The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the lives of people in every aspect, be it businesses, corporates, sports, or education. It has been so long that this has now become the new normal. People have started working from home. Companies that formerly worked out of a physical location have gone online; the same is with education.
Online courses were reasonably popular in pre-COVID times. However, no one had thought that the regular school and college education would go online too. Internet provider companies have come up with special recharge packs for students and employees to study or work from home.
Education is one of the most important aspects of running an economy as today’s students are the future of the country. Once institutions shut down due to COVID-19; they have more or less successfully implemented all their classes online. While there are platforms like Zoom, Skype, etc., these do not cater to the specific needs of students and teachers.
Virtual classroom software is what India needs in the current times. Virtual classroom software is an online environment that connects students and teachers on the same platform. All that is required by the teachers and students to resume work or school smoothly is to download and install the virtual classroom app.
Once done, they can interact, communicate, collaborate, and explain ideas to one another. They can also see each other on the screen, which removes the barrier of not being able to see one’s expressions when people talk.
Advantages of E-Learning
In online education, the learner can learn beyond norms, which is not possible in classroom learning. The learner can get access to world-class material even in the niche subjects. Online education also allows learners of all ages to learn at their own pace.
Students who are not comfortable in larger classrooms can also feel more comfortable with online learning. Here are a few advantages of virtual classroom learning as it seems the future of e-learning:
Interactive Sessions: Unlike the pre-pandemic times, one does not have to wrestle with the pre-recorded classes when one opts for e-learning. A group of teachers and students can log into a virtual classroom app and make the lesson an interactive one by asking questions and raising doubts.
Classroom Management Features: Since experts design the virtual classroom software in India, specifically for classroom management, these come with functions such as attendance, assignment submission tracking, deadline management, etc. These features make it a lot easier for both students and teachers to manage their work.
No Geographical Barriers: Since one does not have to be physically present in a classroom, one can consider going to their dream school/college that otherwise wasn’t a possibility to attend. This advantage also makes traveling more comfortable as one need not have to miss their class if they have to be someplace else.
Reduced Cost of Education – Using virtual classroom apps would mean that there is no need to spend on school/college infrastructure. It is one of the most significant advantages of this software.
Challenges of e-Learning in India
With a vast percentage of the population belonging to rural India (about 70 percent), online education is a far-off dream for many students. Frequent power cuts, unavailability of the internet, and unaffordability of devices are other significant disadvantages.
As per IndiaBioscience, a teacher from Ratnagiri, Maharashtra stated that in their class, only 20 students out of 40 regularly attend classes with whatever limited resources they have; 5 – 8 students have been absent throughout while the rest waver in their time attendance.
Apart from the obstacles created by the unavailability of resources, creating online content is still an uncomfortable area for teachers. Students also face difficulty to adapt to online learning as this has come as a sudden unexpected change. However, these are one time challenges and only relate to the struggle of adapting to a change.
Future of e-Learning in India
They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and the current times prove so. Some of the best virtual classroom software in India is cropping up in recent times to suit the need of the hour.
With a large rural population in India, internet providers have taken the opportunity to expand their businesses across remote areas. e-Learning was gaining popularity even before the pandemic situation arose.
The pandemic has given the e-learning industry all the more reason to accelerate the growth of the sector. Given that e-Learning is the need of the hour and there is massive potential for these markets as they remain unexploited, there is no doubt that the future of e-Learning in India is a bright one.
