meta-analysis study were ignored. This can be presented as a suggestion to the new studies that will be conducted.

Another meta-analysis study was conducted by Cavanaugh et al. ( 2004 ), in which they focused on online education. In this study on internet-based distance education programs for students under 12 years of age, the researchers combined 116 results from 14 studies published between 1999 and 2004 to calculate an overall effect that was not statistically different from zero. The moderator analysis carried out in this study showed that there was no significant factor affecting the students' success. This meta-analysis used multiple results of the same study, ignoring the fact that different results of the same student would not be independent from each other.

In conclusion, some meta-analytical studies analyzed the consequences of online education for a wide range of students (Bernard et al., 2004 ; Zhao et al., 2005 ), and the effect sizes were generally low in these studies. Furthermore, none of the large-scale meta-analyzes considered the moderators, database quality standards or class levels in the selection of the studies, while some of them just referred to the country and lecture moderators. Advances in internet-based learning tools, the pandemic process, and increasing popularity in different learning contexts have required a precise meta-analysis of students' learning outcomes through online learning. Previous meta-analysis studies were typically based on the studies, involving narrow range of confounding variables. In the present study, common but significant moderators such as class level and lectures during the pandemic process were discussed. For instance, the problems have been experienced especially in terms of eligibility of class levels in online education platforms during the pandemic process. It was found that there is a need to study and make suggestions on whether online education can meet the needs of teachers and students.

Besides, the main forms of online education in the past were to watch the open lectures of famous universities and educational videos of institutions. In addition, online education is mainly a classroom-based teaching implemented by teachers in their own schools during the pandemic period, which is an extension of the original school education. This meta-analysis study will stand as a source to compare the effect size of the online education forms of the past decade with what is done today, and what will be done in the future.

Lastly, the heterogeneity test results of the meta-analysis study display that the effect size does not differ in terms of class level, country, online education approaches, and lecture moderators.

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Ulum, H. The effects of online education on academic success: A meta-analysis study. Educ Inf Technol 27 , 429–450 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10740-8

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Argumentative Essay: Online Learning and Educational Access

Conventional learning is evolving with the help of computers and online technology. New ways of learning are now available, and improved access is one of the most important benefits available. People all around the world are experiencing improved mobility as a result of the freedom and potential that online learning provides, and as academic institutions and learning organisations adopt online learning technologies and remote-access learning, formal academic education is becoming increasingly legitimate. This essay argues the contemporary benefits of online learning, and that these benefits significantly outweigh the issues, challenges and disadvantages of online learning.

Online learning is giving people new choices and newfound flexibility with their personal learning and development. Whereas before, formal academic qualifications could only be gained by participating in a full time course on site, the internet has allowed institutions to expand their reach and offer recognized courses on a contact-partial, or totally virtual, basis. Institutions can do so with relatively few extra resources, and for paid courses this constitutes excellent value, and the student benefits with greater educational access and greater flexibility to learn and get qualified even when there lots of other personal commitments to deal with.

Flexibility is certainly one of the most important benefits, but just as important is educational access. On top of the internet’s widespread presence in developed countries, the internet is becoming increasingly available in newly developed and developing countries. Even without considering the general informational exposure that the internet delivers, online academic courses and learning initiatives are becoming more aware of the needs of people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and this means that people from such backgrounds are in a much better position to learn and progress than they used to be.

The biggest argument that raises doubt over online learning is the quality of online courses in comparison to conventional courses. Are such online courses good enough for employers to take notice? The second biggest argument is the current reality that faces many people from disadvantaged backgrounds, despite the improvements made in this area in recent years – they do not have the level of basic access needed to benefit from online learning. In fact, there are numerous sources of evidence that claim disadvantaged students are not receiving anywhere near the sort of benefits that online learning institutions and promoters are trying to instigate. Currently there are many organisations, campaigns and initiatives that are working to expand access to higher education. With such high participation, it can be argued that it is only a matter of time before the benefits are truly realised, but what about the global online infrastructure?

There is another argument that is very difficult to dispel, and that is the response of different types of students to the online learning paradigm. Evidence shows that there are certain groups of students that benefit from college distance learning much more than other groups. In essence, students must be highly motivated and highly disciplined if they are to learn effectively in their own private environment.

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The benefits of online communication

Staying at home has been onerous for many, and we’re all starting to miss the once ostensibly small but now perceivably luxurious activities that would assumedly come with the return home for the vac. There are many parts of the pre-COVID-19 world for which we all feel saudade; activities as futile as a stroll around the grey and rainy block are sunlit in our memories (which feel much more distant than a mere month ago), but for many of us the most felt loss is social interaction.

Undoubtedly, social distancing is the right thing to do, and it never hurts to remember that there is an endpoint to this weird time. Before we know it, this era of stockpiling toilet paper and singing out of the window will be a surreal memory. But for now, we have something valuable that they did not have during the 1918 influenza pandemic: countless forms of online communication.

At university, social interaction is a thing that often just happens , regardless of whether you try. Grabbing a drink after a morning class or lying on a friend’s floor for five minutes, or an hour, or – whoops – three hours; although rarely planned, these are some of my best memories from Hilary term. But, alas, they were always at the expense of work I really should have been doing instead.

But we all now possess something that, as Oxford students, we thought we had signed away the rights to for a good three (or more) years.

Looking back at the last two terms, a recurring problem was the way a heavy workload – or, often, a regretted albeit smart decision to get an early night – gets in the way of a thriving social life I’d ideally be living.

But we all now possess something that, as Oxford students, we thought we had signed away the rights to for a good three (or more) years. Free time. Time to hate watch all five of the twilight movies, time to impersonate and idolise Mary Berry, or, perhaps, time to embrace this rare opportunity to pause for thought, to appreciate those who matter and to make a concerted effort with these people. The people who, when what now feels like an apocalypse in fact comes to an endpoint, will be the first people you buy a train ticket and make the journey for.

Consider the moments that happened organically in college – being invited for a cup of tea by someone in your building – and orchestrate them online. We have the tools at our disposal, so use them! Have a Skype call where everyone drinks a cup of tea and catches up on their (admittedly slightly vacant) day. If you can do a social activity in person, you can do a variation of that activity online.

Without having to worry about commuting to another part of the UK, or even another country, more of the time invested in a social interaction can actually include that interaction. In just one day, and without ever leaving my room or spending a penny, I can watch a failed attempt at a home hair dye job over messenger video call, lose several games of Risk over Steam, and start a new series on Netflix party.

A six-week vac cannot allow for an IRL meeting with every person you would ideally see, but a single hour on zoom can easily reunite us all: New Jersey, Poland and Chorley all on one screen. Plus, there is no real-world alternative for setting your Zoom background to the most spiteful photo of your friend that you can find.

Perhaps even try the old but not yet forgotten art of a phone call. Remarkably, despite the seemingly endless and misspent void in isolation, it is always possible to fill hours over the phone with minimal awkward silences.

a unique opportunity to do something creative

These modern age advantages aren’t limited to self-made friendships. How often is the whole extended family free and in the same place at once? Some years, this only happens at Christmas, but in 2020 we can make it a weekly event: Tuesday afternoon at five, block it in your calendar grandma, a family Skype call (–it’s the little blue icon with an S on it… no, no, the one on your home screen! Yes. The. Blue. One.)

Even for long distance relationships, a status many have unexpectedly found themselves flung into, hope is far from lost. It may not be ideal, but it’s also a unique opportunity to do something creative and put in effort, just as with friendships. Make each other a pub quiz based on their hobbies, or come together to think of a less cringe inducing idea than the hundreds of horrific ideas on the internet.

Now we know how easy it is, maybe we will continue these online habits in to the future – a social reality particularly beneficial to international students now just as included in catch-ups and meet-ups as UK students, and to university-based couples regularly faced with separation for a potential six week period.

So, play heads up over Houseparty, steal each other’s cards in the online version of Cards Against Humanity, or have a good old-fashioned text chain going with someone you hadn’t thought to stay in touch with until now, and before we know it: we’ll be back to normal together.

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Transition from online to face-to-face education after covid-19: the benefits of online education from students’ perspective.

1. Introduction

2. literature review, 2.1. students’ perceptions on online education during the pandemic, 2.1.1. online learning during the pandemic, 2.1.2. online teaching during the pandemic, 2.1.3. online assessments during the pandemic, 2.1.4. online interaction during the pandemic, 2.2. students’ feelings and opinions on returning to face-to-face education after the pandemic, 2.3. romanian students’ feelings and opinions on returning to face-to-face education after the pandemic.

• What are the aspects of online learning that students do not encounter in face-to-face learning, but would like to?
• What are the aspects of online teaching that students do not encounter in face-to-face teaching, but would like to?
• What are the aspects of online assessment that students do not encounter in face-to-face assessment, but would like to?
• What are the aspects of online interaction with teachers and peers that students do not encounter in face-to-face interaction, but would like to?
• What is the students’ perception regarding the effort and the level of difficulty of switching from online to face-to-face education and the form of education considered to be more beneficial for their professional development?

3. Materials and Methods

3.1. sample, 3.2. research instruments and data collection, 4.1. aspects of online learning that students would like to encounter in face-to-face learning, 4.2. aspects of online teaching that students would like to encounter in face-to-face teaching, 4.3. aspects of online assessment that students would like to encounter in face-to-face assessment, 4.4. aspects of the online interaction with teachers and peers that students would like to encounter in the face-to-face interaction, 4.5. students’ perception on the effort and the level of difficulty of switching from online education to face-to-face one and the form of education considered to be more beneficial for their professional development, 5. discussion and conclusions, 6. limitations, author contributions, institutional review board statement, informed consent statement, data availability statement, conflicts of interest.

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Stoian, C.E.; Fărcașiu, M.A.; Dragomir, G.-M.; Gherheș, V. Transition from Online to Face-to-Face Education after COVID-19: The Benefits of Online Education from Students’ Perspective. Sustainability 2022 , 14 , 12812. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912812

Stoian CE, Fărcașiu MA, Dragomir G-M, Gherheș V. Transition from Online to Face-to-Face Education after COVID-19: The Benefits of Online Education from Students’ Perspective. Sustainability . 2022; 14(19):12812. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912812

Stoian, Claudia E., Marcela A. Fărcașiu, Gabriel-Mugurel Dragomir, and Vasile Gherheș. 2022. "Transition from Online to Face-to-Face Education after COVID-19: The Benefits of Online Education from Students’ Perspective" Sustainability 14, no. 19: 12812. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912812

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Essay: Why effective communication is important in online education

