Due to the Covid-19 pandemic in March of 2020, the world came to a sudden stop. Schools, businesses, restaurants, etc were shut down. In order to finish the 2019-2020 school year students were forced to go virtual. Some students found going through e-learning was a challenge. Some students felt social isolation, stress, inability to focus, self-discipline, technical issues and more during this time.

   Online learning has been a challenge for students around the world. According to a report from the National Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, they found that between 35% and 50% of students were unhappy with online learning (Zhou, Naaman. Up to 50% of university students were unhappy with online learning regulator funds. Tuesday, Dec 1,2020). 

   Online learning can cause isolation and a lack of communication skills. You go from seeing and communicating with your friends, peers and teachers everyday, to seeing them in a little box on an iPad screen. Communication is one of the most important life skills, you want to be able to communicate with people face-to-face, online learning hinders that.

   Yessenia Hernandez, junior, says “One of the cons of remote learning is not being able to fully express your questions and concerns on email or ring central, Bishop Noll’s virtual meeting program”.

   Online learning makes it easier for students to procrastinate. While being at home you may think you have a lot of time to do homework and may even forget about it. There is no one to tell you to do your homework, study for your quizzes, it is all on you and your time. Of course with remote learning there can be technical issues. Some students have WiFi issues while being home, this can be a problem because you need WiFi to log on and have access to your homework assignments. With WiFi issues this can be a big frustration for students, causing them to be behind or turn in an assignment later than the normal due date. Motivation is another factor to online learning. While being at home you want to feel motivated to do your best when it comes to school. If you’re procrastinating putting aside assignments and having a negative attitude this can result in feeling a lack of motivation. You have to be determined while remote learning.

   The biggest caveat, however, of online education is the loss of learning. When schools closed down in 2020 and all students transitioned to a virtual platform, global research outlets everywhere-from American Institutes for Research to the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research-proved that online education results in a loss of learning compared to regular education. 

   Even so, if used sporadically, there can be some benefits to online learning. Online learning provides students with a flexible schedule. Online learning gives you the opportunity to learn from anywhere, whether that be at home, the library etc. You can study and do your assignments on your own time. This flexible schedule allows students to manage their time with academics, sports, extracurricular activities and work etc. Online learning is great for self-discipline and time management. Online learning also means no commute. Many students like this especially with the winter season approaching. You don’t have to worry about weather, traffic or trains slowing you down. You can gain more time to sleep in and enjoy the comfort of learning in your home. Online learning gives students a preferred learning style. Some students are visual learners and, some need to hear the material, some are note takers. With online learning you can figure out which learning style is best for you.