Online vs classroom learning: What do students prefer?

Adaptation has found a new dimension and how. When one looks back to March 2020, the fervour that went rampant was, “The nation is going under a complete lockdown.” Well, it was not a great indicator of the days coming ahead but who knew it would lend a different tangent to the field of education. Needless to say, it completely changed one’s outlook to education and forced the sector to bring in technological change to their curriculums as well as institutes to fit the changing needs of students and teachers.

Needless to say, it completely changed one’s outlook to education and forced the sector to bring in technological change to their curriculums as well as institutes to fit the changing needs of students and teachers.

With no days to spare, we kicked off with a spate of virtual lectures but as a student pursuing a course that requires ample mentor and peer engagement, I spent a few sleepless nights wondering, “will I be able to keep up with the online classes while the pressure cooker whistles go off in the kitchen?”, “what about collaboration for group assignments?, “will interactions with industry leaders get compromised?”, “will I have a fulfilling internship experience?”

The answer to all of these questions was very simple. A functional computer or a laptop, a stable internet connection, and the willingness to learn was enough to get us through this new online learning structure.

Classroom learning for students pursuing MBA has been an adrenaline-filled experience over these years, comprising of lectures, group projects, grooming sessions by industry mentors, fieldwork, intercollege competitions, business fests, and a range of workshops. Navigating these elements of an MBA programme through virtual platforms was a whole new ball game for professors and students, globally. It required students and professors to be equally accommodating as delivering education had rapidly moved from a high-touch setup to a low-touch one. In the battle of holding the students’ attention by devising interesting sessions, adapting to new channels of virtual engagement, developing interesting mechanisms to track students’ progress, and making sure the communication is efficient, professors have outdone themselves.

The barriers of communication reduced since platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, WebEx, etc have worked as a blessing and have made communicating with peers a butter-smooth process. Connecting with alumni, working across several countries, didn’t seem like a mammoth task anymore as we all had aligned ourselves to the virtual working patterns. Additionally, multiple industry leaders took to several social media platforms like LinkedIn in their free time for helping students like me gear up for the placement season. These platforms have been a powerhouse for relevant information and knowledge during these tough times. My B-School went above and beyond in trying to assist students in bracing themselves for the placement season by arranging grooming sessions multiple times a week and I believe this has brought in ample confidence to face the real world. Apart from the guidance and support available from educational institutes and professors, students all over the world can attest to the fact that it has taken immense self-discipline and motivation to stay on track. A conducive home environment was required to be physically and mentally present for classes and I consider myself fortunate enough to be a part of a family that made conscious efforts to adjust to my schedule.

These platforms have been a powerhouse for relevant information and knowledge during these tough times.

These nine months of the educational revolution have been a journey of perseverance, tolerance, patience, learning, and unlearning. It has also blessed us with the virtue of time to pursue our interests, take up additional courses and internships, identify our true strengths and weaknesses, and work on the same but the physical space is definitely missed. Meeting with friends during lunch breaks and coffee breaks, the laughter and stresses, the fears and hopes, the banter has now diluted into a video call.  I now understand the meaning of the phrase, “The World is Small” as it has indeed shrunk to the size of our laptops and the rooms we sit in. With the government’s interest in improving healthcare systems and technology aiding research, availability, and implementation of the vaccine, we can only hope to return to campus before we set foot in the corporate world.

About the author

Dr Sheetal Sippy is a Dentist and is currently pursuing a full-time PGDM in Healthcare Management (2019-2021 Batch) at SP Mandali's Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research (WeSchool), Mumbai campus. Her recent article was on the K-NN algorithm applied by companies to meet customer needs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha