Assignment on

Advantages and Disadvantages Of Online Classes for the student’s

Of Physics Discipline at Khulna University

Submitted to:

Molla Azizur Rahman

Associate Professor
English Discipline
Khulna University

Assingnment of Enghlish- 1153

Submitted by:
Fahmida Rashid Rimi
ID No: 201746
Physics Discipline
Khulna University

Date of submission: 12 October,2020

 Advantages and Disadvantages Of Online Classes Of
Physics Discipline Of Khulna University

Online class now is the demand of the day as little scopes are to find out alternatives to online
class in these unprecedented days caused by corona pandemic across the globe. The study was
qualitative in approach and data were collected from secondary sources i.e. different newspapers
and journals in the recent times along with a mini interview with students of private universities
studying in different subjects over mobile phone by the researcher. Findings of the study show
that though online education has a number of challenges faced by two main stakeholders;
students and teachers, handling all these challenges carefully can have the chance to create a
positive atmosphere in the field of education as an alternative teaching learning resulting in
positive outcomes in all regards.

Introduction:
Online education is a form of education where students use their home computers through the
internet staying away academic institutions. In recent time online teaching learning has become a
buzz word in the field of education as finding no other alternatives to providing education to the
students in the class. Due to the emergence of the pandemic of Covid-19, the whole world is
experiencing huge death toll along with widespread panic and uncertainty. Countries of the
world are trying to shun the gap and minimize the losses of students caused by the ongoing
pandemic. However the outcomes of online education are not always a blessing to the learners’
community as revealing a number of pitfalls to the context of online teaching and learning
resulting in wide spread concerns over the controversial issue of teaching learning – online
education during covid-19. With the consideration to the fact the present study tries to illustrate
the challenges and possibilities of the countries which are not as advanced in technology as the
countries blessed with high tech technology.
doi:10.20944/preprints202006.0013.
Online education at tertiary context of Bangladesh:
Like other countries educational institutions in Bangladesh have been shut down where social
distancing matters. To ensure uninterrupted education among the students, the Ministry of
Education (MoE) has encouraged the teachers to conduct online classes and apart from this, for
the free flow of education the concerned authority has started telecasting distant learning
programs for the students of schools and colleges. Online education has been mainly focused at
higher level of education in the country. In Bangladesh there are 46 public and 105 private
universities offering higher education for the students. Besides almost 1500 colleges affiliated to
national university of Bangladesh are offering a wide range of courses and programs in higher
education. In these unprecedented days online teaching learning is the only way of solving
academic crisis happening across the globe due to the pandemic of coronavirus.
Internet services in Bangladesh for online ground:
In Bangladesh of the total internet subscribers, the BTRC data showed that there were 93.681
million mobile internet users and 5.742 million broadband internet users and the rest were
WiMAX users. The total number of internet subscribers has reached 99.428 million at the end of
December 2019. According to statistics, the mobile internet users are the greatest in number of
who the majority are students, the sources said. For mobile internet use they depend on mobile
operating companies. The source also said that though many of students use laptop or desktop, in
these days as they are staying at home, they prefer to use smart phone to access to online class.
However, online access does not guarantee that they are getting desired internet services. There
are many advantages of online classes.

Advantages:

1. Work from anywhere, at any time

This is the most appealing benefit of online education for students with many duties to balance.
Since everything is available online, accessing class materials and submitting work is very
convenient. Exactly when and where this takes place is up to student, as long as assignment due
dates are met.
2. Review lectures instantly
It’s easy for minds to wander during a lecture. University of California psychologist Jonathan
Schooler found that students lose focus about 5 times in a 45-minute class session. In many
online programs, however, students can review words from professors instantly, either by
rewinding the audio or video or by reading the transcript that accompanies the lecture.

3. More comfortable learning environment

Students studying online in their pajamas only skims the surface of one of the advantages of
online education: no physical class sessions. Students listen and go through to lectures and finish
assignments and electronically sent to them, with no need to daily fight with the traffic, to attend
the class leave work early, or miss important family time.
Online classes don't require a dress code, so if a student wake up in the morning and feel like
lounging around in your PJs or favorite sweats, or velour track suit, he/she can go for it. While
lying on the sofa doing work, watching favorite soaps beats sitting in a hard seat under artificial
lighting. Even, if he wants classical music on in the background he/she can while chat with
classmates on the forum.
4. Easier Access to Teachers
In some ways, the distance is greater between the student and the teacher because the student is
not sitting in class with them regularly. But in other ways, you have much easier access. When
he/she asks a question in class, the professor has to consider other questions that need to be
answered, the time it will take to answer the question and whether they even want to answer
the question at all.
In an online class, he/she can email a teacher questions directly. When they answer, they can
take as much time as they need to give a thorough answer. They also don’t have to worry about
getting to someone else’s question before class ends. So in this way, a student actually can
have more of a professor’s attention.
5. Less intimidating
Many students in classroom environments aren’t comfortable speaking in public. In an online
environment, it can be much easier to share thoughts with others. With 74 percent of people
suffering from speech anxiety, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, online
education tends to foster better class participation.

6. More time to think before sharing

Online schooling still has a discussion element to it, often in a forum or discussion board. On-
campus students have to choose a stance or formulate a thought in class quickly, and sometimes
speak before they’ve fully examined everything. In an online environment, students can spend as
much time as they want thinking about and honing their own ideas. This can lead to greater
confidence and more elegant discussions.
7. Focus on ideas
With an estimated 93 percent of communication being non-verbal, online students don’t have to
worry about body language interfering with their message. While body language can be effective
sometimes, academics are more about ideas, and online education eliminates physical judgments
that can cloud rational discussion.
8. Group communication
Many degree programs today incorporate some sort of group project or teamwork. Working with
others on-campus or locally means coordinating specific days and times so everyone can attend.
Distance learning programs, however, foster virtual communication and allow students to work
with team members via email, chat rooms and other easy-to-use methods.

9. Flexible learning schedule

On-campus students may have to endure in-person lectures that last hours. While not all online
programs are built the same, many use PowerPoint presentations and other media that students
can digest in pieces. In other words, a student can experience the first half of a lesson one day,
and the second half the next day. This can be especially helpful for those who don’t enjoy sitting
in one place for too long.
10. Easier to Focus
It's not always easy to focus on a class. Sometimes a student becomes tired. Sometimes there's
construction going on right outside the classroom. Sometimes a group want to talk about some
personal topics rather than a problem related to any academic subject. And sometimes the
students mind just wanders.
It has been over and over again shown that studying in a loud or noisy environment makes it
much tougher to concentrate.
With Online classes, it's much easier to focus on what they are doing. A student can put
themselves in the right environment. He/She can wear headphones if the surroundings are noisy.
He/She won't easily wander off topic because interactions happen online. And you can choose to
study at a time when you're freshest. If you struggle to concentrate, Online classes might be the
perfect solution.
11. Cost
Although the cost of an online course can be as much or more than a traditional course, students
can save money by avoiding many fees typical of campus-based education, including lab fees,
commuting costs, parking, hostels, etc.

