Is online education as effective as in-person learning?

Online education and the use of online platforms expanded rapidly during the Covid-19 pandemic. It provided millions of students with uninterrupted learning. However, even though the pandemic has ended, or at least become less severe, the majority of students are still using online learning in the status quo. The question that may be asked here is whether online learning should continue, and whether it is as effective as in-person learning. While others may believe online education should be abolished as in-person learning is more beneficial, the truth is that online education is actually just as effective as in-person learning.

First of all, online education provides flexibility and accessibility. If online education is continued or expanded, students will be able to continue learning at their own pace. During in-person learning, students who take quite some time to learn will only be able to jot a couple of notes down and will potentially miss some key points the teacher had told them in class. On the other hand, for students who know most of the content, they will be wasting time and would simply like to move onto the harder parts as quickly as they can.  In online learning, the students would be able to revisit challenging materials and go quickly through easier topics. Using this tactic has allowed online students to increase information retention by 25 to 60 percent. Additionally, most students take their online classes on Zoom, Google Meetings, or anything else that lets students virtually see their teacher and classmates face to face. These classes have features like real-time commenting and editing. This means that the comments the teachers make on the student’s work can remain and be used later, unlike in-person classes where the student will have to simply remember everything the teachers said when they get home.

Secondly, online education democratizes education by reducing geographical and financial barriers separating students from good quality education. In areas such as Ukraine that remain vulnerable and have no access to classroom education, students who may be exceptional at studying may not even get a chance to showcase their skills. With online learning, though, high-quality learning will be accessible to them nationwide. To give an example,  an article regarding Daechi in Korea, mentioned that unless you live around the area or wanted to travel in for classes, you probably wouldn’t have access.  Thankfully, many teachers in Daechi now provide an online or virtual option as well, so more students have access to participate in those classes as well.

Lastly, online education is generally more convenient to use. Like mentioned in the previous paragraph, Daechi is an extremely crowded places because students, especially the ones in higher grade levels, are trying to get the best education from the best teachers in order to obtain the future that they want.