Understanding the Hurdles of E-learning
Since the start of the pandemic, students and teachers were forced to adapt to the e-learning environment and with it all the challenges of distant learning. we can better understand the benefits and issues that faculty and students face with digital education. Still, it is unclear whether or not e-learning will continue as the primary learning format long after COVID-19.
Even across various majors, students from different programs have shared their frustrations within the new learning environment. For some, like myself, the transition from in-person learning to e-learning can often feel like it happened overnight. But what does this mean for the future of e-learning and higher education? Both students and faculty can relate to some of the problems within digital education, but it will take a collective approach toward investing in a better e-learning experience to ensure equity.
All of a sudden, students cannot network with other students or collaborate on projects as easily. Nor can they get the same level of personalized assistance from their professors within the e-learning space. These problems have forced students to question the value of higher education and the associated benefits of delaying their degree given the circumstances.
Ruth Abegaz, an industrial engineering student at The University of Texas at Arlington reflected on school before COVID-19 and just how much we took face-to-face learning for granted. She said, “I miss how easy it was to just go to class and ask questions,” continuing “it was so much easier when everyone was in the same place.”
Even for the more adaptable majors like writing, engineering or finance, online learning has made comprehending material and application more difficult. Abegaz added that “sometimes it doesn’t even feel like I am actually getting my degree.”
This in part is due to the many ways different students across different programs absorb information. Spending hours in front of a screen may work for some, but for others, it can feel very detached and even draining. On top of that, students are studying in different home environments with limited resources. Some students can even struggle in a multi-person household to find a quiet space while balancing bandwidth across multiple devices, hindering their ability to engage in class.
The World Economic Forum outlines just one of the major challenges associated with e-learning. It stated that for those students “without reliable internet access and/or technology struggle to participate in digital learning; this gap is seen across countries and between income brackets within countries.” The lack of equity for lower-income students has become more evident since shifting to digital learning and continues to impact the overall success of these students.
Before the pandemic, students could rely on open university spaces and access to updated technology to participate in lectures. There was a level of equity throughout students when everyone gathered in the same space, that hasn’t translated to the digital space. Li states, “To get the full benefit of online learning, there needs to be a concerted effort to provide this structure and go beyond replicating a physical class/lecture through video capabilities, instead, using a range of collaboration tools and engagement methods that promote “inclusion, personalization and intelligence”
Dewayne Proctor, a vocal major at The University of Arlington relates to this very frustration. Since the start of COVID-19, online learning has limited his access to studio equipment and in doing so impeded his ability to produce quality projects/assignments.
Proctor shared, “I use to be able to spend hours in the production lab, but now I am lucky if I can borrow other classmates’ materials.”
As a music major, most of Proctor’s classwork relies on an efficient internet connection, quiet spaces, and up-to-date sound equipment. Since the pandemic, students like Proctor have had to move back in with their families, adding to the obstacles of e-learning.
However, students are not the only ones struggling to adjust to e-learning. Teachers and professors also have found the new terrain overwhelming and stressful at times. Dana Foundation makes a very important distinction for understanding the hurdles of e-learning. Barbara Means, a teacher with over two decades of experience says, “it’s important not to equate the “remote emergency instruction” that took place last spring with “intentional” online courses created using key principles of instructional design.”
Even longtime professor at Colombia Theological Seminary. Ralph Watkins Ph.D. noted that one of the most frustrating elements of e-learning has been connecting virtually while teaching.
Within programs like Zoom, professors are unable to present content while viewing their students in real-time. Watkins said, “teaching behind a veil prevents his ability to read the room or observe his students’ understanding of the material.” This in turn has made a professor’s ability to connect with students and or adapt material even more challenging.
Watkins added, “the frustration for some faculty also comes with integrating technology itself with their teaching styles.”
One way to Adapting the structure of lectures to accommodate lagging bandwidth, offering alternative assignments for those without effective or shared technology, and striving to intentionally connect with students every day.
