A few years ago, tuitions and coaching centers were indispensable for competitive exams or improving grades to get into many sought-after courses. In recent years, online learning or e‑learning is using innovations and technology to cater to this need.
Let us discuss how online learning is almost displacing coaching centers but may not be displacing schools as of yet. You would never know it‼
Online Learning Can Replace Coaching Centers but Not Schools
Ease of access.
Coaching centers are establishments set up at a location. A student must commute to the center to receive lectures and academic support. It takes a lot of time, money, and effort.
Online learning is more like a virtual address that is accessible from anywhere. A student can learn from the comfort of his/her home, saving time, money, and effort.
Self-scheduling.
The timetables of coaching centers are as per their convenience. A student must follow the set schedule.
The schedule in online learning depends on the student as he/she can choose when and what to study. It helps in balancing academics and extra-curricular activities. It also enables the student to learn at his/her own pace.
Resources and Methodology.
According to Edgar Dale’s Learning Cone, passive learning (verbal and visual) can result in knowledge retention rates of just up to 50% whereas, active learning (interacting and participating) can lead to higher retention rates of up to 90%.
Most coaching centers cannot offer a smart learning environment for students. They follow a passive mode of teaching (lecture, memorize, and recall).
Online learning relies on innovative ways of teaching. It encourages active learning, which can lead to better knowledge retention. For example, BYJU’S, the learning app, offers movies like videos and game-like interaction in their learning content to make learning fun and easy.
Access to quality education.
Skilled and passionate teachers can be present in some coaching centers, but they may not be accessible to all the students due to many reasons such as time, location, and commuting.
In online learning, a student can learn from a top teacher while sitting at a remote location, and he can do so in his own time.
Student engagement.
Even in a top coaching center, teachers may have troubles to individualize their approach to each student. It may be challenging to engage students in a subject, or the lecture might be too fast for them to grasp.
Online learning finds a way to overcome this drawback. The contents of online learning are more interactive to make them suitable for all learning types. Students can learn a lesson at their own pace and pause the lecture or go back to a topic any number of times to learn in the same consistency. Learning Platforms like BYJU’s and others also provide offline materials to reduce the need to stay connected to the internet.
Assessment and Analysis
Coaching centers rely on traditional methods such as tests and examinations to assess a student’s strengths and weaknesses. This method is more dependent on memorizing and recalling. Online learning utilizes quizzes, interactive tests, games, and much more to conduct a detailed analysis of a student’s performance. Online learning prompts a student to do self-assessment after every module. It helps in identifying the mistakes immediately and gaining a complete understanding of a lesson before moving further.
Conclusion
Online learning could cater to the needs of every student based on their speed, interests, location, and ability. It has also proven its effectiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic as it continues to help many students pursue their education without hindrance.
With so many factors going in its favor, online learning can surely emerge as a better alternative to coaching centers.
The moot question is will online learning altogether replace schools? Not yet!!
A school is a lot more than just delivering information or content to a student. Despite the limitations of the conventional schools, being among like-minded friends, actively participating with peers, and the live face-to-face interaction with a teacher is something we can never replace, even with artificial intelligence.
However, online learning can change the way traditional classrooms operate in schools. We will have to just wait and see… Let us know what you think???