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• Subject area(s): Education essays
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• Published: 11 December 2015*
• Last Modified: 23 July 2024
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Abstract Approximately 3.9 million students logged on in a minimum of one online course in fall 2007. consistent with Allen and Seaman (2008), online education increasing rates have unbroken to outstrip entire higher education growth rates and there aren’t any signs of online growth decreasing. As any education establishments give with increasing numbers of online and homogenized programs, it’s important that conductors integrate study and approaches into coaching and skilled development for online college. This paper can give a comparative summary of communication researchers at it relates to online education. what is a lot of, this paper can give recommendations for integration effective online communication into programming and instruction to extend student property, engagement, and retention. college and student data/feedback collected from Drexel University’s on-line Master of Science in education Program are shared to stress the importance of effective communication in on-line education. Introduction Online education enrollment growth within the u. s. currently so much exceeds overall education growth. As reportable by Allen and Seaman (2008), the web enrollment growth rates exaggerated 12-tone system from fall 2006 to fall 2007 whereas overall education growth rates exaggerated only one.2%. In fall 2007, there have been or so three.9 million students listed in a minimum of one on-line course (Allen & Seaman, 2008). As economic and demographic factors still drive current and future on-line and homogenized program enrollments (Betts, 2009), education directors should develop on-line communication ways that foster human interaction and connect on-line students yet as on-line regular and part-time college to programs and therefore the establishment. Interaction in face-to-face, online, and homogenized programs vary relying upon the channels of communication integrated into the courses. consistent with Faharani (2003), interaction in an exceedingly face-to-face program is predominately supported verbal and nonverbal communicative behaviors whereas interaction in on-line courses is preponderantly supported communication. As any indicated by Collison, Elbaum, Haavind, and Tinker (2000), ‘in the virtual world, there’s no visual communication from that the teacher will gauge the interest of the participants and,consequently, regulate the tone or pace of the presentation’ (p. 1). Therefore, directors and school should be cognizant of the communication variations that exist between the on-campus and on-line atmosphere. Personalized communication is crucial to enlisting, engagement, and retention of on-line students. In fact, student information collected through annual surveys by Drexel University’s on-line Master of Science in education Program (MSHE) indicates the a lot of personalised the web academic atmosphere is for college kids, the a lot of possible students are engaged throughout their courses and keep connected as alumni. Recognizing there square measure inherent variations between ancient and on-line environments, directors and school should perceive the importance of integration effective communication ways into on-line program development, course style, and instruction to have interaction, connect, and retain students. ‘Communication may be a growing discipline’ (Pfau, 2008, p. 598). However, shaping communication isn’t a straightforward task (Littlejohn & Foss, 2005). In 2006, Dance and Larson known 126 definitions for communication within the perform of Human Communication: A Theoretical Approach. Since this publication, Trenholm (2008) states that communication students are busy adding to the Dance and Larson list of communication definitions. Yet, whereas students have created tries to outline communication, Littlejohn and Foss (2005) note that ‘establishing one definition has evidenced impossible’ . Recognizing the inherent challenge conferred by distinctive one definition for communication that’s universally accepted, this paper can rest on human communication analysis and communication as a ‘process.’ Tubbs ANd nonvascular plant (2006) state that ‘since human communication is an intangible, changing method, many of us realize it useful to use a tangible model to explain that process’ (p. 10).The Tubbs Communication Model There square measure in depth varieties of communication models that exist at intervals the literature together with Shannon-Weaver, Osgood & Schramm Circular Model, Gerbner’s General Model, etc. This paper builds upon the Tubbs Communication Model as a result of its generalizability across communication settings. The Tubbs Communication Model focuses on the principles and contexts of communication and exemplifies the foremost basic human communication event that involves simply 2 individuals (Tubbs & nonvascular plant, 2006). The model includes person one (the sender/receiver) and person two (the receivernder). Tubbs and nonvascular plant (2006) describe each person one and person two as sources of communication since every originates and receives messages at the same time. These messages square measure transmitted verbally and/or nonverbally. Tubbs and nonvascular plant (2006) give the subsequent definitions for varieties of messages: Verbal- any form of speech communication that uses one or a lot of words (p. 12); Intentional verbal- acutely aware tries we tend to create to speak with others through speech (p. 12); While person one originates the message, the transmitting of the message could also be full of the channel. Therefore, it’s vital that directors and school square measure responsive to the communication channels that square measure usually incorporated into academic programs and courses. Channels embrace face-to-face (sensory), structure, and mass communication. structure communication channels could embrace email messages, videoconferencing, newsletters, bulletin boards, wikis, blogs, etc. Channels at intervals mass communication embrace tv, newspapers, radio, etc. Effective Communication what’s effective communication? Tubbs and nonvascular plant (2006), state, ‘communication is effective once the information as initiated and meant by the sender, or source, corresponds closely to the information because it is perceived and competent by the receiver’ (p. 24). In on-line education, effective communication is especially vital as a result of students could ne’er or sometimes return to field. Hence, there could also be restricted or no face-to-face communication and interaction throughout a student’s enrollment. Therefore, it’s vital that directors integrate study and ways into coaching and skilled development for on-line college. As indicated by Lorenzetti (2003), Faculty members square measure one in all the foremost crucial hires that you simply have to be compelled to create in your on-line program. whereas ancient, on-campus students kind a control of your establishment supported factors from physical plant to extracurricular activities, the one face that usually represents your entire establishment to on-line students is that the educator. (p. 1) Faculty play a crucial role in student engagement and retention. consistent with Tinto (1975, 1982, and 2006), ‘Frequency and quality of contact with college, staff, ANd students has repeatedly been shown to be an freelance predictor of student persistence’ reveals that knowing college and school concern assist students get through difficult times and enhance a student’s intellectual commitment.It is through human communication and interaction that students square measure ready to connect with college.Therefore, with growing numbers of ancient courses and programs transitioning to on-line and homogenized formats, there’s AN increasing ought to examine effective human communication in on-line environments to foster a customized affiliation between students, faculty, and therefore the establishment. Face-to-Face Communication Face-to-face communication is often related to ancient on-campus courses. In face-to-face communication, communication channels embrace sensory organs for receiving stimuli; but, of the 5 senses, people nearly completely have confidence hearing, sight, and bit (Tubbs & nonvascular plant, 2006). Hearing, whereas totally different from listening, is crucial as a result of it’s the primary component within the listening method (Tubbs & nonvascular plant, 2006). Listening, as outlined by the International Listening Association (1996), is ‘the method of receiving, constructing which means from, and responding to spoken and/or nonverbal messages’ (‘International Listening Association,’ n.d.). Trenholm (2008) states, ‘being ready to listen well is one in all the foremost essential communication-related skills’ (p. 44). As people listen, they’re not passive receivers however active ‘creators of meaning’ (Trenholm, 2008). whereas listening may be a crucial part of the communication method, the stress on listening shifts because the channel changes from face-to-face to telephone/mobile phone/Voiceover net Protocol (VoIP) to computer-mediated and to communication. In face-to-face communication, verbal and non-verbal communication affects communication dealing, interpretation, and which means. Therefore, it vital to tell apart verbal from nonverbaland vocal from nonvocal.Verbal communication as antecedently explicit is ‘any form of speech communication that uses one or a lot of words’ whereas ‘nonverbal communication is all of the messages we tend to transmit while not words or over and higher than the words we tend to use’ (Tubbs & nonvascular plant, 2006, p. 12-13). Therefore, consistent with Tubbs and nonvascular plant (2006), verbalocal communication refers to communication through the word whereas verbalnvocal communication refers to the utilization of words however while not speaking. In a web education course, very similar to a center, visual communication within the ancient sense disappears over the phonephone, transportable, and ‘live’ synchronous categories unless there’s access to video. Therefore, it’s crucial that directors and school perceive the breakdown of communication once incorporating voice choices into program development, course style, and instruction. Moreover, coaching and skilled development is required so college and students will optimize course management system tools that support engagement and foster human communication. Communication is extraordinarily vital in on-line education since students could ne’er step foot on AN institution’s field or do thus sometimes. for many on-line students, their primary contact with an establishment is thru their communication with college. during this capability, college square measure actually institutional ambassadors; so, communication coaching is important. Human communication, as printed during this paper, is advanced however plays a valuable, if not crucial , role in student engagement, property, and retention. In on-line environments, students might not have the advantage of the various visual and vocal cues inherent in face-to-face courses; but, through advancements in technology, college will reach intent on students through learning system tools that support text, voice, and video communication. Moreover,effective communication is very important to on-line, blended, and face-to-face education. Therefore, directors ought to develop coaching and skilled development that builds upon study and provides college with skills and techniques for being effective on-line communicators. whereas the subsequent recommendations square measure for on-line programs, the recommendations can even be employed by homogenized programs yet as on-campus programs since college communicate frequently with students electronically. The recommendations embrace coaching, setting the tone, and diversifying communication ways. Human communication ANd effective communication ways ought to be an integral a part of college coaching and skilled development. Program directors ought to give on-line college with overall program expectations for communication through instruction and communication with on-line students. as an example, college pointers ought to denote however quickly college square measure expected to reply to student emails, the types of feedback expected on stratified assignments, the timeframe for posting grades, however usually to post in discussion boards, however usually to post announcements, etc. If expectations and pointers don’t seem to be provided, there’ll be inconsistency in overall communication from one course to a different. coaching ought to showcase the accessible varieties of course management system tools that support communication, instruction, and engagement yet as a way to use the tools. most significantly, coaching ought to be in progress. whereas it’s crucial to produce coaching for freshly employed on-line college, in progress skilled development provides college with opportunities to develop new skills, augment tutorial ways, and utilize innovative tools for reaching intent on and connecting with students through effective communication. Diversifying Communication ways As indicated by Faharani (2003), interaction in an exceedingly face-to-face program is predominately supported verbal and nonverbal communicative behaviors, whereas interaction in a web program is preponderantly supported communication. on-line college want coaching on a way to incorporate numerous communication ways into on-line courses to speak a lot of effectively with on-line students. Today’s course management system tools give in depth channels for communication with students, thus it’s counseled that on-line instruction integrate a mix of communication ways throughout a quartermester. Voice announcements square measure a superb thanks to share enthusiasm a couple of submitted course assignment during which the scholars performed fine. Voice ANnouncements can even be accustomed give verbal reminders and tips about an coming assignment to reinforce the written needs. Voice emails are often sent to a personal student to produce encouragement if the scholar has voiced concern or doubt regarding AN assignment, a course, or enrollment. Voice emails can even be accustomed share cluster accolades a couple of project that was well conferred. on-line synchronous schoolroom environments (e.g., Horizon Wimba schoolroom, Adobe Connect, GoToMeeting, etc.) give opportunities for college kids to have interaction in an exceedingly synchronous setting and modify college to use video or spoken communication to attach with students. Asynchronous voice boards give venues for sophistication debates and role-plays. communication (e.g., email, text discussion boards, announcements, etc.) can continually have a crucial role in on-line education; but, hearing and seeing a web educator is a superb thanks to alter the web academic expertise. Conclusion Effective communication in on-line education begins with AN understanding of human communication and therefore the variations between teaching in an exceedingly face-to-face and a web atmosphere. coaching is important for freshly employed college yet as seasoned on-line instructors thus communication isn’t ‘lost in translation.’ college pointers square measure required to produce expectations about communication. Recognizing that on-line education are often terribly text-driven, it’s vital that college integrate numerous communication ways into on-line courses to have interaction and connect students as active participants. whereas communication coaching is important to developing effective communication skills, college should introspectively examine their own type of communication which is able to greatly assist in skilled development and growth as a web educator. As technology advances, it’s vital that analysis continues within the space of human communication and on-line education. whereas this paper has provided an summary of human communication, several aspects of communication weren’t coated as a result of the grandness of literature within the field of communication (e.g., gender, social, intercultural, cluster communication, structure communication, etc.). Comparative analysis and studies with on-line, blended, and face-to-face programs square measure required to raised perceive human communication across these varieties of academic settings. analysis ought to additionally examine supposed channel effects, during which the channel accustomed communicate could carry with it sure strengths, weaknesses, biases, and expectations. to boot, any analysis ought to examine these affects on the effectiveness and effectivity of various learning modalities. whereas advancements in technology and telecommunications square measure remodeling communication and academic delivery, the key to participating, connecting, and retentive students in on-line education are human communication, on-line human bit, and body support.

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Essay On Online Education: In 100 Words, 150 Words, and 200 Words

• Updated on  
• Apr 26, 2024

Online education has emerged as a significant transformation in the global education landscape, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic . This essay explores the various facets of online education, from its inception to its advantages and disadvantages and its impact on learners and educators alike. The evolution of online education presents a new horizon for accessible and flexible learning .

Table of Contents

• 1 Essay on Online Education in 100 words
• 2 Essay on Online Education in 150 words
• 3 Essay on Online Education in 200 words
• 4 Short Essay on Online Education

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Essay on Online Education in 100 words

Online education is a modern educational paradigm where students access instructional content through the internet. This innovative approach has gained immense popularity, especially after the pandemic, owing to its convenience and adaptability. It has enabled students of all ages to acquire knowledge from the comfort of their homes, transcending geographical barriers. Online education offers a diverse range of courses and resources, fostering continuous learning. However, it also presents challenges, such as dependency on technology and potential disengagement from the physical world.

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Essay on Online Education in 150 words

Online education marks a revolutionary shift in how we acquire knowledge. It harnesses the power of the internet to deliver educational content to students, making learning more flexible and accessible. Technology advancements have accelerated the development of online education, enabling educational institutions to provide a wide range of courses and programmes through digital platforms.

One of the primary advantages of online education is its ability to cater to a diverse audience, regardless of geographical location or physical limitations. It eliminates the need for commuting and offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional classroom learning. However, online education also comes with its challenges. It requires self-discipline and motivation as students often learn independently. Additionally, prolonged screen time can have adverse effects on students’ physical and mental well-being, potentially leading to social disconnection.

Essay on Online Education in 200 words

Online education has witnessed remarkable growth in recent years, with the internet serving as the conduit for delivering educational content. This transformation has been accelerated, particularly in response to the global pandemic. Online education transcends the boundaries of traditional learning, offering students the opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills from anywhere in the world.

One of the most compelling aspects of online education is its flexibility. Learners can access course materials and engage with instructors at their convenience, breaking free from rigid schedules. Moreover, this mode of education has expanded access to a vast array of courses, allowing individuals to pursue their interests and career goals without geographical constraints.

However, it’s important to acknowledge the challenges associated with online education. It demands a high degree of self-discipline, as students must navigate the coursework independently. Prolonged screen time can have adverse effects on health and may lead to a sense of disconnection from society.

In conclusion, online education represents a significant shift in how we approach learning. It offers unprecedented access and flexibility but also requires learners to adapt to a more self-directed approach to education. Striking a balance between the benefits and challenges of online education is key to harnessing its full potential.

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Short Essay on Online Education

Find a sample essay on online education below:

An organised argument backed up by proof and examples is the key to writing a convincing essay. Create a clear thesis statement at the outset, follow a logical progression of points, and then summarise your main points.

To improve readability, use clear and concise language, break your essay into paragraphs with clear topic sentences, and vary your sentence structure.

If you’re struggling to meet the word count, review your content to see if you can expand on your ideas, provide more examples, or include additional details to support your arguments. Additionally, check for any redundancies or irrelevant information that can be removed.

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161 Online Education Topics and Essay Examples

🏆 best research title examples about online class, 💡 most interesting online learning topics to write about, 📚 good online education topics for presentation, 🌐 catchy titled for online learning essay, 💻 online class research titles, ❓ research topics about online classes.

