E-learning is no more a niche method of teaching that only caters to a handful of subjects. It has established itself as a worthy contender in the education field. But does that mean it can take over the decades of establishment that classroom learning has made for itself all these years?
When asked to think about “education,” many of us might remember the countless hours spent in a classroom, with at least 30 other classmates as the teacher explains a mathematical formula on the blackboard. In a few decades, this remembrance might not be part of the future generation at all – thanks to online learning.
E-learning (or Online Learning) is a form of education that is provided on the Internet, and can be accessed through the means of a smartphone/laptop that is connected to the Web. It has entered every sector possible, even gems and jewelry! It’s more accessible and prioritizes an individual’s comfort of time, place and pace of learning more than anything else. This, along with many other advantages, has made it quite in-demand, due to which an abundance of coursework for all kinds of training and subjects is now available to you at the click of a button. Does this mean that there’s a shift taking place in the way we learn? Let’s look at the pros and cons of both these forms of learning to answer this question.
1. Nature of Interaction
When it comes down to it, the biggest difference between the two is that classroom learning gives you the opportunity to directly interact with the instructor individually and personally. E-learning is perceived to not be as personal as you can use chats, emails and forums to interact with the instructor.
However, at J K Diamonds Institute of Gems & Jewelry, the e-learning platform by Learnathon ensures that the learners get individual attention and can directly interact with their trainers even personally to solve their doubts and seek guidance. Classroom learning provides an interactive dynamic between instructors and peers, where live discussions and conversations can happen in the space, which can now be replicated even in the virtual classroom and E-learning platforms. This has been clearly demonstrated by the Learnathon platform running several courses of J K Diamonds Institute online. Though with online learning, the learner is required to have some degree of self-motivation and discipline to pursue an e-learning education.
2. Speed and Progress
Usually, when learning in a classroom setting, it is expected of you as the learner to follow the pace of the instructor. Your individual progress isn’t paid much attention to either, rather the collective progress is studied more attentively. However in e-learning, it’s the opposite.
The courses are presented in a manner that makes its pace flexible according to your needs. It’s up to you as the learner to decide how fast or slow you’d like to progress with the course, and the well-built algorithms established in e-learning platforms make sure that your individual progress is being studied properly.
At J K Diamonds Institute, there is almost no difference in speed and progress between its on-campus courses and online courses. The learner is allowed to learn at her own pace without bothering about what level other students have reached in offline as well as online courses. Self-paced learning and individual attention is provided to every student, whether online or on campus.
3. Digesting the learning material
In today’s fast-paced world, it can be difficult to digest the information shared in classroom learning when it comes to the basics of a subject. Today’s information needs to be shared in a more practical manner, which is where e-learning wins. With e-learning, concise and attractive videos, direct interactive elements with the learning material help learners understand the coursework better. At JK Diamonds Institute, we make sure that knowledge about the jewelry industry is passed on in the most practical way possible, whether you opt for an offline course or e-learning.
4. Upskilling
Many adults seeking to upskill themselves to become more competitive in their respective career fields might find it difficult to take out a fixed number of hours for a fixed study timeline every day, which is what classroom learning demands.
With so many roles to play, a professional might find e-learning a lot easier, which prioritizes their free time and pace more than anything else. E-learning allows you to study wherever you want, whenever you want. This way, anybody can pick up new skills or work on improving existing ones without having to worry about reaching a physical location and dedicating a fixed number of hours every day to learn something.
5. The economics of learning
As someone looking for an education, or even as an institution providing education, it’s no surprise that e-learning is a much more cost-effective form of learning that helps in saving money. E-books, online infrastructure, no traveling, are ready benefits of e-learning. An online course is generally less costly compared to a classroom-based course.
Getting ready to travel to a physical place and staying there for 4-5+ hours isn’t feasible for everyone in today’s world, but with e-learning, all anybody needs is a laptop, a good Internet connection and a quiet space in a corner of their house.
The field of education seems to be on a revolutionary track thanks to the unfortunate pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic has made all learners realize that e-learning is here to stay. Whether you prefer to learn in a live setting or in front of a screen, the point of these developments is to improve the way you consume information and learn.
At J K Diamonds Institute of Gems & Jewelry, we have taken concerted efforts to deploy the latest and effective technologies to enable practical learning. So what do you think is a better form of education for you? Let us know!
