Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Learning in the COVID-19 Pandemic

STUDY SKILLS

Table of Contents
TASK 1- REPORT..................................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..........................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................................................7
TASK 2- ESSAY.....................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES......................................................................................................................................11

TASK 1- REPORT
INTRODUCTION
Academic skills can be defined as the knowledge and habits of individuals which can help
them succeed in their career. These skills are acquired by the individuals in their school,
college and from various other institutions. Acquiring academic skills and understanding them
will help the students and individuals to study better with more concentration. Academic skills
include some major skills like critical thinking, reading skills, writing skills and
communication skills which have to be pertained by every student to have competitive
advantage over other students (Mason 2019). This report will be providing a brief description
about the changes in the education system due to Covid-19. The rise of Covid-19 has force the
institutions to choose online education as there medium to deliver classes. This report also
includes the essay on challenges faced due to online education and various skills and
knowledge gain from it.
The topic selected for this report is “Due to COVID- 19, most university classes are now
delivered online. From your experience, what are the advantages and disadvantages of
online learning? Use reasons and examples to support your answer.”
MAIN BODY
Online learning can be defined as the education system which takes place through internet.
Online learning is often called as e- learning and can be defined as the type of distance
learning. Online education system is booming in the society after the rise of the Covid-19. In
Covid-19 the students cannot move out from their houses to gain knowledge. Thus online
education system has been adopted by the education institutions to provide classes to the
students (Davies, 2022). After Covid-19 the education system has changed drastically, as the
rise of e- learning has undertaken the teaching at remote level on digital platforms.
Online learning has made the students more independent and confident learners, as it allows
personalised learning. Online learning helps the students to opt for creative courses at low
costs and through online learning the students can learn from anywhere at any time. Online
learning is an alternative way of studying where the students need not to go to the classrooms

and can study at home. In online learning the reading material, assignments, reports and
classes are all delivered digitally and all these study material is available to the students so
that they can watch it later. There are some advantages and disadvantages of online education
system which have been discussed below and are analysed from my own experience-
Advantages of online learning-
 Convenient and comfortable- Online learning has made education more convenient for
the students which are living in the rural areas or are having any health issues. It is hard for
me to daily travel to long distances and battle with the health problems (Sinfield and Burns,
2022). Online learning has allowed various training programs and have opened up new
opportunities for me. For example, I can now learn new skills and techniques through online
education system. In online learning students do not have to reschedule their activities, as they
have the access to complete their course assignments whenever they want. Online learning has
allowed me to learn new skills and gain knowledge which are required according to their
profession.
 Increased retention rates- Online learning tools help the developers to make more
attractive and creative content which had helped me to learn and remember the information
for more time. I was able to enjoy learning online, because I was able to retain the information
for a longer period of time and apply the concepts at work. Online learning is less stressful
and put less pressure on the students as the students are learning from there place (Hopkins
and Reid, 2018). For example, the course material and details are available with me for the
lifetime thus I can refresh my memory by reading it again and again. These factors have
attracted me to come back again and again to online education system.
 Availability and affordability- The opportunities which students are having through
online learning are boundless as the courses provided in online learning are affordable for
students. For example, I was able to save on rents and transportation as I was taking classes
from my home. Online learning is a boom for society as it helps the students to learn remotely
from their home and also allows students to prepare themselves for the professional
environment (Amini and Samani, 2021). Online learning has been a benefit for me in the
COVID- 19 pandemic as it is not possible to afford huge fees amounts for my parents. In
online education the payments can be done in instalments and there are various scholarship
programs and discounts given to the students learning through online mode. Online learning