• Online Classes Vs. Traditional Classes Essay The essay shall endeavor to examine the differences between online classes and the traditional classes, with a preference for the later.
• Benefits of Online Learning This knowledge and skill one gains from online help the person to intermingle with others in a better way, progress their profession, or develop their business successfully.
• Comparison of Stress Level Among Traditional Learning and Online Learning College Students The distance learners have been perceived to be enjoying a suitable environment of learning as opposed to the traditional classroom learners who experience high levels of stress.
• Personal Reflections for the MBA Distance Learning I was able to concentrate on various subjects, complete assignments, and liaise with different instructors throughout the learning process. The approach made the learning process desirable and capable of supporting my aims.
• Distance Learning: Advantages and Limitations All three articles cover the topic of distance learning in the context of the coronavirus and everyday practice. Speaking of the advantages of distance learning, the author suggests that remote learning may not be ideal […]
• Traditional vs. Distance Learning Systems On the other hand, in online learning, the students partake learning individually, and in some cases, students doing the same course in the same college do not even get to know each other.
• Contrasting an Online Class to a Traditional Class In most cases, the traditional class syllabus is usually a bit wider hence offering the trainee much more as opposed to online classes where there is lack of provisions for diversification of the subject.
• How to Succeed in Online Classes The time you attend the class has to coincide with the time of day when your brain is also most receptive to the information it receives.
• The Importance of Online Learning For this purpose, it is possible to conduct classes in real-time, when they can ask and receive the opinion of others.
• Zoom for Online Learning Updates During the pandemic, the zoom was and is still the most downloaded App in the USA and globally compared to others.
• Distance Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic The radical transition from the traditional system of obtaining knowledge to virtual education actualizes research related to the analysis of the specifics and dysfunctions of distance learning.
• Creating Student Engagement in Online Learning Environment To contribute to creating and stimulating student engagement in online learning environments, it is important to focus on such factors as the increase of students’ motivation, focus on independent and inquiry-based learning, the active role […]
• The Impact of Distance Learning on the Mental State The argument of the supporters of the first perspective is based on the fact that online education reduces the ability of students to concentrate and deteriorates overall motivation.
• Online Learning in Vocational Education and Training There are different variations in the process of learning on the basis of the types of combination and integration with the other technologies used for the teaching and learning process.
• The Roles of Families in Virtual Learning By analyzing the various roles that families play in virtual learning, the authors demonstrate that family involvement and support are critical to the success of their children The authors begin by discussing the impact of […]
• The Need for Online Learning at St. Francis Elementary School This has led to the need to design an online learning platform suitable for interactive and critical learning experiences by the tutors and their learners.
• Online Learning Perception and Effectiveness While the solution allowed students to access information and continue their studies, there was apprehension in regard to the efficacy of online learning and the outcomes such shifts have on students’ academic performances.
• Distance Learning of Forest Management Considering that the goal of the research was to analyze the results and implications of a practical approach to the forest management course engagement and e-learning development, most information was derived from the expert team […]
• A Distance Learning Program: Strategies for Successful Starting or Expanding An institution has to identify the most appropriate communication tools and media to be used by students and teachers in a distance learning program.
• Starting and Expanding Distance Learning Program Therefore, decision-makers must grapple with the problem of distant learning planning, as institutions are caught between the desire to serve students online and the requirement to maintain traditional student services.
• Factors for Teachers’ Motivation in Distance Learning Efficient communication with the administration of an institution is a crucial factor that affects the motivation of teachers in distance learning.
• Strengths and Weaknesses of Online Learning Amidst that confusion, it would be important to take a deep look into the subject and see the disadvantages and the advantages of online learning.
• Pros and Cons of Distance Education On the one hand, modernization of education allows it to expand the usual boundaries of transmitting and receiving information in the educational process while retaining all the integral components.
• Rhetorical Analysis of the Distance Education The essay can be addressed both to the children and parents for whom the issues of health and psychology are important.
• Distance Learning Experiences of In-Service Music Teachers From Puerto Rico The study explores the experiences of in-service music teachers in distance learning. This paper examines the motivations of in-service teachers in distance learning.
• Design Thinking for Online Learning Project In this paper, attention will be paid to the problem of a lack of engagement with online learning and a reflection on design thinking as its solution.
• Maximizing the Effectiveness of Online Learning Flipped learning allows the teacher to provide the greatest amount of time for direct interaction with students, which is especially important in the framework of online learning.
• New Online Learning Platform: Market Analysis The goal of online education is to enhance the knowledge of people who want to pursue a particular career for a fee that is lesser when compared to offline studies in Universities.
• Software Engineering Online Learning Center However, it is not easy to tell what the website is promoting just by the look of the homepage and thus, visitors with less time might not be interested to click to the sub-sections and […]
• Distance Education Problem Overview Generally, distance education can be evaluated as a binary prospect: on one hand, it presents a row of advantages for the people who are busy with their work and family duties, and on the other […]
• Online Learning in Jordan Universities: Effectiveness and Obstruction For the quality learning process, e-learning has been developed to use different approaches to ease the process of learning. E-learning is a novel idea in most of the Arab world and it has come with […]
• Virtual Learning: Yes and No Argumentation The argument stems from the quality of the education that can be received via the internet and what the drawbacks are once there is no physical contact between students and the professors.
• Distance Learning Fulfilling Education Purpose Distance learning mode of education, which is a kind of education that takes place when the teachers and the students are separated by space and time, does not entirely serve the purpose of education. The […]
• Social Constructivism in Cooperative and Distance Learning As opposed to the behaviorist view of learning which gives more importance to the imitation aspects of the learner in the learning process, this constructivist theory gives greater room for the active interaction of the […]
• Nurses and Virtual Learning Environments: Understanding Limits in Nursing Education Despite the expected benefits and improvements in nursing education due to the use of virtual learning environments, this practice may create a number of challenges for students and teachers.
• Online Learning Design Specifications The rapid rise of technologies and the evolution of communication means resulted in the appearance of new approaches to the learning process.
• Innovative Social Networking in Online High School The preparedness of the school is also critical towards the success of this innovative technology. The school should also examine the benefits and bottlenecks of the new technology.
• Online Classes for High School Students I wish to submit to you that the need for extra input in terms of study has caused many parents to enroll their children in online study classes to supplement the knowledge they get from […]
• Online Learning Principles and Objectives In this way, the students will not only argue the purposes and significance of the course to their life, but also create an interactive session among the students and their instructor. As the instructor, I […]
• Online Learning Space Creating Process On the other hand, a community of practice has been known to mean a crowd of people who are in the same career or share the same interest.
• Distance Learning and Virtual High School This implies that district schools in lines with virtual High school are of much importance to both the educators and students.
• Distance Education: Best Practices and Approaches The study with the use of a case-based learning system undertaken by Cifuentes, Mercer, Alverez, and Bettati in 2010 demonstrated that students could remotely participate in the learning process without the need to be physically […]
• Learning Objectives Implementation With the advent of the internet, online courses have sprouted resulting in the debate on the two options, traditional class setting, and the online class.
• The Importance of Virtual Learning Communities The learning communities enable the instructors and the students to volunteer their questions. The virtual learning communities enable online degree programs to give students autonomy over the learning process.
• Distance Learning and Its Evolution Definitions of distance education are varied and diverse, but the main concept of distance learning can be summarized from the situation wherein the student and the educator are separated by distance and time and the […]
• Online Learning and Innovations in Pedagogy On the other hand, computer-based learning can be understood as a learning environment in which computers are used to mediate between learners and content without necessarily being online.
• Efficient Interaction in Distance Learning Classroom The problem is that the number of enrolments in the online form of education is augmenting, even as the knowledge regarding the factors that influence the effectiveness of distance education continues to be scarce.
• Virtual Learning Environments: Effective Use Tutors often face the challenge of effective delivery of lessons in the classroom given the diverse categories of students. Learning objects basically refer to blocks of content that can be interlinked to produce a course.
• Using Wikis to Encourage Online Classes Collaborative Work The problem is that the entire process seems to ignore the relevance of enabling students to interact and share their ideas in the learning environment.
• Technology Acceptance Model of Online Learning The findings of the study demonstrate the effectiveness of external variables related to online learning environments in predicting the ability of users to adopt online learning community.
• Formulating an Online Learning Course Reviewing is done from the student side where a person analyzes the content and readability of the information contained in the online learning program.
• Tone Impact in Distance Education Thus, in this paper, the tone will refer to the tone the instructor implies in the text material and the tone of conversations between the instructors and the students.
• Ethical Issues in Online Learning The online assessment methods should consider the ethical issues arising from the learning process. The assessment methods should be able to prevent all forms of dishonesty during the learning process.
• Virtual Learning Environment: Concord Consortium The problem is that this capitalization can be perceived as sign of rudeness, and it can make reluctant to take part in the discussion. Provided that a teacher can promote the involvement of students, they […]
• High School of Virtual Learning Environment The aim will be to see incorporation of the system, the opportunities, and the challenges faced while using Virtual Learning Environment.
• Transition From Traditional Education to Online Learning The speed of information transfer at any time and anywhere through the internet makes online learning relatively cheap compared to the traditional education system.
• Distance Learning OL and Interactive Video in Higher Education The two-way communication systems as well as the need to interact ‘physically’ between and among the participants are what propelled the adoption of this mode of learning.
• Distance Learning Foundational Concepts Another problem that arises as a result of distance learning is the lack of face to face or one on one contact between teachers or instructors and their students.
• Convenience and Flexibility of the Online Classes The advantage of online courses for full or part-time employed individuals is that you can plan how you take your courses. Online classes also introduce students to a variety of web-based tools and techniques that […]
• Online Learning and Classroom Learning Combining the two concepts then, we can define e-learning “as a learning environment that exists solely in the form of digital content that is stored, accessed and exchanged through networked computer and information systems” The […]
• Concept of Distance Learning in Modern Education System The accessibility of the distance learning courses mainly depend on the awareness of the instructor to the accessibility issues and how the instructor can best handle the course with consideration of accessibility.
• Changes in Learning and Motivation With the Advent of Online Learning Institutions of learning have introduced online learning through improvement of infrastructure, incorporation of new technologies in learning, recruitment of professionals who are conversant with new technologies, and revision of curriculums in order to accommodate new […]
• Online Learning Is a Superior Form of Education This paper will argue that online learning is a superior form of education since it helps students and learning institutes to overcome limitations imposed by the traditional learning environment.
• Administrative Progressivism in Relation to Online Learning The main idea of the discussion is to consider online learning from the perspective of administrative progressivism with identifying the advantages and disadvantages of using the mentioned approach along with the chosen method of study.
• Comparison of Online Learning and Traditional Learning
• Historical and Socio Cultural Analysis of Online Learning
• Analysis of Using Online Video Lecture on Learning Outcome: The Mediating Role of Student Interaction and Student Engagement
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning in an Online Class
• Analysis of the Cyber School as an Institution With Online Methods of Learning
• Benefits & Issues of Online Learning
• Swot Analyis for Online Learning
• Comparing the Effectiveness of Classroom and Online Learning
• How Does Prior Knowledge Impact Students Online Learning Behaviors?
• How Learning Online Works?
• How Technology Can Improve Online Learning?
• Is Face For Face Learning Better Then Online Learning?
• Online Classes: A Successful Learning Environment
• Online Learning For Students With Disabilities
• Pros And Disadvantages of Online Education
• Should Online Learning Be Encouraged?
• Knowledge Gradient Algorithm for a General Class of Online Learning Problems
• Three Online Learning Strategies
• Virtual Learning Environment and Online Education
• What Factors Promote Sustained Online Discussions and Collaborative Learning in a Web-Based Course?
• Adult Learning in an Online Environment
• Analysis on Early Design for Online Learning
• Assessment of Conflict Resolution Strategies Within an Online Learning Team
• Compare and Contrast Online Learning vs Traditional Classroom Learning
• Examining the Factors that Influence how Instructors Provide Feedback in Online Learning Environments
• False Concepts Surrounding The Online Learning Environment
• Generalized Feature Embedding for Supervised, Unsupervised, and Online Learning Tasks
• Implementing Comprehensive Interventions to Support Student Success in Online Learning
• Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Online Education
• Managing Online Learning In Collabrative Group
• Managing the Online Learning Revolution in an MBA course: Quality Assurance through Strategic Development
• Online Education Is a Type of Distance Learning
• Online Learning: High School Students For College
• Online Learning: Stochastic Approximation
• Planning Strategies And Time Management Essential in Online Learning
• Development of Online Technology and the Advantages of E-Learning
• Effectiveness of Online Learning
• Reasons Why Older Students Have a Difficult Time Adjusting to Online Classes
• How Does Online Classes Work
• Why Online Learning Is Not Common Among Primary School Students
• Reasons for Taking Online Classes
• Online Classes Are More Flexible Than Conventional Education
• Online Classes Are Less Effective Than Regular Classroom Classes
• The Four Coursera Online Classes
• The Pros and Cons of Online Classes
• The Advocacy for Online Classes According to Todd Gilman
• Online Classes and Face With Face Classes
• Are Online Classes Beneficial To Students
• The Benefits and Drawbacks of Traditional and Online Classes
• Online Classes Are Becoming A Trend for College Campuses
• Online Classes Should Not Reduce Students’ Options and Opportunities
• Why Are More Students Taking Online Classes
• Online Classes vs. Traditional Classroom Learning
• The Demand for Online Classes
• Online Courses and the Impact of Weaker Interpersonal Connections in Online Classes
• The Similarities Between Online Classes and Traditional Classes
• Comparision Between Traditional Classes and Online Classes
• Online Classes Are Becoming More and More Relevant Now
• Online Classes and Oral Presentation Challenges
• The Primary Difference Between Classroom and Online Classes
• What Is the Newest Innovation in Online Learning?
• What Are Some Good Websites for Online Learning?
• Will Online Learning Will Replace Face to Face Teaching?
• Do Students Appreciate Online Learning?
• What Are the Benefits and Drawbacks of Online Learning?
• Which Is the Best Online Learning Platform?
• Which Machine Learning Algorithms for Classification Support Online Learning?
• How Much Does It Cost to Set up an Online Learning Management System?
• How Is Online Learning More Convenient Over the Traditional Classroom?
• Is Online Learning Becoming More Interactive With the Passage of Time?
• What Is the Relation Between Reinforcement Learning and Online Learning?
• What Are the Issues Related to Online Learning and Teaching?
• Why Do Students Struggle With Online Learning?
• What Problems and Issues Are Seen in Online Learning Communities?
• What Are the Disadvantages of Online Learning?
• What Opportunities Does Online Learning Give?
• What Are the Benefits and Challenges of Online Learning?
• What Is the Difference Between Distance Learning and Online Learning?
• Where Do Online Learning Sites Keep Videos?
• Why Do Many People Find Online Learning Really Hard?
• Is It Possible to Do Online Learning With LSTM?
• Why Do Online Learning Sites Use So Much Handwriting?
• How Effective Is Online Learning in Higher Education?
• Is SMC University a Credible Online Learning Institution?
• What Is Online Learning and Its Types?
• Bilingual Education Essay Ideas
• Brain-Based Learning Essay Titles
• Computers Essay Ideas
• Performance Indicators Essay Topics
• Learning Styles Essay Topics
• Online Community Essay Topics
• Cheating Questions
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Online Education Essay in English (200-250) Words Paragraph & PDF

Online Education Essay in English: Online education is one of the major changes in the global education industry after COVID hits the country. Read Online Education Essay from here only.

