By Charles Mwangi, cmmwangi85@gmail.com
The Coronavirus epidemic has disrupted the education system worldwide in an unprecedented manner. In Eastern Africa all educational institutions from baby classes to universities have been closed.
As a student, I am thankful that we are in the age of the world wide web (internet), and we can be able to access a huge knowledge base online.
Online studying is one of the most flexible way to get information and various lessons that a university student can use in making his or her career and will also aid the student to keep up with what he or she is taught at the university.
Online education is obtained through live streams from the university lectures, online courses and many more that one can use in being updated and educated and gain skills for the careers that one wants in life.
Students in our country need to be exposed more on the online ways of education instead of staying idle during this quarantine. The universities heads should highly emphasize the student to use the internet in getting knowledge and skills through various websites so as to not lose track of their main goals of getting good careers.
As a student taking lessons through the internet, it gives a wider exposure to various materials that are found on the internet. For instance in Kenya various universities have started streaming live the lessons giving the student a broader chance to use the internet as reference on the lessons that are taught. And also considering the fact that one of the professors of advanced learning technologies from Open university of Netherlands, Dr. Marcus Specht had quoted that “the students of the future will demand the learning support that is appropriate for their situation or context. Nothing more, nothing less. And they want it at the moment the need arises. Not sooner, not later mobile devices mobile devices will be a key technology to providing that learning support” shows how through the technology one will get the required knowledge when needed.
Students should be encouraged to use the online courses on expanding their skill set through the internet, the students can apply on different courses that such as basic graphics, web designing and many more so that they not only have the knowledge from the university but also have other skills that can help a person in getting employed and becoming flexible on not only depending on the skills taught from the university. Intellectuals such as David Chiles quoted that “ It’s good netiquette for online education. Learn new things”, this provides a reason to why a student should enroll him or herself on different productive things on the internet.
Another reason why students should be encouraged on online education is the effect it has on the student. The online courses are much more effective because the student is quickly assessed when a test is attempted and he or she will be able to know where to improve and also excel in what the student is good at.
Online courses also help in creating networking opportunities for a person. This has been elaborated by various intellectuals such as Keith Bachman of corporate eLearning executive, W.R. Hambrecht and Assoc who quoted “in times when small instructor-led classrooms tend to be the expectations, electronic learning can offer more collaboration and interaction with experts and peers, as well as higher success rate than the live alternative”. The student will be exposed to a bigger network of people who are experts in the course that he or she is taking, this will help a student to learn from the best lecturers in the world on the course taken.
But also the online classes provide a much more comfortable learning environment for the student. The student gets to study while dressed up in pyjamas, shorts or just basic casual clothes without being questioned by anyone because he or she will be in the house motel or hotel or even an apartment and not in the lecture room where there is a specific dress code for the students.
online education is way more convenient, that is when you are taking online courses, you are free to fit in your schedules in a way that works for you. You won’t be forced to take classes on specific days and specific times. It will be done in the days and time of choice and also one will have the materials online that can be accessed at any time and one can complete the assignments when you have time for them.
The online courses help you to create personal improvement on time management and punctuality and discipline. The lessons will highly influence you to keep track of your time as scheduled so that no lesson is missed and also it will help in improving your punctuality as a student but also improve personal discipline in attending to the lessons and completing the tasks offered after the lessons.
They also help in avoiding commuting, that is during bad conditions that lead to the cancelling of classes such as the current eruption of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the student can still keep a good track of the lessons, attending and participating and getting the assignment and results on time or even getting reading materials through the online programs and courses.
Online education also comes with the advantage of less writing, that is compared to the traditional way of studying the online courses does not involve much writing the student only has to search on what he or she needs if it a case study, research or even an assignment, however, they are much more practical because they are based in ‘what you learned from the module’ .
Online education is less costly. online programs are cheaper compared to the ones that are held in the traditional campus. You pay less when you want to enrol on a certain course online for an affordable amount than the traditional way of going to the university which is much more expensive.
Therefore students in our country should be encouraged more on applying to different courses online because it is profitable to their career development and also helps in becoming the best in the course that the student is taking.
*Charles Muchoki is a student at St. Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT), Mwanza taking Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and Marketing (BAPRM). Email cmmwangi85@gmail.com@gmail.com.