12. Time to spend with family

Best time to spend with grandparents, cousins, mother, father, and other relatives as there is
ample time to spend (if possible, as per government norms). Moreover, everyone is doing
working from home. There is no need to step out of the house and meet with relatives you can
pick the phone and call them and talk with builds more family relations .
Watching a movie along with the family and enjoying it can only happen now at this time. Spend
time with parents and explain career planning views and brainstorm them for stepping towards
proper feature path.
13. Improvement Of Self Discipline
Succeeding in online classes requires self-discipline. Being lazy or undisciplined will cause
you to quickly fall behind. By taking online classes, we can develop stronger self-discipline,
which often translates to other areas of our life such as fitness, work ethic and even
relationships.
14. Less Pressure
We can read and learn the material and do the work on your own time means that we’re taking
online classes. Doing work related to course on our own means low pressure to keep up with
other students in the class since we'll be working independently rather than in a group. Usually,
online programs provide due date for assignments, so with proper organization skills and time
management, you don't need to trouble about how well or accurately other students are doing in
their work.
Usually means of taking classes is physically present on class at a particular time, sitting through
a somewhat lengthy lecture and then going directly to your next class. If we've spaced our
classes out, we will be able to take a break in between, but we still need to be stay on campus. It
can make for really intense, long, and exhausting days.
Then we get back to our home, do assignments, projects, then sleep and the next day do it all
again. It can easily become a tedious job.
We do all the work at our own speed and comfort with online classes. As long as we meet our
deadlines and participate appropriately online, we'll be fine. This means much less pressure and
intensity.
15. Learning Tech Skills
If we’ve never been tech savvy, online classes will force us outside of our comfort zone (in a
good way). We will have to learn to navigate the course lectures, download materials, interact
with others online and communicate well digitally.
Yes, this may be scary for some people! However, in the information age, these are essential
skills and will allow you to keep pace with others.
16. The ability to attend class no matter the circumstances
This by far was one of the biggest appeals to online learning for me. If I wasn’t feeling well, I
wasn’t forced to miss class and fall behind on assignments. I was still able to attend class from
my bed and to stay on top of my work. In addition, this can be helpful for parents with sick
children. If they are forced to stay home and take care of their sick children, they can still log on
to class, and do not have to deal with the added stress of falling behind on their coursework.
17. Instructor availability
At traditional colleges and universities, talking to a professor after class can be challenging. Yes,
instructors have office hours, but it’s often only an hour or two each week, with too many
students waiting for attention. While professors who teach online may also have set hours for
student interaction, web-based technologies make conversing with multiple students at once
much easier. Professors can also hop online at night or during intermissions to address questions,
leave comments and more.
In recent years this form of education has evolved and is widely accepted. We monitor our study
environment with an online class, which allows us to gain a more profound understanding of
your course. New learning models are constantly emerging on the market and give students
various ways to fashion their education into something that suits them, not the rest. This also
gives individuals a chance to complete a degree that they may have started and have not been
able to continue for whatever reason. The future of online learning is exciting and opens
education for a significant number of people.
While traditional education will never go away, neither will distance learning. With online
enrollment increasing every year, it looks like online schooling is making its mark.

Taking online classes is a different experience than learning from a teacher’s offline. That’s why
the advantages of offline classes are the disadvantages of online classes. Online learning methods
are less costly, easily accessible, various courses, and freedom for everyone.
There are advantages and disadvantages to everything that is used by humans.
For example, Mobile is an essential part of our life now, because there are various advantages of
mobile devices for people such as quick communication, information on click, etc. But too much
use of mobile and too much information coming in the form of notifications can be
disadvantages too.

Before taking online classes or enrolment in online degree programs students should identify the
possible obstacles in online study. There are more advantages of online classes than
disadvantages. But here are a few concerns that I want to share.

Disadvantages:

