By: Pranav Sampath

One consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns was the emergence of online learning as an option, or rather, a necessity. It allowed students to continue their academic pursuits while following guidelines regarding social distancing and quarantining. Students of all ages ditched the classroom in favor of the comfort of their homes as COVID ground the world to a halt.

Traditional in-person learning has many advantages, the foremost being the ability to interact with one another. It helps foster relationships and empathy in a collaborative learning environment. The teacher has direct contact with the students and can provide personalized instruction. A study published in 2021 by Tomasik and Helbling showed that students in a traditional classroom were less likely to fall behind as the teacher was able to identify students’ weaknesses and provide the needed help.

The obvious con of in-person learning at the time of the pandemic was risking one’s health. There was a lot of uncertainty and confusion on this topic. More generally, In-person learning requires strict schedules and less flexibility. Students also risk injuring themselves at school without as much supervision. Students may experience troublesome behavior from their peers through bullying or fights.

When the pandemic occurred, schools had to scramble to invent new ways of learning. This led to the emergence of online classrooms using portals such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, and Webex. This format offers flexibility, accessibility, and security. Students logged into online portals at their convenience and met with their teachers and peers. Although initially challenging, students adapted well to the changes. Online learning also costs less than traditional learning.

The drawback of online learning is the limited access that students have to their teacher. Communication may not be as strong as these online portals often experience a time lag. Students may hesitate to ask questions and are more likely to be distracted as they are not in the direct presence of their teacher.

Many online platforms are becoming very successful such as Khan Academy, IXL, and AhaGuru. AhaGuru is an Indian online education portal founded by Dr, Balaji Sampath, also known as my uncle! AhaGuru provides online education in a wide range of subjects to students in urban and rural India. The pandemic led to a sharp rise in students utilizing these novel learning apps.

It isn’t clear at the moment if one method is superior to the other. What is clear, though, is that students and teachers need to be able to adapt to both forms of learning. A hybrid is likely going to be the answer for us as we continue on our academic quest.