Table of Contents

Online education is a type of learning in which students get instructional content via the internet. It is a flexible and convenient method of learning that has grown in popularity in recent years.

Online Education Essay

Online education is one of the major changes in the global education industry after COVID hits the country. The internet is used for this type of learning. This form of learning has been made easier with new and improved technologies. Higher education institutions favour online learning as well. In short and extended articles about online education, this article will inform students of its benefits and outcomes.

Education spans a range more than just attending classes and reading books to learn things. It exceeds all restrictions. Learning extends beyond the pages of a book. We are fortunate to live in a time where learning is accessible online. Yes! We can educate our kids and ourselves while sitting in our own homes. Online education is a good option for doing this. All needy kids who are unable to enroll in local schools now have access to education thanks to online learning.

Online Education Essay PDF

Download Online Education Essay PDF: Online Education Essay in English

Online Education Essay in English (200-250) words

Today’s Essay on Online Education covers an important subject. There are different types of essays about online education in English for students and children in this post.

Here we, at adda247 are providing 10 lines essays, short essays, and long essays on online education.

• Online education is the process of acquiring education using the internet.
• The Internet is the foundation of online learning.
• Online education was an idea that existed years back.
• It protects students’ sensitive time and money.
• It provides students with a range of courses while sitting at their homes.
• It helped in achieving a balance between safety and education during the pandemic.
• However, it may be shown that it is bad for students’ health.
• In areas with poor network connectivity, studying online is challenging.
• There are numerous online learning resources, including Adda247,Coursera, Udemy etc.
• Online learning features including texts, videos, and animations aid in student comprehension.

Online Education Essay in Paragraph 200-250 Words

These days, technology has impacted every industry, including education. The most recent method of getting an education through the internet is online education. Utilizing your smartphones, laptops, or tablets for learning is a fun and productive method. Both teachers and students can benefit greatly from it, but there are also many drawbacks. Learning from anywhere is flexible with online education.

Non-time-boundness is another advantageous property. You don’t have to sit from morning until lunch like in a typical school. Depending on your preference, you can study online day or night. There is no upper age limit for learning online, in addition to the flexibility of time and location. You can pick the subjects and skills you want to learn by using online education. There are numerous institutions that provide their degrees and courses online. As a result, it is a more practical option to educate yourself without physically visiting schools or universities. Additionally, it helps you save money on transportation and other expenses.

People who reside in areas with poor internet connectivity, however, struggle with online learning. The core of online education is the internet. Your health may suffer if you spend more time in front of devices. Only those with the ability to discipline themselves should consider it.

Online Education Essay in 500-1000 words for UPSC

Introduction: Online education is a flexible method of providing instruction that includes all online learning. Online learning helps students who need to do their work on their own time and at their own speed and gives teachers access to students who may not be able to enroll in a regular classroom course.

The modern method of education, known as online education, differs greatly from the traditional method of learning. For a better comprehension of the students, the instructor or mentor employs a variety of techniques, including texts, audios, films, animations, etc.

Every field is experiencing a rapid increase in the amount of distant learning and the awarding of online degrees. The number of institutions and schools that provide online education is likewise increasing. Students who are seeking degrees online need to be careful in making sure that they finish their coursework through a reputable and recognized university.

Synchronization is a well-known benefit of online learning. Here, the chosen format allows for lively dialogue between the students and the teachers. Sources are exchanged through these communications, and a synergy that is open-ended develops as a result of a learning process. It helps the learner learn more when each person shares their point of view or opinion through conversations and comments on others’ work. This unique advantage can only be achieved through online learning, which creates a virtual learning environment focused on the needs of the students.

We don’t need to commute over long distances or travel to different place because we can take classes online. While pursuing a degree online to advance our careers, we can remain where we are and keep our current jobs. Digital nomads—those who advocate a technologically enabled or location-independent lifestyle—are also helped by online schooling. No matter where we are, we may finish our schoolwork and view lectures.

The online education experience offers a lot more reasonable schedule, whether we are full-time or part-time students. The low cost of online education has contributed to its popularity. Online courses are less expensive than those provided at schools or colleges because of this. While attending a university, we might need to pay for things like transportation, lodging, and meals; however, online education might not.

The inherent flexibility of online learning is one of its key benefits, but there is a catch: one needs to be very self-motivated. The top online learners use a variety of strategies for maintaining their assignments. Setting aside time each week for studying and designing a workspace with few distractions can both be highly beneficial.

Conclusion: Increased educational access, high-quality learning opportunities, improved student outcomes and abilities, and more educational options are some of the possible benefits of online education. Because of online education, variables like location, time, and quality are no longer taken into account when looking for degree programmes or higher education.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Education for Essay

Advantages of online education.

Save time and money: Students who pursue their education online do so at a considerable time and financial savings. It cuts down on both the cost and time of transportation. Accessible to All : Everyone has access to online schooling. Online education is available to students of all backgrounds and ages. For students who have physical disabilities, this is one of the main benefits. They can receive an education from the comfort of their own home without having to travel anyplace. No Time Limit : Students have a lot of freedom with online education. Anytime, students can seek knowledge. There is no time limit like there is in the traditional learning method.

Choice : Online education offers a wide range of courses. Students can study skills like personality development and other things that are typically challenging to master offline in addition to course material.

Disadvantages of Online Education

Dependency : Online learning is beneficial for those who can study independently. Kids and other students cannot effectively study online without help. Self-concentration is necessary for this kind of study. Lack of Resources : Online education requires computers or mobile devices as well as strong internet connectivity. Online study is not possible for those without computers or in places with network problems. Disengagement from Society : Spending a lot of time in front of a screen could be bad for your health. The students’ physical growth is also impacted by it. They will grow apart from their friends and society if they don’t attend school.

Online vs Offline Education Comparision

• Time management: Unlike online education, where you can choose a time slot that best suits your needs, offline education has a set timetable.
• Cost-Effectiveness : Online learning is significantly less expensive than traditional learning. Transportation costs are just one of the numerous costs associated with the existing educational system. Students require appropriate uniforms as well as a number of other items.
• Online learning presents new challenges for students, but it also has the potential to cut them off from their surroundings. Children’s physical and mental development are both aided by attending school. They enjoy spending time with their friends and teachers.
• Choice: In an online classroom, students are allowed to select the subject they want to learn about. They can view it multiple times for better comprehension. Students have no options in offline schooling.
• Knowledge Outside the Books: In an offline setting, students physically interact. They also learn other manners, such as self-control, appropriate behaviour, and other related abilities. These competencies are not produced by offline schooling.

Online Education Essay in Hindi

ऑनलाइन शिक्षा पर आज का निबंध एक महत्वपूर्ण विषय को शामिल करता है। इस पोस्ट में छात्रों और बच्चों के लिए अंग्रेजी में ऑनलाइन शिक्षा के बारे में विभिन्न प्रकार के निबंध हैं।

ऑनलाइन शिक्षा पर 10 पंक्तियों के निबंध, लघु निबंध और लंबे निबंध प्रदान कर रहे हैं।

ऑनलाइन शिक्षा इंटरनेट का उपयोग करके शिक्षा प्राप्त करने की प्रक्रिया है। इंटरनेट ऑनलाइन सीखने का आधार है। ऑनलाइन शिक्षा एक ऐसा विचार था जो वर्षों पहले अस्तित्व में था। यह छात्रों के संवेदनशील समय और धन की रक्षा करता है। यह छात्रों को उनके घरों पर बैठकर कई तरह के पाठ्यक्रम प्रदान करता है। इसने महामारी के दौरान सुरक्षा और शिक्षा के बीच संतुलन हासिल करने में मदद की। हालांकि, यह दिखाया जा सकता है कि यह छात्रों के स्वास्थ्य के लिए खराब है। खराब नेटवर्क कनेक्टिविटी वाले क्षेत्रों में, ऑनलाइन अध्ययन करना चुनौतीपूर्ण है। Adda247, Coursera, Udemy आदि सहित कई ऑनलाइन शिक्षण संसाधन हैं। टेक्स्ट, वीडियो और एनिमेशन सहित ऑनलाइन सीखने की विशेषताएं छात्र की समझ में सहायता करती हैं। 250-300 शब्दों में ऑनलाइन शिक्षा निबंध

इन दिनों, प्रौद्योगिकी ने शिक्षा सहित हर उद्योग को प्रभावित किया है। इंटरनेट के माध्यम से शिक्षा प्राप्त करने का सबसे हालिया तरीका ऑनलाइन शिक्षा है। सीखने के लिए अपने स्मार्टफोन, लैपटॉप या टैबलेट का उपयोग करना एक मजेदार और उत्पादक तरीका है। इससे शिक्षक और छात्र दोनों ही काफी लाभान्वित हो सकते हैं, लेकिन कई कमियां भी हैं। ऑनलाइन शिक्षा के साथ कहीं से भी सीखना लचीला है।

गैर-समयबद्धता एक और लाभप्रद संपत्ति है। आपको एक ठेठ स्कूल की तरह सुबह से दोपहर के भोजन तक बैठने की ज़रूरत नहीं है। आप अपनी पसंद के आधार पर दिन हो या रात ऑनलाइन पढ़ाई कर सकते हैं। समय और स्थान के लचीलेपन के अलावा, ऑनलाइन सीखने के लिए कोई ऊपरी आयु सीमा नहीं है। आप ऑनलाइन शिक्षा का उपयोग करके उन विषयों और कौशलों को चुन सकते हैं जिन्हें आप सीखना चाहते हैं। ऐसे कई संस्थान हैं जो अपनी डिग्री और पाठ्यक्रम ऑनलाइन प्रदान करते हैं। नतीजतन, शारीरिक रूप से स्कूलों या विश्वविद्यालयों का दौरा किए बिना खुद को शिक्षित करना एक अधिक व्यावहारिक विकल्प है। इसके अतिरिक्त, यह आपको परिवहन और अन्य खर्चों पर पैसे बचाने में मदद करता है।

हालांकि, जो लोग खराब इंटरनेट कनेक्टिविटी वाले क्षेत्रों में रहते हैं, उन्हें ऑनलाइन सीखने में कठिनाई होती है। ऑनलाइन शिक्षा का मूल इंटरनेट है। यदि आप उपकरणों के सामने अधिक समय बिताते हैं तो आपका स्वास्थ्य खराब हो सकता है। केवल उन्हें ही इस पर विचार करना चाहिए जो स्वयं को अनुशासित करने की क्षमता रखते हैं।

यूपीएससी के लिए 500-1000 शब्दों में ऑनलाइन शिक्षा निबंध

परिचय: ऑनलाइन शिक्षा निर्देश प्रदान करने का एक लचीला तरीका है जिसमें सभी ऑनलाइन शिक्षण शामिल हैं। ऑनलाइन सीखने से उन छात्रों को मदद मिलती है जिन्हें अपना काम अपने समय पर और अपनी गति से करने की आवश्यकता होती है और शिक्षकों को उन छात्रों तक पहुंच प्रदान करता है जो नियमित कक्षा पाठ्यक्रम में नामांकन करने में सक्षम नहीं हो सकते हैं।

शिक्षा की आधुनिक पद्धति, जिसे ऑनलाइन शिक्षा के रूप में जाना जाता है, सीखने की पारंपरिक पद्धति से बहुत अलग है। छात्रों की बेहतर समझ के लिए, प्रशिक्षक या संरक्षक कई तरह की तकनीकों का इस्तेमाल करते हैं, जिनमें टेक्स्ट, ऑडियो, फिल्म, एनिमेशन आदि शामिल हैं।

हर क्षेत्र दूरस्थ शिक्षा और ऑनलाइन डिग्री प्रदान करने की मात्रा में तेजी से वृद्धि का अनुभव कर रहा है। ऑनलाइन शिक्षा प्रदान करने वाले संस्थानों और स्कूलों की संख्या भी बढ़ रही है। ऑनलाइन डिग्री चाहने वाले छात्रों को यह सुनिश्चित करने में सावधानी बरतने की जरूरत है कि वे एक प्रतिष्ठित और मान्यता प्राप्त विश्वविद्यालय के माध्यम से अपना शोध कार्य पूरा करें।

तुल्यकालन ऑनलाइन सीखने का एक प्रसिद्ध लाभ है। यहां, चुना गया प्रारूप छात्रों और शिक्षकों के बीच जीवंत संवाद की अनुमति देता है। इन संचारों के माध्यम से स्रोतों का आदान-प्रदान किया जाता है, और एक सीखने की प्रक्रिया के परिणामस्वरूप एक तालमेल विकसित होता है। यह शिक्षार्थी को अधिक जानने में मदद करता है जब प्रत्येक व्यक्ति बातचीत और दूसरों के काम पर टिप्पणियों के माध्यम से अपनी बात या राय साझा करता है। यह अनूठा लाभ केवल ऑनलाइन सीखने के माध्यम से प्राप्त किया जा सकता है, जो छात्रों की जरूरतों पर केंद्रित एक आभासी सीखने का माहौल बनाता है।