1. Lack of Discipline
Behind every successful achievement so far, discipline plays the biggest role in behind. We
learned with discipline in schools. Rule and regulations are predefined by schools and teachers
for students. And students are committed to doing their best whatever teachers ordered them to
do. Discipline becomes their habit and because of this, they become high-quality government
employees and successful businessmen, etc.
For example, Daily classes, homework, Q&A, subject tests, etc. are part of a student’s life. If
they ignore the orders of teachers intentionally they know they will be punished.
But in higher education or online classes, there is no fear of failure or teachers. Students are free.
Freedom is good but too much freedom especially for students without the guidelines is not good
for society and also for them.
Continuous learning and taking classes regularly is very important to become knowledgeable and
master in the subject. To acquire knowledge in any subject students have to do various tasks such
as assignments, notes writing, research, group discussion, and practical implementation, etc. are
really important. It can be ignored by students easily if they are taking online classes at home.
Some websites and universities providing everything that is important for learning but then it
again depends on the students to follow. Nothing can force people to become a disciplined and
the funny thing is robots will never. Only fear of failure and punishment can align people to be
disciplined
2. Ready-made Answers
When we ask a question in offline class then teachers have to respond quickly based on
knowledge and creativity. But when asked on online teachers, they have time to research the
question on Google then give the answers. And also the top 10 questions and answers are pre-
written because they know what students can ask. And some online teachers just send a copy of
the answer to those questions to all. We don’t think this good.
Students have only one chance while they ask the question to learn and understand the core part
of the topic. Students need a real-time answer filled with creativity and knowledge. If teachers
producing ready-made answers without knowing and analyzing the curiosity of learners then you
can predict the future of students and their understanding of the subject easily.
3. Less creativity & more instruction
The emanation of creativity in the student’s mind comes during the class. In offline classes,
teachers do the analysis of the mind and behavioral activities of students before teaching about
the subject. Then they teach students based on student’s absorption power or learning capacity.
This is not possible for teachers in front of the camera. Yes, teachers can give instructions but
they are unable to emanation the creativity in students’ minds by using the camera. And if
students are unable to feel the presence and thoughts of a teacher in the classroom and in the
brain then I don’t think students learned the lesson. They can pass the exam but it is not sure that
they can’t explain the same topic in more than 5 different ways immediately after the class.
Teaching instruction is not teaching. And instruction in the mind of students is not knowledge.
.
4. Tough to find an environment for study
In universities, students have a proper environment for study. They are committed to learning
with discipline and ready to explore creativity. To explore creativity and discipline we need to
provide an environment for students to learn. When taking online classes at home there are fewer
chances to create an environment for study. It required support from other family members.
That’s not possible in joint families. This is a big disadvantage to study at home. Even getting
the notification and mobile calls are also disturbed students to focus on study. Offline class in
front of the teacher is highly focused on the topic and no one can disturb the classroom.
5. Limited Social Interaction
A common disadvantage of online education is limited social interaction. While online
students often engage peers in online discussions and interact with teachers via e-mail, this
doesn't replicate the face-to-face experiences in a traditional classroom. The informal social
interactions with peers before and after classes helps instill a sense of community and
belonging. You also have more direct connections with teachers and can ask questions during
class to expand insights on a topic. Many classes also use student work groups to develop
teamwork skills.

6. Lack of Community
Everyone learns in their own manner. Some students possess the ability to work independently,
while others find comfort in their community on campus and thus easy access to professors or
their fellow students. The good news is online virtual classroom platforms have been working to
bridge those gaps, recreating the feeling of community in the virtual space by producing a series
of tools that encourage learners to actively participate in live sessions.
7. Lack of Structure
Self-disciplined students can benefit from the flexibility and convenience of online classes, but
the lack of formal structure can be a pitfall for undisciplined or unmotivated students. You
don't have a standard meeting time and you don't have regular, direct interaction with teachers
and peers who can remind you of assignments and push you to work harder. Online students
who lack self-discipline can fall behind on assignments, fail to study adequately by test
deadlines and ultimately suffer because of a lack of initiative in engaging instructors via e-mail
or phone.
8. Technical Difficulties
The classic disadvantages of online classes center around technical difficulties. Not being able
to see or hear an instructor’s lesson is a sure fire way to encourage students to give up. Many
times in the past, students were required to download and/or install cumbersome apps or
technology that would deliver inconsistent performances. Luckily nowadays, online classes can
be accessed through the click of a link without the need to install anything. Internet connections
throughout the world have improved dramatically. Additionally, people’s devices have gotten
significantly better.

