Article 3: Benefits of online education or shortcomings of the traditional system?

From Digital Culture & Society

Benefits of online education or shortcomings of the traditional system?

Benefits of online education or shortcomings of the traditional system? (n.d.). International Journal of User-System Interaction. https://doi.org/10.37789/ijusi.2021.14.4.1

DOI: 10.37789/ijusi.2021.14.4.1

http://rochi.utcluj.ro/ijusi/articles/IJUSI-14-4-Macavei.pdf

Contents 1 Context 2 Overview 3 Strengths and Weaknesses 4 Assessment

[edit] Context

In recent years, the landscape of education witnessed a significant shifT caused by the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Universities worldwide had to transition swiftly from face-to-face teaching methods to online education. This sudden transformation had many different implications for educators, students, and academic institutions. Many students and teachers had to learn how to use important programs like Zoom for the first time near the end of the semester during a pivotal time for both High Schools and Universities (Mid-March). As a consequence of the changes to student learning during the pandemic, a discussion was prompted for a comprehensive assessment of the advantages and drawbacks of both educational approaches. The article, authored by Tudor Macavei, Valentina Iuliana Manea, and Costin Pribeanu, was written from the Technical University of Civil Engineering in Bucharest, Romania.. While the pandemic-induced shift to online education brought forth its own issues, it also led to many unanticipated benefits, especially from the perspective of students. This study takes a closer look at students' favourable experiences of online teaching and learning within this new educational ground. Through this study, the authors reveal several limitations and shortcomings in the traditional education system that online education appears to mitigate or solve entirely. These shortcomings stem from an absence of a well structured base for educational materials as well as inadequate support for students and teachers that is improved by technology. As education continues to evolve in response to changing circumstances and technlogies, this research contributes valuable insights into the ongoing conversation about online and in-person education.

[edit] Overview

In the article authored by Tudor Macavei, Valentina Iuliana Manea, and Costin Pribeanu, an examination is done regarding the advantages and drawbacks of the transition to online education, as perceived by 181 university students. The authors categorize the students' responses into two primary areas, the advantages associated with the educational platform and the benefits of distance education. The first includes aspects such as platform quality, ease of access, and, importantly, the availability and access to different learning and testing materials. When platforms such as Brightspace are used well to document different course files, this can stand out as a significant advantage. The article notes a shift in student perceptions over time, with an increasing appreciation for the accessibility of educational resources within online platforms. Within the examination of platform benefits, the authors also highlighted the databases and their capabilities to record lectures and seminars as well. These are convenient features the article emphasizes as important to continue to study the potential uses of as well. The article overall presents many valuable insights into students evolving perspectives on how education should be done and how they would prefer to be taught. The authors highlight the benefits of online education such as the accessibility to learning materials that cannot be replicated in face-face education.

[edit] Strengths and Weaknesses

One notable strength of the article is its analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of online education during the pandemic. The authors categorize and quantify student responses in a clear way, using their data to look at many different facets of online education. They emphasize the role of things like learning materials and how good quality the educational platform actually is in affecting student perceptions and results. The article itself is well-structured as well, and incorporates quantitative data such as percentages to an otherwise qualitative topic. However, the article has certain weaknesses. It places less emphasis on exploring potential personal advantages of online education, which could have provided valuable insights given the significance of personal life factors in students' preferences for online learning. Additionally, the article lacks a bigger discussion of the external context of online education such as global trends in online education and the challenges faced by other educational institutions worldwide during the pandemic. Including this would help readers better grasp the implications of the findings. Lastly, the article concludes without offering many recommendations for educators or leaders of the industry, as it could have suggested strategies for utilizing the identified advantages or trying to mitigate the drawbacks of online education. These recommendations could enhance the article's ability to help change the educational industry and move closer to online learning.

[edit] Assessment

This article offers valuable contributions to the ongoing conversation regarding the advantages and challenges of the transition to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to analyze how these benefits could be used going forward.. Its analysis of student perceptions, especially regarding earning materials and platform quality, is a significant strength of the article. The article has clear presentation and uses quantitative data to enhance its credibility. However, the article could have benefited from a more expansive exploration of personal advantages, as well as a discussion of how education was looking online worldwide and potentially including recommendations to implement into education going forward.

Rb18bd 14:30, 1 December 2023 (UTC) Hd20ge 10:37, 4 December 2023 (EST)