Binangonan Catholic College

Binangonan, Rizal

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF ONLINE CLASS IN TERMS OF

Celajes, C. J. M.

Sanvictores, C. L. V.

APRIL 2021
 INTRODUCTION

Online platform has become the means of communication for everyone since the

pandemic started. Meetings and gatherings are conducted online, even classes. The

use of online platform to conduct classes has been prominent and became a necessity

for every student. For almost two years, since 2020 student attend online class as an

alternative for the face to face setup since it is essential to practice social distancing to

avoid the spread of the COVID-19 virus. For that reason, all students are expected to

attend classes via Google meet, zoom, or any platform that can be used using their

mobile phones, laptops, or computers depending on the availability of their gadgets. In

view of the fact that online class has become an alternative for learning, it has both

advantages and disadvantages in terms of attention span.

During these times, it is more comfortable for students to study while they are at home

because they can sit comfortably, find a place at home where they can learn better, and

eat while attending classes as long as it doesn’t hinder one’s opportunity to learn. It is

also safer because students don’t need to go outside or take a ride to reach school.

Meanwhile, home as a place for studying is also an area to be considered in

implementing online class since not all houses are qualified for having the best learning

environment. Chores and other emergencies that are utterly unavoidable can disturb

one’s study time. This also means that there is no separation between home and school

which equals to the probability that students’ stress levels are higher than when they

study at the actual school.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted negatively on education systems around the

world, affecting nearly 1.6 billion students in over 200 countries. More than 94 percent

of the world's student population has been affected by school, university, and other

learning space closures. This has had a huge impact on people’s lives in every way.

Orthodox educational activities have been greatly disrupted by social distancing and

restrictive movement policies.

Many scholars have shared their work on teaching and learning in various ways in the

aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Face-to-face instruction has been phased out at

a number of schools, colleges, and universities. There is concern that the 2020

academic year, or much more in the future, will be lost. Innovation and implementation

of alternative educational systems and evaluation methods are urgently needed. The

COVID-19 pandemic has people the ability to lay the groundwork for digital learning.

Like with other teaching methods, online learning often has its own collection of

positives and negatives. Decoding and recognizing these positives and negatives will

aid institutes in developing plans for more effectively delivering the lessons, ensuring an

uninterrupted learning journey for students.

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread across the globe, affecting almost all countries

and territories. The outbreak was first discovered in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.

The public has been warned by countries all over the world to be cautious.

Handwashing, wearing face masks, physical distancing, and avoiding mass gatherings

and assemblies have all been used as public health strategies. In order to flatten the

curve and monitor the spread of the disease, lockdown and stay-at-home methods have

been implemented (Sintema, 2020). The lack of online teaching infrastructure, teachers'

limited exposure to online teaching, the knowledge divide, a non-conducive climate for

learning at home, equity, and academic excellence in higher education are all

highlighted in the research.

Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries have implemented lockdown and

social distancing initiatives, which have resulted in the closing of colleges, training

institutes, and higher education facilities. Educators are delivering quality education

across multiple online channels, which is a paradigm change. Despite the difficulties

faced by both educators and learners, online learning, distance learning, and continuing

education have become a panacea for this ongoing global pandemic. For learners and

educators, transitioning from conventional face-to-face learning to online learning may

be a completely different experience that they must adjust to with little or no alternatives

available. Via numerous online outlets, the education system and educators have

embraced "Education in Emergency," and are forced to follow a system for which they

are unprepared. During the pandemic, e-learning resources were critical in assisting
colleges and universities in facilitating student learning during the closing of universities

and schools (Subedi et al., 2020).

Unified communication and collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom,

Canvas, and Blackboard have been used so far to enable teachers to create

instructional classes, training, and skill development programs (Petrie, 2020). They

have features such as workplace chat, video meetings, and file storage, all of which

help to keep classes organized and productive. They typically allow to share a wide

range of files, including Word, PDF, Excel, audio, and video. Quizzes and rubric-based

evaluation of submitted assignments make it possible to monitor student learning and

assessment.

Accessibility, affordability, versatility, learning pedagogy, life-long learning, and

educational policy are all problems with e-learning (Murgatrotd, 2020). Many countries

face significant challenges in terms of maintaining a stable Internet link and gaining

access to digital devices. While many economically disadvantaged children in

developing countries cannot afford online learning devices, online education increases

the learner's exposure to screen time. As a result, offline practices and self-exploratory

learning have become critical for students. Due to the fact that some parents both work,

there is a lack of parental guidance, particularly for young learners. There are practical

concerns about physical workspaces that are accommodating to various learning styles.
Leading to shortened communication hours for learners and a lack of consultation with

teachers while facing challenges in learning/understanding, students' academic

performance is likely to decline in classes conducted for both year-end review and

internal examination (Sintema, 2020).

Students are assessed online, which involves a lot of trial and error, as well as

ambiguity and confusion among teachers, students, and parents. The approach

adopted to conduct online review differs as per the convenience and expertise among

the educators and the compatibility of the learners.

Students with special needs, such as hearing impairment, vision impairment, or mobility

disabilities, require additional training, as well as support and guidance. Many

caregivers and parents at home are unable to meet these needs, which impede this

group's learning. Since all students' assignments and exams are completed at home,

educators have a difficult time determining the authenticity of the work and the actual

learning that is taking place. Furthermore, many parents direct and assist their children

throughout the learning process, with varying degrees of success. Another field of

research is student grading, since no proper standards have been established and

implemented. While numerous studies have been conducted, the report on the effect of

the COVID-19 pandemic on teaching and learning around the world concludes that, in

the case of developing countries, appropriate pedagogy and platforms for different class

levels of higher secondary, middle, and primary education need to be explored further.

And there are a lot of areas to be considered in implementing such alternatives.

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of online class in terms of attention

span?

2. What are the possible learning strategies to be used to uphold students’ attention

and lessen if not eradicate students’ distraction while attending online classes?

3. What are the main distractions that hinder a student to focus while attending

online classes?
 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The researchers chose a survey research design because it better answered the study's

questions and objectives.

A survey analysis study is one in which a group of people or items is investigated by

gathering and analyzing data from a small number of people or items that are

considered representative of the entire group.

Delimitation of the Study

In this study, the researchers will focus on the attitude, strategies, and accessibility and

availability of necessary tools in attending online classes of high school students of

Binangonan Catholic College. The study will be focused on the learning environment of

the students and how they manage school and household responsibilities.

Population of the Study

The target populations for this research are the junior high school students of

Binangonan Catholic College which consists of Grade 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Instrument for Data Collection

A questionnaire that will be designed by the researchers will be the instrument for

gathering data. The survey questionnaire will be based on the target areas of this study

and will be structured basing on the modified Likert Scale.

The validated survey questionnaire will be distributed by the class presidents, whom the

researchers would ask help from, to the students though Google forms and will be

strictly monitored to gather all their responses.

Sumitra Pokhrel, Roshan Chhetri

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