9. Information overload
I know we’re agreeing on this point that today we have information about everything or we have
tools to get it quickly. Information is coming in our brain at high speed and from various
methods. We have data but we don’t time to analyze and mind power to store. And some don’t
have high analytical skills to analyze which thing is wrong and right for us. We are taking the
decision based on top 10 Google search results, reviews, like, etc. it can be a fraud and coming
search results can be tricked. So, learners don’t have an option other than just believe in what
he/she getting from the learning source. Too much information in the brain of learners does not
providing space to think creatively, use imagination power, and thinking on the answers of
teachers.
I am in favor of both. Both offline and online courses have advantages and disadvantages. All
the methods are not fruitful for all kinds of students and not all students are in the same situation
to take online classes.
I am not studying offline nowadays but I did various online classes. And it’s good and it helps us
to learn quickly. But interaction with a live person is a different story. But learning is also a skill.
We used to say learn from everyone but how to learn also needs some thought.
Possibilities:
Online media can ensure multiple benefits for both students and teachers in supporting teaching
and learning (Graham & Misanchuk, 2004). Different studies reveal that online courses have
been found to be conducive to students who favor self-regulated learning (You & Kang, 2014).
The most important thing to discuss that there is an ample opportunity to make students have
cognitive and metacognitive strategies to accomplish their learning goal. Besides they need not
have additional preparation to get themselves connected online and so at any circumstances they
can be ready to attend class disregarding their time and place. As there is an uncertainty
everywhere in regard to reopening educational institutions, the minimum outcomes can easily be
found that can make students keep standing in the right track of learning. Students in Bangladesh
who attend classes online giving their opinions that attending class online has helped them finish
their courses timely getting them confident to appear at online examinations though for the first
time they are heading to online class and exams. Online class amid the crisis has established a
strong communication between students and teachers that creates good impression rendering a
positive result which helps students to avert from all kinds of anxieties they have usually while
passing the unprecedented corona crisis. According to Thomson (2010), students and teachers
alike expressed the importance of prompt and supportive feedback when working to “establish
rapport of trust and level of comfort”. In the same vein, students have the flexibility to provide
increased options for interaction and participation (Broadbent, 2015). Besides the more the
country digitalized the more the possibilities contributing to creating digital native and to them
online exposing and managing everything standing on virtual platform is always easy-going
(Orlando & Attard, 2015).
Challenges:
It is the first time in Bangladesh the online trend of education has been introduced at a wide scale
but in regard to teaching learning along with assessments this online trend has meanwhile
encountered some avoidable circumstances that were also referred to the previous literature.

According to William, Cameron & Morgan (2012) in regard to online education assessment,
practices are limited in the variety and modes in which they are allocated in online environment.
Data reveal as expressed by students and teachers regarding online classes that they are
experiencing a number of challenges. First of all, it is their first experience to get connected with
online class, so they are found to be struggling with the proper adaptability with this trend as
switching from traditional classroom to computer-based training in a virtual classroom makes the
learning and teaching experience entirely different for them. Secondly, during the shutdown most
of the students are staying home in different areas of the country as still in the rural areas internet
facilities are hardly found, students use mobile internet which interrupts the online connectivity
due to poor internet signal. Besides the internet is still expensive in our country. Thirdly, there
are some technical issues like poor literacy on handling computer and smart phone. Moreover
students and teachers have to download some apps like Zoom, FoxFi, Audioboo, etc.,sometime
seem challenging due to not having prior experiences and these apps have limited time to be
connected online. Fourthly, time management has been a crucial thing as for example Zoom can
each time connect people online for 40 minutes but students take time to respond to the class due
to some technical interruption . When students join at the middle of the class, have the chance to
understand a little. Fifthly, it is difficult for the teachers to manage feedback from every
individual as well as to let them engaged in materials. According to Jaques & Salman (2007)
adapting to online environment can be a challenge for both facilitators and students. Previous
literature found that technical issues, complexity, sequencing of activities were among the major
obstacles to the incorporation of multimedia application in the learning(Boyles, 2011, Fahy,
2004).
Conclusion:
Despite a number of challenges encountered by students and teachers in case of teaching learning
online, the great news is that no doubt conducting online classes is a praiseworthy initiative taken
by the present government to minimize the loss of students’ academic activities. For the proper
implementation of this task students and teachers should be encouraged and take it as a challenge
to implement in a befitting manner. Students should bear in mind that they are the key stake
holders and so they should be self-motivated to have greater interest getting response to online
classes with their all efforts.

References:
Boyles, P. C. (2011). Maximising learning using online student assessment. Online Journal of
Distance Learning Administration, 14(3). Retrieved from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla
Broadbent, J., & Poon, W. (2015). Self-regulated learning strategies and academic achievement
in online higher education learning environments: A systematic review. The Internet and Higher
Education, 27, 1–13. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2015.04.007
Fahy, P. J. (2004). Media characteristics and online learning technology. In T. Anderson & F.
Elloumi (Eds), Theory and Practice of Online Learning (pp. 137–174). Athabasca, AB:
Athabasca University Press.
Graham, C. R., & Misanchuk, M. (2004). Computer-mediated learning groups: Benefits and
challenges to using groupwork in online learning environments. In T. S. Roberts (Ed.), Online
Collaborative Learning: Theory and Practice (pp. 181–202). Hershey, PA: Idea Group.
Jaques, D., & Salmon, G. (2007). Learning in groups: A handbook