Introduction
The pandemic came to the world unexpectedly and forced a densely populated planet to rethink its relationship to many hitherto standard practices of social interaction. Workplace, logistical and informational infrastructures were being reconsidered. The medical system in every country was stressed and is still under pressure. The educational system has been hit just as hard, which in my opinion, has not benefited it at all.
Advantages
Like all students whose studies have fallen during a period of lockdowns and all sorts of restrictions reaching the point of panic, I am eager to share my experience. Two years of studying remotely have caused me to think about many issues, some of which are by no means delightful, and each of which I will attempt to address below. To begin with, attention will be drawn to the benefits, which are there after all. To better understand and communicate my experiences and beliefs, it will be most convenient to use the method of comparing the situation with experiences in the standard training format.
The amount of free time grows at times – this is the primary and most noticeable plus in remote learning. All the hours that might have been spent on the commute can be used for other things. Theoretically, there is more time for self-development, homework, or outside hobbies (Hobbs & Hawkins, 2020). With a stable network connection, all materials needed for learning are categorized, structured, and within a minute’s reach.
Living with their own family is especially relevant for dorm students, most of whom have had a meaningful opportunity to return home to almost ordinary life and continue their studies from their private rooms (Morgan, 2020). Not everyone can call this a full-fledged plus, but family reunification sometimes does not resonate fully with a young person who craves freedom. Nevertheless, at the very least, it translates into savings in the cost of living.
The ability to self-organize and self-allocate my time has likewise positively impacted my perception of distance learning. In my opinion, with motivation and material, a student on a remote schedule can show better results in processing or analyzing information, writing, and developing networking skills. Since most instructors provide a tutorial course with scheduled deadlines, order of completion, and links to third-party resources, this ability is facilitated.
Disadvantages
However, for all the advantages of remote learning, I found many more disadvantages that far outweigh all the positives. The first of these is the lack of socialization: almost all friends and acquaintances from the study group are on lockdown, and joint videoconferencing or chatting will never replace full-fledged communication with the group (Hobbs & Hawkins, 2020). It is incredibly frustrating because I value a good, noisy company where I can feel like I belong or play sports together.
Furthermore, the lack of motivation seemed to be an impressive disadvantage of such training. With all my understanding of the importance and interest in learning, it is not always possible to concentrate and take advantage of the same opportunity to organize my own work as conveniently as possible. All researchers of the new type of learning testify to this – for example, Morgan (2020) mentions this situation more than once. From the same point arises a closely related next one.
Procrastination is a term with which I have become acquainted through the process of remote learning. I had heard of the concept before but hadn’t given it much thought, and it wasn’t until I was forced into a lockdown that I realized it was the scariest thing. Deadlines seem so far away, even if they only consist of a few hours. Social media, media entertainment, or even just a newsfeed is always right at my fingertips and can be addictive for a long time (Morgan, 2020). Sometimes I’ve even caught myself sitting relaxed and staring at one point for short periods, which used to be entirely out of character for me. Stress is the result of all of the above and its same catalyst. Perhaps it is an individual thing, but many of my acquaintances have voiced similar thoughts. Sitting in four walls under lockdown puts a lot of pressure on the psyche, exacerbated by the need to study diligently and keep up with the group.
Thoughts and Reflections
Consequently, in comparison to standard training, remote training was not easy for me. The lack of live communication, which seemed so easy to replace with digital communication, is noticed only during such lockdowns. After all, even preferring to communicate online, I saw dozens of people every day, many of whom were acquaintances of mine, and exchanged at least a couple of phrases. It cannot be replaced entirely by a smartphone or laptop screen, as I had previously thought. I felt disconnected from reality and didn’t always perceive people in videoconferences in training as my live classmates.
With that said, I think the partial implementation of remote learning is necessary and convenient. Training effectiveness will soar many times over if, for example, two days a week are used to make full-time attendance and the remaining days are used for remote learning. In my opinion, this will be possible because it preserves most of the benefits of distance learning while minimizing stress and adding motivation through face-to-face meetings with educators.
Conclusion
From my own experience, I can summarize that it is unlikely that the pandemic and remote learning have benefited the quality of education. The lack of practice, socialization, and motivation may sooner or later affect the level of graduates, causing a drop in quality in all fields of endeavor. I believe that the partial introduction of distance learning can be beneficial, which cannot be said for complete lockdown and homeschooling.
References
Hobbs, T. D., & Hawkins, L. (2020). The results are in for remote learning: It didn’t work. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Ed.). Web.
Morgan, H. (2020). Best practices for implementing remote learning during a pandemic. Clearing House (Menasha, Wis.), 93(3), 135–141. Web.