हमें लंबी दूरी तय करने या अलग-अलग जगहों की यात्रा करने की आवश्यकता नहीं है क्योंकि हम ऑनलाइन कक्षाएं ले सकते हैं। अपने करियर को आगे बढ़ाने के लिए ऑनलाइन डिग्री का पीछा करते हुए, हम जहां हैं वहीं रह सकते हैं और अपनी वर्तमान नौकरी रख सकते हैं। डिजिटल खानाबदोश – जो तकनीकी रूप से सक्षम या स्थान-स्वतंत्र जीवन शैली की वकालत करते हैं – को भी ऑनलाइन स्कूली शिक्षा से मदद मिलती है। चाहे हम कहीं भी हों, हम अपना स्कूल का काम पूरा कर सकते हैं और व्याख्यान देख सकते हैं।

ऑनलाइन शिक्षा का अनुभव बहुत अधिक उचित कार्यक्रम प्रदान करता है, चाहे हम पूर्णकालिक या अंशकालिक छात्र हों। ऑनलाइन शिक्षा की कम लागत ने इसकी लोकप्रियता में योगदान दिया है। इस वजह से स्कूलों या कॉलेजों में प्रदान किए जाने वाले ऑनलाइन पाठ्यक्रमों की तुलना में ऑनलाइन पाठ्यक्रम कम खर्चीले हैं। विश्वविद्यालय में भाग लेने के दौरान, हमें परिवहन, आवास और भोजन जैसी चीज़ों के लिए भुगतान करना पड़ सकता है; हालाँकि, ऑनलाइन शिक्षा नहीं हो सकती है।

ऑनलाइन सीखने का अंतर्निहित लचीलापन इसके प्रमुख लाभों में से एक है, लेकिन एक पकड़ है: किसी को बहुत आत्म-प्रेरित होने की आवश्यकता है। शीर्ष ऑनलाइन शिक्षार्थी विभिन्न प्रकार की रणनीतियों का उपयोग करते हैं

अपने कार्यों को बनाए रखने के लिए। अध्ययन के लिए हर हफ्ते समय अलग करना और कुछ ध्यान भटकाने वाले कार्यक्षेत्र को डिजाइन करना दोनों ही अत्यधिक फायदेमंद हो सकते हैं।

निष्कर्ष: बढ़ी हुई शैक्षिक पहुंच, उच्च गुणवत्ता वाले सीखने के अवसर, बेहतर छात्र परिणाम और क्षमताएं, और अधिक शैक्षिक विकल्प ऑनलाइन शिक्षा के कुछ संभावित लाभ हैं। ऑनलाइन शिक्षा के कारण, डिग्री प्रोग्राम या उच्च शिक्षा की तलाश में स्थान, समय और गुणवत्ता जैसे चरों को ध्यान में नहीं रखा जाता है।

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Essay on Online Education- FAQs

Q.Are online learning and distance learning the same?

Ans.  Online learning follows a school learning format and provides students more campus-like feel. Students have a formal or informal interactions with the teachers as well as their peers. But in distance learning, there is no interaction with teachers or classmates.

Q. What are some benefits of online classes?

• Flexibility.
• Reduced Costs.
• More Free Time.
• Increased Course Variety.
• Career Advancement Opportunities.

Q. How does online education affect students?

Ans.Online learning has helped students to become independent learners before they make their way into the real world.

Q. Are online classes good for students?

Ans. The importance of online classes are that they are much more convenient and flexible as compared to traditional learning platforms.

Q. Why do students prefer online learning?

Ans. Online courses are  easily accessible on much smaller budgets . In addition to the convenience and the cost, a large number of students are turning to online learning courses because they have become a better way to learn.

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The pros and cons of online learning

What to look for in an online course.

By: MIT xPRO

If you’re at a point in your life where you’re considering continuing your education, you may wonder if online learning is the right path for you.

Taking an online course requires a notable investment of time, effort, and money, so it’s important to feel confident about your decision before moving forward. While online learning works incredibly well for some people, it’s not for everyone.

We recently sat down with MIT xPRO Senior Instructional Designer and Program Manager Luke Hobson to explore the pros and cons of online learning and what to look for in an online course. If you’re waiting for a sign about whether or not to enroll in that course you’ve been eying, you just might find it here.

Pros of Online Learning

First, let’s take a look at the true value of online learning by examining some of the benefits:

1. Flexibility

Online learning’s most significant advantage is its flexibility. It’s the reason millions of adults have chosen to continue their education and pursue certificates and degrees.

Asynchronous courses allow learners to complete work at their own pace, empowering them to find the optimal time to consume the content and submit assignments.

Some people are more attentive, focused, and creative in the mornings compared to the evenings and vice versa. Whatever works best for the learners should be the priority of the learning experience.

2. Community

When Luke asks people about their main reason for enrolling in a course, a common answer is networking and community.

Learners crave finding like-minded individuals who are going through the same experiences and have the same questions. They want to find a place where they belong. Being in the company of others who understand what they’re going through can help online learners who are looking for support and motivation during challenging times and times that are worth celebrating.

Some learners have created study groups and book clubs that have carried on far beyond the end of the course-it’s amazing what can grow from a single post on a discussion board!

3. Latest information

“Speed is a massive benefit of online learning,” and according to Luke, it often doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

“When we say speed, we don’t mean being quick with learning. We mean actual speed to market. There are so many new ideas evolving within technical spaces that it’s impossible to keep courses the way they were originally designed for a long period of time.”

Luke notes that a program on Additive Manufacturing , Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality , or Nanotechnology must be checked and updated frequently. More formal learning modalities have difficulty changing content at this rapid pace. But within the online space, it’s expected that the course content will change as quickly as the world itself does.

Cons of Online Learning

Now that we’ve looked at some of the biggest pros of online learning, let’s examine a few of the drawbacks:

1. Learning environment

While many learners thrive in an asynchronous learning environment, others struggle. Some learners prefer live lessons and an instructor they can connect with multiple times a week. They need these interactions to feel supported and to persist.

Most learners within the online space identify themselves as self-directed learners, meaning they can learn on their own with the right environment, guidance, materials, and assignments. Learners should know themselves first and understand their preferences when it comes to what kind of environment will help them thrive.

2. Repetition

One drawback of online courses is that the structure can be repetitive: do a reading, respond to two discussion posts, submit an essay, repeat. After a while, some learners may feel disengaged from the learning experience.

There are online courses that break the mold and offer multiple kinds of learning activities, assessments, and content to make the learning experience come alive, but it may take some research to find them-more on what to look for in an online course later in this article! Luke and his colleagues at MIT xPRO are mindful of designing courses that genuinely engage learners from beginning to end.

3. Underestimation

Luke has noticed that some learners underestimate how much work is required in an online course. They may mistakenly believe that online learning is somehow “easier” compared to in-person learning.

For those learners who miscalculate how long they will need to spend online or how challenging the assignments can be, changing that mindset is a difficult process. It’s essential to set aside the right amount of time per week to contribute to the content, activities, and assignments. Creating personal deadlines and building a study routine are two best practices that successful online learners follow to hold themselves accountable.

Experience the Value of Online Learning: What to Look For in an Online Course

You’ve probably gathered by now that not all online courses are created equal. On one end of the spectrum, there are methods of online learning that leave learners stunned by what a great experience they had. On the other end of the spectrum, some online learning courses are so disappointing that learners regret their decision to enroll.

If you want to experience the value of online learning, it’s essential to pick the right course. Here’s a quick list of what to look for:

• Feedback and connection to peers within the course platform. Interacting regularly with other learners makes a big difference. Luke and the MIT xPRO team use peer-reviewed feedback to give learners the opportunity to engage with each other’s work.
• Proof of hard work. In the online learning space, proof of hard work often comes in the form of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) or specific certifications. MIT xPRO course participants who successfully complete one or more courses are eligible to receive CEUs , which many employers, licensing agencies, and professional associations accept as evidence of a participant’s serious commitment to their professional development.

Online learning isn’t for everyone, but with the right approach, it can be a valuable experience for many people. Now that you know what to look for in an online course, see what Luke and the MIT xPRO instructional design team have to offer by checking out the latest MIT xPRO courses and programs .

Originally published at http://curve.mit.edu on August 8th, 2022.

The pros and cons of online learning was originally published in MIT Open Learning on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Open Learning newsletter

• Open access
• Published: 19 August 2024

Navigating undergraduate medical education: a comparative evaluation of a fully online versus a hybrid model

• Anila Jaleel 1 ,
• Saleem Perwaiz Iqbal 1 ,
• Khalid Mahmood Cheema 1 ,
• Sundus Iftikhar 1 &
• Muhammad Zahid Bashir 1  

BMC Medical Education volume  24 , Article number:  895 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

231 Accesses

Metrics details

The evaluation of undergraduate medical curricula plays a crucial role in ensuring effectiveness and helps in continuous improvement of the learning process. This study aims to compare the effectiveness of online and hybrid teaching models of the first-year MBBS curriculum in the COVID-19 era (2019–20) and the para-COVID-19 pandemic (2020–21).

Study methodology

Mixed methods study with CIPP model was used. Data was collected by administering a survey and focus group discussions (FGDs) with first-year students from the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 cohorts, faculty and administrators, which were recorded for analysis. Recorded lectures, guidebooks, planners, and question papers were also scrutinized for quality and adequacy. Furthermore, admission merit, module assessments, and professional examination results were compared and correlated. The learning environment was evaluated through the questionnaire (validated and used by Pakistan Medical and Dental council for inspections of medical schools) and the facilities provided in both years were juxtaposed. The study utilized NVIVO for qualitative and SPSS version 23 for quantitative data analysis.

Contextual analysis underscored the critical need for online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, with provided resources being deemed sufficient. Notably, the student-faculty ratio stood at 4:1, and essential resources were readily available. The fully online batch outperformed the hybrid teaching class in 2020–21. Process analysis revealed successful session delivery in hybrid and online through webinars and Zoom, accompanied by timely provision of study guides and punctual assessments. Moreover, examination papers demonstrated acceptable reliability (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.61) in core subjects. Product analysis indicated that the 2020–21 cohort performed better in modular and professional examinations across all subjects ( P  < 0.01) despite their lower admission merit compared to the 2019–20 batch.

Conclusions

The study revealed challenges faced during total online teaching, highlighting knowledge and skills gaps in students. While students favored hybrid teaching for interaction, faculty preferred online strategies and suggested blended learning. The administration recognized faculty’s swift transition but stressed the need for blended learning workshops and strengthening the medical education department. Recommendations include implementing blended learning strategies, conducting faculty workshops, equipping the medical education department for online teaching, and gathering student feedback after each module to enhance the curriculum.

Peer Review reports

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a rapid and unprecedented transformation in the global education landscape. Educational institutions worldwide faced the urgent task of ensuring continued high-quality learning experiences while prioritizing the safety and well-being of students, faculty, and staff [ 1 ]. In March 2020, when the pandemic hit Pakistan, medical schools were compelled for transition to online teaching methods, marking a significant departure from conventional educational delivery modes [ 2 ].

The challenges posed by the pandemic extended beyond the classroom, encompassing broader societal, technological, and pedagogical dimensions. In response, educators and institutions embraced innovation and reimagined traditional instructional methods [ 3 ]. Online and hybrid teaching emerged as practical solutions to sustain learning amidst uncertainty. In Pakistan, principals directed medical education departments to swiftly initiate faculty training for online teaching, ensuring educators were equipped to deliver sessions according to predefined plans within a week. Students experienced a blend of online and on-campus learning including lectures, small group discussions and practical demonstration through video, adjusting to synchronous and asynchronous teaching methods. Despite ongoing research in developed countries, the unique challenges faced in Pakistan, such as limited internet access, smartphone and laptop availability, and connectivity issues, underscored the need for research tailored to developing countries’ contexts [ 2 ].

Recognizing blended learning as a future educational tool post-COVID-19, evaluating its effectiveness became imperative. The study focused on evaluating the first-year integrated MBBS program of the 2019–20 fully online batch versus the 2020–21 hybrid batch in a private medical college in Lahore, employing the CIPP (Context, Input, Process, and Product) Evaluation Model for Educational Accountability” [ 4 ]. This comprehensive model facilitated both internal and external evaluations, ensuring credibility, accountability, and informed decision-making in education [ 3 ].

The study aimed to assess the curriculum’s implementation, course objectives achievement, and provide feedback for future program development or implementation. By comparing the context, input, process, and output of the first-year MBBS curriculum during the COVID-19 era, the study aimed to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement, guiding modifications to future curricula. This endeavor reflected a proactive approach to adapting educational practices in response to unprecedented challenges, with a focus on continuous improvement and innovation.

Literature review

Program evaluation is an important tool for evaluating the quality of any educational program. A systematic review on CIPP model was done by Toosi et al., (2021) highlights the importance of this model to evaluate the managerial skills, faculty performance, students’ knowledge, facilities available, financial implications and policies for an educational program [ 5 ]. Another study was conducted at Shiraz medical school, Iran to evaluate the integrated basic sciences curriculum using CIPP model [ 6 ]. The authors concluded that this model significantly help policy makers to make decisions in the right direction. An educational framework was designed to evaluate the WFME accreditation basic standards in medical education. Logic model was used to convert the standards into evaluable items which can be used by medical schools for self-review and also can be adaptable by the accrediting bodies [ 7 ]. A study carried out in India developed competency-based tools to evaluate a community-based teaching program using Delphi technique [ 8 ]. The studies highlight the importance of program evaluation in medical education to evaluate the programs comprehensively and guide the policy makers to make informed decisions.

Significance of the study

This study will help us to identify the preferred method of teaching and learning based on evidence and highlights the gaps in the online versus hybrid methods of teaching.

