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.