Online and Offline Mode of Learning in India before and after Covid-19 – A Study

Abstract

Covid-19 have put a great impact not only on the national and international economies but also greatly affected the education sector of the world particularly underdeveloped and developing countries. It is producing a negative impact on students mentally, professionally and academically. Before Covid-19 very few people in India were using virtual learning platforms for various projects, trainings, and delivery of other add on courses. But because of the present COVID situation across the world it has become inevitable demand of our society that we should use online mode of learning to fulfill our educational requirements. In this paper a comparative study is done on online versus offline mode of learning in India using different platforms. This study is done to understand the people perception on the most effective way of propagating knowledge to younger generations in India and presenting a clear picture to the world ,that which mode, online or offline is more effective and more relevant, during these hard time. The online teaching is very fruitful for a distant learner, but at the same time classroom mode of teaching is beneficial for an average child. Strength of online classes is temporal and spatial flexibility. A learner can access the lecture at anytime and anywhere provided digital technology gadgets such as a laptop, a desktop or a smart mobile phone with internet facilities is available to them. This digitally driven learning also comes with certain health related issues such as eye irritation, anxiety, dullness, headache, sleep disorders, mood swings, restlessness, obesity and many more but Online propagation of education has become a virtue out of necessity in this pandemic even in India. But sometimes poor band width and unstable internet connectivity creates problems, as more than 85% people experienced that this is a major problem during the classes, meetings or attending seminars and webinars.