The study employed a convergent mixed-method cross-sectional investigation where focus group discussions, interviews and documents review were conducted and results were compared and compiled after the completion of qualitative and quantitative analysis. Multiple data sources were used i.e. triangulation was done to fully understand the effectiveness of the program.

Setting and participants

Study was conducted at a Private Medical College established in 2010. The duration of study was one year between May 2022 and June 2023. Employing a decision-oriented CIPP model, the research included 300 MBBS first-year students from the 2019–20 and 2020–21 batches, as well as 50 faculty members who taught these students, along with administrators.

Recruitment

Participants were selected using cluster sampling technique, with students from the 2019–20 batch classified as Group A and those from the 2020–21 batch as Group B. Emails were sent to the students of both years to participate in the study and give informed consent. Faculty who have taught these years as well as principal and administrators ( Director student affairs department and Director medical education department) were also sent invitation via email to give consent and protected time for an interview. In ensuring voluntary participation, this study adopted several key strategies to prevent coercion and uphold ethical standards. Firstly, students and faculty were provided with comprehensive information about the study’s purpose, procedures, and potential risks, enabling them to make an informed decision about participation. This was reinforced by emphasizing that participation was entirely voluntary and that students had the right to withdraw at any stage without penalty. Moreover, confidentiality and anonymity were assured to safeguard privacy and encourage honest responses. Language used in all communication was carefully crafted to avoid coercion, explicitly stating the absence of negative consequences for non-participation. Ethical oversight from an institutional review board ensured adherence to ethical guidelines, with any concerns regarding coercion promptly addressed. Lastly, participants were offered access to support resources and provided with contact information for the research team, fostering an environment where their well-being was prioritized. Through these measures, the study endeavored to promote voluntarism and ethical conduct among participants, maintaining the integrity of the research process.

Individuals who did not provide consent were excluded from the study. No personally identifiable information, such as names, was collected. A committee comprising a member from Medical Education (Co-Investigator, along with the Principal Investigator as evaluators), worked closely with administrators following project approval by the Institutional Review Board of Shalamar Medical and Dental College ( IORG 0010289 IRB No: 0420 Reference No: SMDC-IRB/AL/32/2022) , in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration (6/EA/FKGUI/VI/2022 ).

Data collection

Quantitative data collection.

The committee conducted an evaluation utilizing a questionnaire aligned with the standards set forth by the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC), with 158 items in curriculum organization and management section and 42 items in infrastructure section, as outlined in their publication ( https://pmdc.pk/Publication/Standards ).

Qualitative data collection

This evaluation involved inspecting facilities, conducting interviews, and facilitating focus group discussions (FGDs) after obtaining informed consent from the participants. In-depth interviews were carried out using a semi-structured guide, with the questionnaire validated through a pilot study involving 10–15 MBBS students. Each participant was allotted 30 min for participation in either focus group discussions (FGDs) or interviews, scheduled based on their availability. Multiple researchers (AJ, ZB, SP, and KMC) conducted the interviews with participants, ensuring audio recordings and written documentation to minimize bias. Non-verbal cues were also observed during the study. Interviews were conducted in both English and Urdu, later translated and transcribed accordingly. A total of 10 interviews were conducted, with researchers determining saturation had been achieved. The FGD was conducted in a confidential conference room setting. Committee members reviewed data from relevant departments and medical education concerning the first year, with all data stored on password-protected computers for confidentiality.

To assess the context , surveys, and interviews were conducted, focusing on PMDC standards. For input evaluation, observations were made regarding the available human and material resources based on PMDC inspection criteria. This included reviewing documents, administering feedback questionnaires to faculty and students, and conducting pilot attempts. The process evaluation involved conducting FGDs with faculty, students, and administrators. Additionally, observations were made of recorded lectures from online classes, descriptions of the actual teaching process, continuous interaction with program operation faculty and staff, and observation of their activities. For product evaluation, data on performance in module and professional examinations were collected. This comprehensive approach allowed for a thorough assessment of the curriculum and its outcomes.

Data analysis

Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS ver 23. For quantitative variables, Crohnbach’s alpha was used to determine reliability. Mean and standard deviation (SD) were computed, with an independent samples t-test employed to compare groups. A significance level of P  < 0.05 was deemed statistically significant, guiding the interpretation of findings. Qualitative data was analyzed using NVIVO. Phenomenological framework was followed to identify themes, coding themes and subthemes. Data coding was undertaken to identify themes, with coding, themes, and subthemes agreed upon by all researchers to mitigate bias. Themes were organized according to interview questions. Nodes and sub-nodes were established to organize qualitative data, facilitating the identification of themes and sub-themes. Qualitative data collection continued until saturation was attained, ensuring comprehensive coverage of relevant insights. Coded data was reviewed and discussed by the study team to avoid any duplication and consensus was reached.

Data integration

Qualitative and quantitative data was aligned by analyzing the detailed findings along with the results of questionnaire. The study team analyzed the areas of convergence and divergence and comprehend the expansion of findings in questionnaire to detailed discussions in focus groups and interviews.

Qualitative analysis involved conducting focus group discussions (FGDs) with 10 groups, each comprising 15 students. The resulting themes were as follows:

Perception of the usefulness of study guides : Group A students expressed mixed opinions, with 75% finding the study guides helpful and 25% considering them not useful. Conversely, Group B found them helpful overall, but some students suggested a need for better emphasis on how to effectively utilize them (Fig.  1 a). Students quotations are shown in Table  1 .

Word cloud. a. Most frequently used word was yes study guides effective followed by faculty, students, teaching online, study useful, PBL and assessment. b. Items clustered by word similarity (First year MBBS students). c. Attendance and Assessment Online was coded most frequently followed by SGS and PBL and advantages and disadvantages of on campus and online teaching. Least frequently coded were faculty, challenges and affective domain

Figure  2 : Feedback from Students Groups A and B .

Utilization of study guidebooks : Group A students utilized study guides for tasks such as making short notes, summarizing studies comprehensively, revising, and determining what to study. However, some students initially encountered difficulties in using them effectively, as noted by Group B, and only managed to overcome these challenges after completing two modules. Direct quotes from students are shown in Table  1 .

Benefits of study guidebooks : In Group A, students found study guides beneficial for enhancing knowledge, covering the syllabus comprehensively, highlighting important topics, and filtering out significant content. Additionally, they valued the learning objectives and slides provided by the teachers. Conversely, Group B students found study guides helpful for defining what needs to be studied, filtering out important topics, and guiding them on a clear path (Fig.  2 ). Students remarks are shown in Table  1 .

Feedback from Students Groups A and B. a. Qualitative responses of FGD batch 2019–2020: First year MBBS students (Group A): These students discussed in detail the differences of SGS and PBL online followed by discussion on online teaching the most. b. Qualitative responses of FGD batch 2020-21: First year MBBS students (Group B): The highest response of the students were related to advantages and disadvantages of online teaching/learning followed by implementation of learning strategies online

Perception of learning outcomes : Mixed opinions were gathered from students in Group A, with some acknowledging the study guides as well-defined and comprehensive in covering every topic, while others did not share this view. Conversely, students in Group B found the learning outcomes to be well-defined and inclusive of every topic (Fig.  1 ). Students views are depicted in Table  1 .

Implementation of learning outcomes : Group A students found that learning outcomes were not truly implemented and improvements were needed, such as smaller group sessions or greater understanding of teachers regarding their significance. Group B students generally provided positive comments, stating that most of the content was covered. No specific areas of improvement were mentioned. Students comments are shown in Table  1 .

Effectiveness of teaching sessions : Students generally found the teaching sessions effective and aligned with the learning outcomes, with some students suggesting the use of more multimedia and a wider spectrum of topics. However, group B students were concerned about the coordination between faculty members and found that the teaching sessions did not correspond with the learning outcomes (Fig.  1 ). Students remarks are shown in Table  1 .

Usefulness of SGDs and PBL : Students generally found SGDs (Small Group Discussions) and PBL (Problem-Based Learning) useful for clinically oriented knowledge, improving skills, and increasing confidence (Fig.  1 ). However, some students found them somewhat helpful and suggested improvements such as providing topics earlier and covering a wider spectrum of topics (Fig.  2 a). Group B students found SGDs and PBL useful for creating long-term memory, creating interest, and offering different perspectives. Some students suggested a need for more tutorials. Students’ perceptions are shown in Table  1 .

Effectiveness of practical sessions : Most students in Group A found practical sessions useful for improving skills, but some students found them unnecessarily long and suggested lessening the time (Fig.  1 ). Group B students found practical sessions useful, but some students suggested allowing everyone to get the opportunity to use instruments by themselves. Table  1 shows students remarks about it.

Assessment of the affective domain : Most students found that the affective domain was mentioned in guidebooks and assessed by the faculty members. Group B students observed that the affective domain was mentioned in guidebooks but not assessed, with some students suggesting the use of log books and PBL forms for it.

Comparison of online teaching during COVID and in-class teaching during the non-COVID era : Students generally found in-class teaching more effective and interactive, but they appreciated that teachers provided them with slides of presentations for online teaching. Group B students found Zoom sessions useful but not webinars for online teaching during COVID.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Teaching : Recorded lectures were the most significant advantage of online teaching, as they can be accessed from home comfort and can be played again if needed. However, the lack of interaction between students and teachers and the presence of many distractions were major disadvantages. The perception of group B students was that home comfort and no need to travel were the main advantages of online teaching, while network issues and a lack of practical experience were the most significant disadvantages (Fig.  3 b). Table  1 shows students remarks about it. ”

Advantages and Disadvantages of On-Campus Teaching : Group A students found that on-campus teaching was beneficial in terms of one-to-one interaction with teachers, more interaction with peers, and hands-on experience. However, long hours, lengthy lectures, and being time-consuming were the main drawbacks. Group B students cited punctuality, routine, and interaction with teachers as advantages. In contrast, time taken for transportation and variable teacher quality were disadvantages. For students’ perceptions see Table  1 .

Qualitative analysis of responses from administration and faculty

The interviews conducted with the administration, which includes the principal and the Director of Student Affairs (DSA), and the faculty exposed a number of themes related to the experience of online teaching during COVID-19.

Satisfaction with Online Teaching : Participants had mixed feelings regarding the usefulness and satisfaction with online teaching. The principal considered it a contextual and useful option, whereas the director of student affairs (DSA) found it ineffective due to a lack of interest and two-way communication. The DSA was of the view that forced compulsion to attend was not useful since two-way communication between teachers and students was lacking. The faculty maintained that they had initial problems related to technical aspects, but they learned to tackle these issues in a few weeks. However, the faculty had serious concerns related to the practicals, as they could not be conducted in an online setting, hence the practical application of knowledge suffered a great deal. This concern was particularly raised by the anatomy department, as the faculty felt that gross anatomy could not be taught properly. The students, however, preferred online lectures as they did not have to travel or commute, so they could concentrate more on their studies. Challenges Faced During the COVID-19 era, the administrators and faculty faced various challenges in teaching and assessment. The principal expressed concerns regarding the inability of senior faculty members to operate online modalities and utilize them appropriately. All the respondents unanimously agreed that network issues were a major hindrance to conducting online classes smoothly (Fig.  3 ). The faculty also stated that proctoring during assessments was ineffective and students could easily cheat; with identical answers being observed in SEQs. According to the faculty, they were only able to demonstrate the skill, but they lacked a means of determining whether or not the students had actually acquired the skill. Similarly, problem-based learning (PBL) sessions could not be conducted, leading to unsatisfactory results. The DSA noticed that even after the lockdown had lifted, fewer students were attending the classes. They blamed the lack of engagement during online lectures for this fallout in face-to-face lecture attendance, as students were finding it hard to return to the engaging routine of lectures post-COVID.

Faculty Training and Performance : The participants had mixed views regarding the faculty’s training and performance. The principal suggested that reverse mentoring might help in troubleshooting technology issues with senior faculty. He was of the view that, “Junior faculty is more tech savvy , so reverse mentoring helped a lot during COVID-19.” The DSA considered the faculty quick in catching up with technology, and the faculty indicated that the Medical Education department trained them well in time. He claimed that the “The Medical Education department was very supportive.” The administration claimed that students mostly had positive feedback regarding faculty’s performance because regardless of the quality of teaching, the students were happy to stay at home and take lectures (Fig.  2 ).

Differences between Online and On-Campus Teaching : The participants identified various differences between online and on-campus teaching. Physical presence, eye contact, and gestures were missing in online teaching, and non-verbal communication was lacking, leading to less effective teaching. However, the faculty believed that blended learning could be utilized post-COVID.

Funding for Online Teaching : The participants agreed that not much funding was required for implementing online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. The principal mentioned that the savings from electricity and transportation balanced the funding requirements. However, the DSA suggested that funding was required for cameras, Zoom, webinars, and laptop devices, claiming that the “the medical education department was not equipped initially , and they had to purchase webinars and Zoom hours.”

Satisfaction with Study Guides and Planners : Overall, the participants were satisfied with the faculty’s job in a short time to take over as compared to other institutes, but there was some variation in teaching quality as reported by the students.

Medical Education’s Preparedness for Online Teaching : Participants held divergent opinions regarding Medical Education’s preparedness for online teaching. The principal advocated for greater availability of teaching technologies. Conversely, the DSA emphasized the department’s focus on faculty training and suggested an increased emphasis on student training. Faculty members acknowledged effective training provided by the department but noted areas for improvement, particularly in the admission process during COVID-19 (Fig.  2 b). Despite this, participants generally agreed that the admission process posed minimal challenges. The successful implementation of multiple mini-interviews (MMI) online allowed for more efficient interviewing of students. However, there was a noted absence of assessment for non-verbal communication.

Progress Monitoring of Online Teaching : According to the participants, progress monitoring of online teaching was carried out based on feedback from both students and faculty, while any technological issues were handled by experts.

