By: Sammy Wang

During the spring of 2019, a contagious outbreak known as COVID-19 spread worldwide. COVID-19 was a disease that caused symptoms like fevers, headaches, coughs, and shortness of breath. COVID-19 impacted not only adults but student’s lives, shifting from going to school in person to going to school online.

Being quarantined caused many changes and problems. People lost loved ones, some couldn’t support their families, and it was difficult to access support from anyone. There weren’t any vaccines or cures to avoid it, and it caused the whole world to go into quarantine which shifted everyone’s lives.

Learning online was a good thing for students; some could focus better than before. Some apps such as Zoom and Google Classroom made learning easier online. Online learning allows flexibility, balance, and individualized learning. Some students focused better without the distractions of classmates around them.

An anonymous student named R spoke about online learning stating how it benefited students.

“Online learning helps students who need to do their work on their own time and at their own pace.” They said in English Summary

There are also cons to online learning. There may be students who focus better without their classmates, but there are also students who focus better with their classmates. Some students couldn’t focus on their teacher’s lectures because of distractions at home.

Electronics were left for students to use, but instead of using them for education, some students would go on different apps to play games and watch videos differing from the subject the class was focusing on. Others would tend to sleep in their classes because of their environment.

These caused many students to fail in school, thus missing crucial information that could apply to their futures.

An anonymous staff from College Raptor observed students and recorded how it affected their learning styles.

“The extra flexibility and lack of accountability leaves room for students to procrastinate. Some students struggle to stay motivated and on track with studying and completing their assignments.” They stated.

A research group experimented on two groups of students, one learning online, and the other learning in person. They found that despite both groups performing the same, their bodies reacted differently.

The results showed that face-to-face classes made students more anxious and focused on the subject than online. In-person students experienced the fight and flight response which prepared their body for action and made them have a higher heart rate and sympathetic nervous system.

In conclusion, a way to make online learning more engaging is to include everyone, the best way being a discussion with everyone or asking questions to students. Whether the student is taking In-person or online courses, the way to make them focus on the lesson is to actively include them.

Sources: https://www.snexplores.org/article/done-right-online-learning-might-be-as-engaging-as-face-to-face

https://www.concordia.edu/blog/pros-and-cons-of-online-learning.html

https://www.collegeraptor.com/find-colleges/articles/student-life/the-pros-and-cons-of-online-classes/ https://englishsummary.com/2-minute-speech-on-the-pros-and-cons-of-online-learning-in-english/