Online learning has seen a significant boom in the past decade. Internet and education have combined to deliver students and help them learn new skills. Due to numerous useful edTech applications and platforms, eLearning has become more centric in people’s lives.
eLearning offers its users numerous benefits over in-person learning, providing much more flexibility and convenience. For example, students can complete their coursework wherever and whenever they choose, and they don’t have to fret about the commute to campus either. Going forward we’ll discuss what are challenges for students in e-learning and how to overcome online learning challenges.
Top Online Learning Challenges & their Solutions
With the increase in online learning, students should know the strategies to be successful in it. While there are endless educational opportunities with eLearning, here are the five most common challenges students face and the helpful tips for addressing them.
1. Distractions
With distance learning or eLearning, distractions are an unfortunate reality. For example, a simple delivery or pet running in your home office or during a virtual classroom session can prove to be disruptive. Consequently, time management becomes a daunting task with these distractions and additional responsibilities at home.
Students may find it difficult to have a time management system. But one thing is critical, overcoming this challenge depends entirely on self-motivation. Therefore, online learners need to take their education seriously, learn valuable ways to manage time, set their daily schedule, and study no matter the distractions.
Building a schedule can become more manageable if you figure out when you’re going to do it and then share it with your peers online and other people at your home.
Moreover, try finding a quiet place and time to accomplish your coursework, even if the time you get is late at night. Also, if you get distracted by social media apps and internet browsing, try using applications to block out these distractions for the time you need to focus on your learning and education.
Likewise, create a weekly and daily to-do list, which will, in turn, help you to determine the best time to tackle each task at hand.
2. Lacking Motivation
Motivational problems are another one of the biggest online learning challenges. With online learning, students are not attending classes at a set time or on a physical campus, making it hard for them to stay motivated to start and complete their coursework. Also, when you don’t see your house as a productive workspace, it becomes a hassle to get into the mindset of studying.
However, designating specific places in your home for doing schoolwork can help you get done with your work. Creating a schedule and finding a productive workstation can eventually help you focus on the ultimate goal.
Concentrating on the goal will assist you in keeping your reason for pursuing any particular degree as your top priority. For instance, you may want to do it for your family or might want to pursue your dream career.
What ultimately can help you achieve these goals is to write down the reasons you’re attending school and your short-term and long-term goals. Then, post them in your house where you can frequently see them and then cross off the goals as you achieve them on your way.
Connect with fellow students and instructors, participate in subject discussions, and share questions or perspectives in the virtual classroom to stay motivated and on track to attain your targets.
3. Technical Issues
Online-only environments come with technical issues of their own. Unfortunately, these technical issues and an unstable internet connection only add to the overall frustration with the online space and disrupt the learning sessions.
There are moments when your computer shuts down, your Wi-Fi is spotty, or weak monitors make it almost impossible to keep up with your classmates and the online learning environment. Collaborative learning strategies are helpful in your online studies.
Due to these issues, staying connected with your instructors and telling them what’s happening is vital. They should show understanding of your situation and be more flexible about it. In addition, educators should record learning sessions on their computers through learning platforms as a backup.
4. Feeling Left Behind
The feeling of being left behind is another significant online learning challenges. Teachers could monitor students’ body language and facial expressions in traditional classroom settings and adjust their pace to accommodate learners needing extra support and time. But, in online learning spaces, it becomes complicated to read body language. As a result, there are chances that learners would stay silent, put up a brave face, and then leave the classroom disappointed, frustrated, and learning absolutely nothing.
A plausible solution to this is to set yourself up for success and ask as many questions as you like from the teachers. For example, ask for information on any relevant apps that you might need to understand. The smallest question, like how to access the classes, is not irrelevant. Also, make sure to raise concerns to your instructors either during online classes, via email, or later through any other communication means.
5. Diminishing Social Prospects
While online platforms offer many opportunities, one challenge with them is the loss of social aspects. There certainly are possibilities for social interaction with peers, planned virtual classroom activities, or even the social lounges set outside the online classrooms within online platforms’ realms.
It is incredible but can’t replace the bonds, camaraderie founded on common goals, and other supportive characteristics for students. Some may find it extremely difficult to adjust to an online environment than others. Also, keep yourself updated with the uprising trends in e-learning to gain better results.
This may eventually lead to feelings of frustration due to a lack of human interaction, the absence of tutors, the inability to raise concerns immediately, and the difficulty of discussing problems with your classmates.
One practical solution is to encourage maximum personal interaction within the online course. For it, you can organize webinars, group works, or forums where students can come together to collaborate, discuss and resolve any queries.
Final Thoughts!
With the recent switch from traditional forms of learning to online platforms, it has become critical to address issues learners and educators face. The first step is to identify online learning challenges and then help devise strategies to overcome them.
SimpliTaught takes into account all the challenges affecting learners and is trying day in and day out to resolve these issues to help students learn seamlessly in online environments.