Students feedback for faculty

Students feedback for faculty teaching during online and hybrid sessions are shown in Table  2 . Students rated anatomy teaching in online sessions significantly better than hybrid sessions. These students found that learning sessions were more student-centered with supporting online classes ( p  < 0.05). They also reported that tutorial sessions improved their problem-solving skills. Teachers were noted to be helpful in stress management during the pandemic, with the college employing proper counselors to cater to the needs of students who required assistance.

However, faculty rating by students in physiology and biochemistry were comparable during online and hybrid teaching sessions. These students expressed satisfaction with the availability of proper infrastructure, resources in the library and IT, as well as support from faculty and staff. They were also content with the teaching and assessment environment provided. Additionally, students found co-curricular activities to be motivating.

Messages for students and faculty

The participants had various messages for students and faculty. The principal suggested that technology is here to stay, and we have to develop these skills to survive, highlighting that “technology has to stay , so better get tech-savvy” . The DSA suggested that faculty should focus on delivery, and students should try to be good doctors and better serve humanity. The faculty suggested that students and faculty should be well-prepared for online teaching, and the medical education department should conduct workshops on online teaching and learning at least twice annually (Fig.  3 ).

Feedback from Administration and Faculty. a. Qualitative responses of FGD by Administrators: The response from administrators were highest regarding need for improvement in the online system followed by message given to the students and more focused on funding required for it. b. Qualitative responses of FGD by Faculty Basic Health Sciences: The faculty response was mostly focused on training of faculty and network issues which had to be fixed on urgent basis. However online teaching was appreciated as it helps them to be tech savvy

Intended outcomes

Both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 batches underwent assessment through module and professional examinations, which were conducted online as well as on campus. The admission merit of both batches was analyzed alongside their academic performance. Additionally, the examination papers prepared by the faculty for module examinations in basic sciences underwent assessment for reliability by Cronbach’s alpha (Table  3 ).

The quality of teaching delivery by the faculty was also evaluated through the review of recorded YouTube lectures. Despite the 2020-21 batch having lower admission merit compared to the 2019-20 batch, which was taught entirely online, the former, taught in a hybrid format (partly online and partly on campus), demonstrated significantly better performance in module and professional examinations for anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry. The quality of teaching and examination papers was found to be consistent both online and on campus. However, factors such as low motivation, mental stress due to the pandemic’s effects on students and their families, ineffective proctoring mechanisms, and the absence of physical teacher presence in online classes contributed to the lower performance of the batch taught entirely online. The lack of co-curricular activities also played a role in this outcome.

Un-intentioned outcomes

The pandemic-induced shift to online teaching resulted in comprehensive teacher training for blended learning sessions and courses. This equipped educators to develop and deliver online courses as supplemental resources for students. Moreover, students gained proficiency in online teaching and assessment techniques, enabling the incorporation of low-stakes examinations on Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Moodle. This approach not only streamlines the process but also offers flexibility for both educators and students, ultimately enhancing the teaching and learning experience.

Short-term implications

The batch that experienced solely online teaching during the pandemic came to appreciate the value of attending medical school, recognizing its role not only in providing quality education but also in fostering co-curricular activities, problem-solving skills, team building, leadership abilities, and offering counseling support when needed. Additionally, faculty members recognized the importance of being technologically proficient and the benefits of blended learning, which can encourage students to take more responsibility for their studies. There was a recognized need for strengthening the medical education department in terms of online teaching and providing regular faculty training. The 2019–20 batch achieved a passing rate of 92.58% in the university professional examination, while the 2020–21 batch scored even higher with a passing rate of 98.16%. Faculty involved in teaching and assessment noted that the professional papers in basic sciences for the 2019–20 batch were comparatively easier than those for the 2020–21 batch.

Long-term implications

The online program has proven to be an effective alternative to on-campus teaching, particularly in a blended format. Both batches showed improved performance over the next two years, achieving impressive results of 97–98% in 2021 and 2022. However, the true measure of success will be observed when these batches graduate and begin working in hospitals, providing insight into the long-term impact of the online teaching approach.

Program impact

The online program proved successful in hybrid (blended) form, albeit with certain limitations evident in the results, particularly for the total online approach.

Program effectiveness

The majority of students demonstrated good performance, particularly in hybrid learning methods, underscoring the importance of incorporating blended learning approaches that combine both asynchronous and synchronous forms.

Program sustainability

The program is integrated into the Learning Management Systems (LMS), with additional tools like webinars and Zoom purchased as needed. This expenditure does not impose a significant financial burden on the institute, making the program sustainable in its current or enhanced form.

Ease of adoption

The program is readily accessible and cost-effective. However, its sustainability and effectiveness rely on thorough training of faculty and students, coupled with adequate support from the administration and medical education department. This ensures a cost-effective and sustainable model that can be easily replicated by other institutions.

Quantitative results

Analysis of module examinations (table  3 ).

Reliability of module assessment papers in subjects of anatomy, physiology and biochemistry was determined using Cronbach’s alpha during hybrid sessions and online sessions. The data shows different reliability of papers across various disciplines. The table shows reliability of assessments were low in the beginning of COVID- 19 Pandemic i.e. in 2019–2020 (totally online) but improved with passage of time in the basic health sciences subjects in 2020-21 (hybrid) except for biochemistry which shows more reliability of papers in online tests compared to hybrid.

Comparison of admission scores, internal assessment scores, and professional examination scores (table  4 )

The admission merit, particularly MDCAT scores, and final merit were significantly higher for the online batch (2019–2020) compared to the hybrid batch (2020–2021) P value 0.01. Internal assessments of anatomy improved significantly in the hybrid teaching batch compared to the online batch, while physiology and biochemistry remained comparable between the two batches. First professional results of anatomy and physiology showed significant improvement in the hybrid teaching batch, while biochemistry results remained comparable between the two batches.

Overall, the hybrid teaching approach resulted in improved outcomes in certain areas compared to total online teaching, particularly in internal assessments and first professional examination results.

The study reports an in-depth mixed method to evaluate and compare the online versus hybrid model of teaching during COVID-19 utilizing the CIPP model. The context, input, process, and product were assessed during 2019–20 and 2020–21 by obtaining perspectives from students, faculty who taught them, and administrators. The context was the urgent need of transition to online teaching to maintain the continuity of education and academics during the COVID-19 pandemic. This transition occurred globally at almost every institution in developed as well as developing countries [ 8 ]. The rapid training provided to faculty and students on online teaching within a week or two was appreciated by all stakeholders. However, the students highlighted the lack of interaction between students and faculty during webinar sessions. This could be attributed to the one-way flow of information via lectures and the inability to see the students physically. Practical sessions were also only demonstrated, and students were unable to perform them. A study conducted in Shiraz, Iran, found similar findings [ 9 ]. Inadequate internet connectivity, especially in peripheral areas of the country, was the main issue encountered by the students. This led to anxiety among them during assessments. A study from India also highlighted some common downsides to remote teaching from the perspective of undergraduate medical students, including technical difficulties, ease of distraction, and some staff being poorly versed in the technologies used [ 10 ]. The major obstacles have included delivering online teaching content as well as adapting means of assessment in such unforeseen circumstances [ 11 ]. The alternative approach taken by Imperial College London was to introduce an open book examination (OBE), in which the questions were designed in such a way that students were allowed to use internet sources during the examination. The perception of 2721 medical students across 39 medical schools in the UK revealed flexibility as an advantage and internet connection as a barrier to online education [ 12 ]. OBE was implemented for internal assessments during COVID-19 in our setup but was not done for professional examinations. The students commented on the advantages of online teaching more, as traveling was not required, and they could study from home. Faculty coordination was improved, and they were trained in blended learning [ 13 ]. Similarly, students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices were reported by Noreen et al. (2020) during COVID-19 in Pakistani medical schools, supporting our study [ 14 ]. Quantitative analysis showed that internal assessment and modular examination papers were equally reliable in all basic subjects in the first-year MBBS. However, the admission merit of group A was higher than that of group B, but the scores of internal assessments and professional examinations were higher for group B students compared to group (A) There could be multiple reasons for this. As shown in our results, the admission criteria for group A were totally based on PMDC criteria, where no marks were allocated to the medical colleges for interviews, while in group B, 20% of marks were allocated to them for interviews due to the change from PMDC to PMC. Moreover, the medical college changed its attendance and assessment criteria from 75% attendance and a 50% assessment cutoff to be eligible for professional examinations for group A to 90% attendance and a 60% assessment cutoff for the years 2020–21 for group (B) A systematic review of the academic performance of students during COVID-19 reported variable results, spanning from low to high [ 15 ]. Similarly, a study by Sulail Fatima et al. (2021) conducted in Karachi, Pakistan, reported low academic performance in module assessments conducted online versus high scores in face-to-face assessments, which supports our study [ 16 ]. Shamsa et al. (2018) evaluated the quality of school programs using the CIPP model, which revealed significant findings that were recommended to be improved [ 17 ]. Similar studies were carried out in Pakistan to evaluate the continuous development program for family physicians and the bioethics diploma program [ 18 , 19 , 20 ]. The effect of the pandemic on medical training will be analyzed after these students graduate and start practicing. The workplace-based assessment will provide a clear picture of the online teaching during COVID-19. However, it has broadened the horizons of training by integrating asynchronous and synchronous teaching models. Telemedicine and flipped classrooms are now more frequently utilized for content delivery and patient care than before, with more advantages compared to conventional archetypes. These will become more refined with the passage of time with the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) like Chat-GPT and research rabbits. This has posed challenges for faculty to identify the learning methods that can be successfully integrated into their curriculum.

The CIPP model program evaluation highlighted the challenges encountered by both students and faculty during total online teaching, shedding light on gaps in students’ knowledge and skills. Furthermore, it offers guidance to administrators and program directors to pinpoint areas needing improvement, facilitating the implementation of necessary changes. While students valued the hybrid model for its engaging teacher-student interaction, faculty members favored online teaching strategies and proposed the future use of blended learning. The administration recognized the faculty’s swift transition to online teaching and their commendable performance. However, they emphasized the necessity of faculty development workshops on blended learning and strengthening the medical education department. Based on our study, we recommend:

Blended learning strategies (Both synchronous and asynchronous should be used for teaching and learning as it generates sense of responsibility amongst the students, create interest and generate team work.

Workshops for blended learning techniques for faculty should be done frequently.

Medical education department should be equipped to facilitate online teaching /learning.

Feedback of the students should be taken after each module to cater their needs and improve the curriculum.

Data availability

All of the relevant raw data of this study will be available from Prof. Dr. Anila Jaleel (corresponding author) for scientists who wish to use them for non- commercial basis.

Abbreviations

Context, Input, Process and Product

Focused group discussion

Pakistan Medical Commission

Pakistan Medical and Dental Council

Institutional review Board

Small group discussion

Problem based learning

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• Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/fact-checking-warnings-from-democrats-about-project-2025-and-donald-trump

Fact-checking warnings from Democrats about Project 2025 and Donald Trump

This fact check originally appeared on PolitiFact .

Project 2025 has a starring role in this week’s Democratic National Convention.

And it was front and center on Night 1.

WATCH: Hauling large copy of Project 2025, Michigan state Sen. McMorrow speaks at 2024 DNC

“This is Project 2025,” Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, said as she laid a hardbound copy of the 900-page document on the lectern. “Over the next four nights, you are going to hear a lot about what is in this 900-page document. Why? Because this is the Republican blueprint for a second Trump term.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, has warned Americans about “Trump’s Project 2025” agenda — even though former President Donald Trump doesn’t claim the conservative presidential transition document.

“Donald Trump wants to take our country backward,” Harris said July 23 in Milwaukee. “He and his extreme Project 2025 agenda will weaken the middle class. Like, we know we got to take this seriously, and can you believe they put that thing in writing?”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, has joined in on the talking point.

“Don’t believe (Trump) when he’s playing dumb about this Project 2025. He knows exactly what it’ll do,” Walz said Aug. 9 in Glendale, Arizona.

Trump’s campaign has worked to build distance from the project, which the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, led with contributions from dozens of conservative groups.

Much of the plan calls for extensive executive-branch overhauls and draws on both long-standing conservative principles, such as tax cuts, and more recent culture war issues. It lays out recommendations for disbanding the Commerce and Education departments, eliminating certain climate protections and consolidating more power to the president.

Project 2025 offers a sweeping vision for a Republican-led executive branch, and some of its policies mirror Trump’s 2024 agenda, But Harris and her presidential campaign have at times gone too far in describing what the project calls for and how closely the plans overlap with Trump’s campaign.

PolitiFact researched Harris’ warnings about how the plan would affect reproductive rights, federal entitlement programs and education, just as we did for President Joe Biden’s Project 2025 rhetoric. Here’s what the project does and doesn’t call for, and how it squares with Trump’s positions.

Are Trump and Project 2025 connected?

To distance himself from Project 2025 amid the Democratic attacks, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he “knows nothing” about it and has “no idea” who is in charge of it. (CNN identified at least 140 former advisers from the Trump administration who have been involved.)

The Heritage Foundation sought contributions from more than 100 conservative organizations for its policy vision for the next Republican presidency, which was published in 2023.

Project 2025 is now winding down some of its policy operations, and director Paul Dans, a former Trump administration official, is stepping down, The Washington Post reported July 30. Trump campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita denounced the document.

WATCH: A look at the Project 2025 plan to reshape government and Trump’s links to its authors

However, Project 2025 contributors include a number of high-ranking officials from Trump’s first administration, including former White House adviser Peter Navarro and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.

A recently released recording of Russell Vought, a Project 2025 author and the former director of Trump’s Office of Management and Budget, showed Vought saying Trump’s “very supportive of what we do.” He said Trump was only distancing himself because Democrats were making a bogeyman out of the document.

