Digitalization of Education. The Pros and Cons

The development of digital technologies in the 21st century has been astronomical.

19:28 25 November 2020

Every piece of our lives today seems to be going digital. One important aspect of life that is now undergoing rapid digitalization is education, and it makes sense. Why should the students of tomorrow be learning in a way that was designed yesterday?

 

In 2020, with so much of the world affected by the coronavirus pandemic, education has seen a very big shift towards digitalization. That is why many students are asked by their teachers to write papers and essays on such topics. If you can’t figure out what to write or how to tackle the subject of the digitalization of the study process, you can check out a free essay for students at Samploon.com to familiarize yourself with it. Writing an essay about this topic will help you in forming your own opinion about whether it is a good thing or not and how it affects academic performance.

 

Let’s take a look at what the digitalization of education really looks like and some of the positive and negative aspects associated with it.

 

How Education Can Be Digitalized

 

When we talk about the digitalization of the study process, we are talking about a process in delivering the material in a rather unconventional way. Here are some ways in which it is being done in many parts of the world:

 

● Online Courses and Exams

 

The most simple example of how digital learning is now being incorporated into college curricula is the use of online courses and exams. Providing online programs enables colleges to reach students all over the world, essentially removing the need to travel to a new city or even a new country.

 

● Digital Textbooks

 

If people can read novels on their Kindles, why can’t students read their course books online? Almost everyone today has a smartphone or a smart device of some kind, so having access to e-textbooks and e-libraries will only help improve their academic performance because they can learn anywhere, at any time.

 

● Animations and VR

 

Another great way to give students the ability to experiment and innovate with their learning process is to make use of animations and virtual reality. Having access to virtual reality technology can help in various fields of study, such as architecture, design, and medicine, etc.

 

The Pros and Cons of Digitalization

 

Of course, there are pros and cons of remote learning that need to be discussed. While digitalization through the use of technology is great, having students take classes in a remote way does not suit everyone’s needs.

 

Pros of Digitalization:

 

• It provides easy access to learning materials for students and easy delivery of material for teachers.
  
  
• It connects the students and teachers with each other despite geographical barriers.
  
  
• It helps students learn in a more hands-on way through the use of technologies like VR.
  
  

Cons of Digitalization:

• Not every student can focus as well in a remote learning situation as they can in physical classes.
  
  
• It reduces personal interactions between students and teachers.
  
  
• There is a higher chance for students to cheat on exams and tests if they’re conducted online.
  
  

Conclusion

 

So, as we can see, there are pros and cons to the digitalization of the study process. While many students thrive in such conditions, others don’t. However, we must understand that the positive aspects of this are more significant than the negative ones. The cons of digitalization are mostly related to one aspect of it; remote learning. But everything else about the digitalization of education mostly ends up helping both students and teachers. By using new technologies like virtual reality, uploading materials to the cloud where everyone can access them easily, and increasing the possibility to experiment and innovate by connecting students with one another through online student platforms, the digitalization of education is making a big difference in how students are learning today. And we need to focus much more on improving these systems for the betterment of education.