Can online classes compete with classroom lectures?

On account of coronavirus pandemic in the country, academic activities including exams, conferences,  regular classes, seminars, laboratory work and a number of entrance tests have come to standstill. Amid the shutdown and insecurity approaching, several educational institutions have begun holding online classes to aid students learn from home. University of Delhi has urged the faculty of all courses to remain accessible for the students according to the time-table to offer e-resources on Whatsapp and email. Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) has requested its professors to be present in their respective departments and centres to facilitate the students for online assignments.

For several DU professors, staying available online is a major obstacle on account of large class sizes and the nonappearance of common strategies for e-learning. According to Amit Singh, assistant professor of Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma (ARSD) College, the university had not outlined a common guideline for the faculty. He further asserted that conducting online classes sounds good but this is just a mere formality as the university does not possess the proper infrastructure to ensure smooth and regular delivery of the lectures. On the other hand, face to face communication has its advantages as lucid communication by the teacher helps the students learn and understand better.  

He further stated that professors at the ARSD College have been asked to upload notes on the college portal. However, there are concerns over problems pertaining to copyright, plagiarism, etc which may erupt as teachers may share articles from varied authors as a reference while teaching. If the situation normalises after March 31, extending the semester beyond April 27 may be an option to complete the syllabus.

Convenient for small institutions

According to Anshuman Behera, associate professor at the National Institute of Advance Studies (NIAS), Bangalore, institutes with fewer students can function smoothly online. As NIAS holds advanced research in multidisciplinary areas that has ruled out online classes as this would not serve the purpose. He further stated that there are a few classes left for this semester, which can be compensated once the situation normalises by conducting extra classes and taking some other measures to compensate for the academic losses. For NIAS, March is the season to conduct conferences and development workshops that will be organised once the situation normalises.

Pros and Cons of Online lectures

There are various advantages and disadvantages of online lectures. We need to see if online lectures can be a viable alternative to classroom lectures. Let’s have a look at the pros and cons of online lectures one by one:

Pros of Online lectures

• No need to carry bulk books or notebooks
• Access any chapter from anywhere
• Stop and pause feature
• Institutes with fewer students can smoothly function online

Cons of Online lectures

• Challenging in case of large class sizes
• Becomes tough to implement in case of common guidelines
• Absence of face to face interaction leads to a lack of lucid communication by teachers
• While uploading notes, issue of copyright and plagiarism may erupt

It is to be seen if online lectures can be an alternative to classroom lectures in these testing times.

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