3 Advantages and Disadvantages of eLearning Platforms in 2020

Everything has advantages and disadvantages and eLearning is not far from that. Though it has a few downsides, still eLearning is one of the best options in this critical world. Most importantly, unlike universities, eLearning platforms are very easy to get into. You don’t have any bindings for joining classes and that costs way less than a university course costs. This day online learning has become a very potential learning medium and serving millions of students around the world. It doesn’t matter how old are you, there is no age for learning, and eLearning platforms have made that possible. But this learning model has some disadvantages along with its many advantages. We are going to cover some of the most potential pros and cons of EdTech platforms and their impact on students and learners.

3 Advantages of eLearning Platforms

If we list down all the advantages of eLearning platforms, we will not be able to cover them in a short time, so I am going to list down some of the best advantages of these online platforms so that you can understand the potential of the learning model. Though it is really tough to be limited in 3 advantages only because eLearning platforms a limitless and it is the most powerful learning medium in the world and COVID-19 has helped us realized closely.

Most Affordable Learning

Why online learning is really taking control over the conventional education models? It is the cost. The primary goal of online learning platforms is low-cost education in their room. Most importantly, this low-cost education is the solution for both parties. It is not the school, colleges, and universities but also all those companies can help their employees take these low-cost training advantages.

Another important fact is, students can stay home and study as much they want. Many eLearning platforms are subscription-based and they let students learn as many courses as possible. It cannot be better than this. You are even getting all the learning materials with the subscription and this way you can save a ton of money.

Flexibility of Time

You might be a full-time job holder but you still have a passion for learning something you always wanted to learn. E-education has brought us the holy grail of time management. Think about the traditional university class timing, it becomes really tough to work and study together even if you are a part-time job holder. Though there are some community learning centers taking classes in the evening yet you need to be there on time a few days a week which becomes a burden on many people. With e-learning, you can make your schedule for learning and you don’t have to think about the class time. It even doesn’t matter if you are working day or night, you can receive your education at any time.

Location

Like many other advantages, location is a very big factor for your professional learning. Maybe you want to study somewhere you cannot move on to. Or maybe you don’t have the ability to pay for the physical place, because if you want to study at a university for courses, you must have to be in that place. A person wants to take a lesson in a Harvard course from India, is it possible to attend the class from his home? It was not possible before but the eLearning model of education has made this possible and made the education system borderless.

3 Disadvantages of eLearning Platforms    

It is understandable, those have advantages that have some certain disadvantages too and eLearning is not beyond that. Though relatively, the eLearning method has fewer cons than many other educational systems. But when you have nothing to learn from and you are looking for better education at a very affordable cost, it acquires some disadvantages.

Lack of Motivation

This is the single most driving disadvantage of the eLearning platforms that students lack a lot of motivation. There is no doubt that real classroom learning that happens in Universities, colleges, and schools are better in keeping students motivated. Because students and learners are in touch with physical classes, they feel more into the system while eLearning does not give that feeling of physical presence. On the other hand, teachers in universities are more attached to students, and students become more respectful toward the teacher and this is how they remain motivated during classes. Time management is another motivating factor for the physical classrooms where people do not take time into consideration in the case of the eLearning model.

Feeling of Quarantine

In the system of eLearning, learners and students feel isolated because they do not have any physical presence in the class of classmates. The normal class learning teaches you to more resilient and friendly with a classmate and you ultimately become more social since you have friends in class and campuses. On the other hand, online classes are providing a feeling of quarantine at home or within yourself. Despite having options to communicate with other online learners, we still feel something is missing and that is a pure feeling of isolation.

Requires Specific Technology

Online learning, meaning you have to be connected with the internet and you must have a capable device to continue your learning process. In this world, it might not be a very big problem yet, this is a considerable disadvantage of the eLearning process. To continue properly, you have to have a better laptop or desktop computer or maybe a multimedia mobile phone. At least without these technologies, you cannot have an eLearning environment.

Therefore, eLearning platforms and model of education has a lot of advantages and a few disadvantages. But if we consider and compare it with many other options, we will be able to find out that this disadvantage is actually nothing to the advantages they have. Among the advantages, the low cost of education and timeless and borderless education are the most considerable. On the other hand, people feel less motivated and isolated in the eLearning interface that comes with the required technology.