What are the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning?

 In the current health scenario experienced, ensuring flexible and quality educational continuity is a paramount issue in order to counteract the risk of school dropout and allow the right to learn for all.

Unfortunately, many schools have temporarily closed their doors to ensure the health safety of students, staff and faculty since the outbreak of Covid19. However, teaching has not stopped, teachers have had to adapt to the situation and take advantage of digital and tice tools to continue teaching even at a distance, delivering lessons and maintaining the connection with their students.

Therefore, for higher education institutions, distance learning has emerged as an alternative in this particular health context. Distance learning is emerging more and more as schools are being closed due to contamination, in order to avoid spreading the pandemic.

Today distance learning is applied at different levels: work training or scientific popularization, literacy campaigns and also formal education at all levels and areas of the educational system, which cover various subjects. However, the effectiveness of distance learning has two aspects and cannot be considered without ambiguity.

* Advantages of distance learning

Distance learning is particularly relevant in light of recent events in which the world is facing a pandemic. Despite the lack of a physical connection between the teacher and students, distance education courses provide asynchronous time and place learning. Unlike face-to-face instruction, educational content is accessible anytime and anywhere. All that is required is a WI-FI connection and a computer or tablet.

With distance learning, students develop new skills such as autonomy and responsibility, but also new competencies such as managing a project for a defined period of time.

In addition, another case that constitutes a problem for the student is his or her difference. This can be, for example, a physical disability. With the distance learning mode, students with disabilities can be educated while staying at home.

For teachers, the distance learning classroom allows them to reduce their workload. For example, they spend fewer hours filing and more time engaging each student at an individual level.

In addition, distance learning is also an excellent economic solution. Transportation costs, canteens or any other financial needs are no longer necessary.

* Disadvantages of distance learning

The distance increases the demands, it requires more autonomy and self-control. Students must learn to manage this distance, which they are not used to. The younger the students are, the less rigorous they are, and the more they need to be supervised, especially by instructions that tell them precisely what to do and that sometimes require the presence of parents. Indeed, in full development, the child needs to be followed and to be morally supported.

However, this temporary situation is not to be feared and children have a great capacity to adapt. The distance school will be an experience that will make the students gain in autonomy, responsibility and self-confidence.