Project 2025 wouldn’t ban abortion outright, but would curtail access

The Harris campaign shared a graphic on X that claimed “Trump’s Project 2025 plan for workers” would “go after birth control and ban abortion nationwide.”

The plan doesn’t call to ban abortion nationwide, though its recommendations could curtail some contraceptives and limit abortion access.

What’s known about Trump’s abortion agenda neither lines up with Harris’ description nor Project 2025’s wish list.

Project 2025 says the Department of Health and Human Services Department should “return to being known as the Department of Life by explicitly rejecting the notion that abortion is health care.”

It recommends that the Food and Drug Administration reverse its 2000 approval of mifepristone, the first pill taken in a two-drug regimen for a medication abortion. Medication is the most common form of abortion in the U.S. — accounting for around 63 percent in 2023.

If mifepristone were to remain approved, Project 2025 recommends new rules, such as cutting its use from 10 weeks into pregnancy to seven. It would have to be provided to patients in person — part of the group’s efforts to limit access to the drug by mail. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a legal challenge to mifepristone’s FDA approval over procedural grounds.

WATCH: Trump’s plans for health care and reproductive rights if he returns to White House The manual also calls for the Justice Department to enforce the 1873 Comstock Act on mifepristone, which bans the mailing of “obscene” materials. Abortion access supporters fear that a strict interpretation of the law could go further to ban mailing the materials used in procedural abortions, such as surgical instruments and equipment.

The plan proposes withholding federal money from states that don’t report to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention how many abortions take place within their borders. The plan also would prohibit abortion providers, such as Planned Parenthood, from receiving Medicaid funds. It also calls for the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that the training of medical professionals, including doctors and nurses, omits abortion training.

The document says some forms of emergency contraception — particularly Ella, a pill that can be taken within five days of unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy — should be excluded from no-cost coverage. The Affordable Care Act requires most private health insurers to cover recommended preventive services, which involves a range of birth control methods, including emergency contraception.

Trump has recently said states should decide abortion regulations and that he wouldn’t block access to contraceptives. Trump said during his June 27 debate with Biden that he wouldn’t ban mifepristone after the Supreme Court “approved” it. But the court rejected the lawsuit based on standing, not the case’s merits. He has not weighed in on the Comstock Act or said whether he supports it being used to block abortion medication, or other kinds of abortions.

Project 2025 doesn’t call for cutting Social Security, but proposes some changes to Medicare

“When you read (Project 2025),” Harris told a crowd July 23 in Wisconsin, “you will see, Donald Trump intends to cut Social Security and Medicare.”

The Project 2025 document does not call for Social Security cuts. None of its 10 references to Social Security addresses plans for cutting the program.

Harris also misleads about Trump’s Social Security views.

In his earlier campaigns and before he was a politician, Trump said about a half-dozen times that he’s open to major overhauls of Social Security, including cuts and privatization. More recently, in a March 2024 CNBC interview, Trump said of entitlement programs such as Social Security, “There’s a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting.” However, he quickly walked that statement back, and his CNBC comment stands at odds with essentially everything else Trump has said during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Trump’s campaign website says that not “a single penny” should be cut from Social Security. We rated Harris’ claim that Trump intends to cut Social Security Mostly False.

Project 2025 does propose changes to Medicare, including making Medicare Advantage, the private insurance offering in Medicare, the “default” enrollment option. Unlike Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans have provider networks and can also require prior authorization, meaning that the plan can approve or deny certain services. Original Medicare plans don’t have prior authorization requirements.

The manual also calls for repealing health policies enacted under Biden, such as the Inflation Reduction Act. The law enabled Medicare to negotiate with drugmakers for the first time in history, and recently resulted in an agreement with drug companies to lower the prices of 10 expensive prescriptions for Medicare enrollees.

Trump, however, has said repeatedly during the 2024 presidential campaign that he will not cut Medicare.

Project 2025 would eliminate the Education Department, which Trump supports

The Harris campaign said Project 2025 would “eliminate the U.S. Department of Education” — and that’s accurate. Project 2025 says federal education policy “should be limited and, ultimately, the federal Department of Education should be eliminated.” The plan scales back the federal government’s role in education policy and devolves the functions that remain to other agencies.

Aside from eliminating the department, the project also proposes scrapping the Biden administration’s Title IX revision, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It also would let states opt out of federal education programs and calls for passing a federal parents’ bill of rights similar to ones passed in some Republican-led state legislatures.

Republicans, including Trump, have pledged to close the department, which gained its status in 1979 within Democratic President Jimmy Carter’s presidential Cabinet.

In one of his Agenda 47 policy videos, Trump promised to close the department and “to send all education work and needs back to the states.” Eliminating the department would have to go through Congress.

What Project 2025, Trump would do on overtime pay

In the graphic, the Harris campaign says Project 2025 allows “employers to stop paying workers for overtime work.”

The plan doesn’t call for banning overtime wages. It recommends changes to some Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, regulations and to overtime rules. Some changes, if enacted, could result in some people losing overtime protections, experts told us.

The document proposes that the Labor Department maintain an overtime threshold “that does not punish businesses in lower-cost regions (e.g., the southeast United States).” This threshold is the amount of money executive, administrative or professional employees need to make for an employer to exempt them from overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

In 2019, the Trump’s administration finalized a rule that expanded overtime pay eligibility to most salaried workers earning less than about $35,568, which it said made about 1.3 million more workers eligible for overtime pay. The Trump-era threshold is high enough to cover most line workers in lower-cost regions, Project 2025 said.

The Biden administration raised that threshold to $43,888 beginning July 1, and that will rise to $58,656 on Jan. 1, 2025. That would grant overtime eligibility to about 4 million workers, the Labor Department said.

It’s unclear how many workers Project 2025’s proposal to return to the Trump-era overtime threshold in some parts of the country would affect, but experts said some would presumably lose the right to overtime wages.

Other overtime proposals in Project 2025’s plan include allowing some workers to choose to accumulate paid time off instead of overtime pay, or to work more hours in one week and fewer in the next, rather than receive overtime.

Trump’s past with overtime pay is complicated. In 2016, the Obama administration said it would raise the overtime to salaried workers earning less than $47,476 a year, about double the exemption level set in 2004 of $23,660 a year.

But when a judge blocked the Obama rule, the Trump administration didn’t challenge the court ruling. Instead it set its own overtime threshold, which raised the amount, but by less than Obama.

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Columbia University Subpoenaed for Records in Antisemitism Investigation

This is the second time this year—and in history—that the House education committee has sought to force a college or university to hand over internal documents. Columbia has until Sept. 4 to comply.

By  Katherine Knott

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Virginia Foxx, the North Carolina Republican who chairs the House education committee, says Columbia University’s failure to turn over more text messages among officials along with other records has slowed down the panel’s investigation into antisemitism at the New York City institution.

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images

After investigating antisemitism at Columbia University for six months and receiving thousands of pages of documents, Republicans on the House Education and Workforce Committee say the university has failed to turn over necessary documents that would aid its inquiry.

Those documents include all communications among university officials about antisemitism since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Board of Trustees meeting minutes and records related to student disciplinary cases related to antisemitism.

To force the university to hand over the documents, the committee’s chairwoman subpoenaed Columbia on Wednesday, following through on a threat issued earlier this month. Columbia has until Sept. 4 to comply with the order. This is the second time in the committee’s history that the panel has subpoenaed a college or university—and the first was relatively recent: Harvard University was subpoenaed in February as part of a similar investigation.

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Experts warned that the Harvard order should put other institutions on notice as congressional Republicans ratchet up their scrutiny of higher education. The subpoenas, and the investigations they are part of, concern higher education leaders who say they could set a new precedent for partisan oversight of colleges, infringe on institutional autonomy and undermine academic freedom.

Representative Virginia Foxx, the North Carolina Republican who chairs the committee, wrote in the subpoena cover letter that “the requested documents are essential in aiding the Committee’s consideration of potential legislation to combat antisemitism in postsecondary institutions and towards fulfilling the committee’s oversight responsibility.”

House Republicans on the several committees have opened wide-ranging investigations of at least 10 colleges and universities in the last few months as part of an effort to crack down on campus antisemitism—and on institutions that don’t, in their view, sufficiently respond to reports of antisemitic harassment and discrimination. Colleges have seen an increase in antisemitic incidents since the start of the war in Gaza, which spurred numerous protests in support of the Palestinian people. Those protests intensified in late spring when students at dozens of colleges, including at Columbia , set up encampments to protest the war.

The House education committee has led the Republican crackdown, requesting troves of documents from colleges and holding combative hearings with university leaders. So far, three presidents who testified in front of the committee have resigned in part because of the fallout from their appearances, including Columbia’s leader, who stepped down last week to take a job with the United Kingdom’s foreign secretary.

Foxx acknowledged the leadership change in her letter to interim president Katrina Armstrong.

“While the Committee must move forward with compulsory process as previously indicated, we sincerely hope that Columbia’s new leadership will result in increased cooperation,” she said.

The committee opened its investigation into Columbia in February, citing “grave concerns regarding the inadequacy of Columbia’s response to antisemitism on its campus.” Since then, the university has turned over 47,000 pages, though a committee spokesperson said that the “overwhelming majority has been completely unsubstantial.” The committee has received and released damaging text messages among university officials that led to their dismissal as well as information about discipline cases for students involved with the spring protests.

Foxx wrote that Columbia has failed to turn over “a substantial number of text and electronic messages” as well as notes and other records from board meetings despite having “considerable time to fulfill” the requests. Additionally, the list of student discipline cases that Columbia handed over included incidents since April 17, but the committee wants details about cases dating back to Oct. 7.

A Columbia spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday that the university is "committed to combating antisemitism and all forms of discrimination. We have provided thousands of documents over the past seven months in response to the committee’s dozens of ongoing requests, and we remain committed to cooperating with the committee."

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The university has received more than 100 requests from the committee since February, the spokesperson said, turning over texts, emails, disciplinary records and board materials totaling 14,800 documents that span more than 47,400 pages. That effort has included collecting documents from more than 50 individuals.

But Foxx said in a separate statement that Columbia administrators’ actions have slowed the investigation.

“The information we have obtained points to a continued pattern of negligence towards antisemitism and a refusal to stand up to the radical students and faculty responsible for it,” Foxx said. “The goal of this investigation has always been to protect Jewish students and faculty, and if compulsory measures are necessary to obtain the documents the Committee requires, so be it.”

Pregnancy was always implicitly protected by Title IX.

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Blog The Education Hub

https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2024/08/20/gcse-results-day-2024-number-grading-system/

GCSE results day 2024: Everything you need to know including the number grading system

Thousands of students across the country will soon be finding out their GCSE results and thinking about the next steps in their education.   

Here we explain everything you need to know about the big day, from when results day is, to the current 9-1 grading scale, to what your options are if your results aren’t what you’re expecting.  

When is GCSE results day 2024?  

GCSE results day will be taking place on Thursday the 22 August.     

The results will be made available to schools on Wednesday and available to pick up from your school by 8am on Thursday morning.  

Schools will issue their own instructions on how and when to collect your results.   

When did we change to a number grading scale?  

The shift to the numerical grading system was introduced in England in 2017 firstly in English language, English literature, and maths.  

By 2020 all subjects were shifted to number grades. This means anyone with GCSE results from 2017-2020 will have a combination of both letters and numbers.  

The numerical grading system was to signal more challenging GCSEs and to better differentiate between students’ abilities - particularly at higher grades between the A *-C grades. There only used to be 4 grades between A* and C, now with the numerical grading scale there are 6.  

What do the number grades mean?  

The grades are ranked from 1, the lowest, to 9, the highest.  

The grades don’t exactly translate, but the two grading scales meet at three points as illustrated below.  

The bottom of grade 7 is aligned with the bottom of grade A, while the bottom of grade 4 is aligned to the bottom of grade C.    

Meanwhile, the bottom of grade 1 is aligned to the bottom of grade G.  

What to do if your results weren’t what you were expecting?  

If your results weren’t what you were expecting, firstly don’t panic. You have options.  

First things first, speak to your school or college – they could be flexible on entry requirements if you’ve just missed your grades.   

They’ll also be able to give you the best tailored advice on whether re-sitting while studying for your next qualifications is a possibility.   

If you’re really unhappy with your results you can enter to resit all GCSE subjects in summer 2025. You can also take autumn exams in GCSE English language and maths.  

Speak to your sixth form or college to decide when it’s the best time for you to resit a GCSE exam.  

Look for other courses with different grade requirements     

Entry requirements vary depending on the college and course. Ask your school for advice, and call your college or another one in your area to see if there’s a space on a course you’re interested in.    

Consider an apprenticeship    

Apprenticeships combine a practical training job with study too. They’re open to you if you’re 16 or over, living in England, and not in full time education.  

As an apprentice you’ll be a paid employee, have the opportunity to work alongside experienced staff, gain job-specific skills, and get time set aside for training and study related to your role.   

You can find out more about how to apply here .  

Talk to a National Careers Service (NCS) adviser    

The National Career Service is a free resource that can help you with your career planning. Give them a call to discuss potential routes into higher education, further education, or the workplace.   

Whatever your results, if you want to find out more about all your education and training options, as well as get practical advice about your exam results, visit the  National Careers Service page  and Skills for Careers to explore your study and work choices.   

You may also be interested in:

• Results day 2024: What's next after picking up your A level, T level and VTQ results?
• When is results day 2024? GCSEs, A levels, T Levels and VTQs

Tags: GCSE grade equivalent , gcse number grades , GCSE results , gcse results day 2024 , gsce grades old and new , new gcse grades

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