digital learning essay

The opportunities and challenges of digital learning

Subscribe to the center for economic security and opportunity newsletter, brian a. jacob brian a. jacob walter h. annenberg professor of education policy; professor of economics, and professor of education - university of michigan, former brookings expert.

May 5, 2016

Twenty years ago this week, one of my very first writings on education policy appeared in print. [i] It was an opinion piece I wrote while teaching middle school in East Harlem, in which I described my school’s struggle to effectively use classroom computers. Two decades later, as a professor of economics and education policy, I am engaged in several research projects studying the use and impact of digital learning. [ii]

Much has changed since I taught middle school. I am struck by the extent to which recent technological innovations have created many new opportunities to better serve traditionally disadvantaged students.

First, increasing speed and availability of internet access can reduce many of the geographic constraints that disadvantage poor students. Schools serving higher-resourced families are often able to recruit better teachers and administrators—perhaps the most important school resources—even without additional funding.

Unlike teachers, however, technologies have no preferences for the schools in which they work. The resources available on the internet, for example, are equally available to all schools with the same internet access and internet access costs the same for all schools in the same area, regardless of the student population served. Students can now access online videos that provide instruction on a wide variety of topics at various skill levels, and participate in real-time video conferences with teachers or tutors located a state (or even a continent) away. [iii]

Second, the evolution of touch-screen technology has enabled very young children to engage in technology-aided instruction. Prior to tablets, it was difficult for pre-school, kindergarten and even early primary grade students to work with educational software because it required use of a mouse or keyboard. Now there are a hundreds of applications that can effectively expose children to early literacy and numeracy skills.

Third, advances in artificial intelligence technology now allow teachers to differentiate instruction, providing extra support and developmentally-appropriate material to students whose knowledge and skill is far below or above grade level norms. The latest “intelligent” tutoring systems are able to not only assess a student’s current weaknesses, but also diagnose why students are making specific errors. [iv] These technologies could enable teachers to better reach students who are further from the average within their classroom, potentially benefiting students with weaker academic preparation.

And these technologies scale easily so that innovations (or even good curriculum) can reach more students. Much like a well-written textbook, a well-designed educational software application or online lesson can reach students not just in a single classroom or school, but across the state or country.

While technologies such as virtual instruction and intelligent tutoring offer great promise, unless the challenges that are associated with implementing them are fully understood and addressed their failure is almost surely guaranteed. To date, there is little evidence that digital learning can be implemented at scale in a way that improves outcomes for disadvantaged students.

Hundreds of thousands of students attend full-time online schools, [v] but a study released last year found that students of online charter schools had significantly weaker academic performance in math and reading, compared with demographically similar students in conventional public schools. [vi] Computer-aided instruction has been studied extensively over the past twenty-five years and the findings have not been encouraging. Consistently, programs that are implemented widely and evaluated with rigorous methods have yielded little to no benefit for students on average. [vii]

What are the key challenges?

Let’s start with student motivation. If technologies can draw in otherwise disenfranchised students through the personalization of material to a student’s interest or through gaming technology, they could benefit disengaged, poorly performing students. However, these technologies often reduce oversight of students, which could be particularly detrimental for children who are less motivated or who receive less structured educational supports at home. It is also possible that these technologies will be less able to engage reluctant learners in the way a dynamic and charismatic teacher can.

Moreover, approaches that forgo direct interpersonal interaction completely are unlikely to be able to teach certain skills. Learning is an inherently social activity. While an intelligent tutor might be able to help a student master specific math concepts, it may not be able to teach students to critically analyze a work of literature or debate the ethics of new legislation.

The experience of Rocketship, a well-known charter school network, illustrates this concern. Developed in the Bay Area of California in 2006, Rocketship’s instructional model revolves around a blended learning approach in which students spend a considerable amount of each day engaged with computer-aided learning technologies. The network received early praise for its innovative approach to learning and, most importantly, for the high achievement scores posted by its mostly poor, nonwhite student population. In 2012, however, researchers and educators raised concerns about graduates from Rocketship elementary schools, noting that they had good basic skills but were struggling with the critical analysis required in middle school. [viii]

More broadly, it is important to realize that technologies can be either substitutes for or complements to resources already in the school. To the extent that they are substitutes, they are inherently equalizing forces. For example, well-designed and structured online content might provide critical support to a novice teacher who is too overwhelmed to produce the same coherent and engaging materials that some more experienced teachers can create.

However, in many cases it may be more appropriate to think of technologies as complements—e.g., when they require skilled teachers or students with strong prior skills to be implemented well. In these cases, technologies must be accompanied with additional resources in order for them to benefit traditionally underserved populations.

Perhaps most importantly, systems that blend computer-aided and face-to-face instruction are notoriously difficult to implement well. In recent studies of the popular Cognitive Tutor math programs, teachers reported trouble implementing the program’s instructional practices that revolve around collaborative work, making strong connections between computer-based activities and classroom instruction, and maintaining the expected learning pace with many students who lacked prior math and reading skills. [ix]

Finally, even with the best implementation, digital learning is likely to benefit students differently depending on their personal circumstances and those of their school. For instance, non-native English speakers might benefit from online instruction that allows them to pause and look up unfamiliar words. Likewise, we might expect an online course to be more advantageous for students attending a brick-and-mortar school with very low-quality teachers.

Indeed, some recent research finds exactly this type of heterogeneity. A large IES-funded evaluation of computer-aided instruction (CAI) released in 2007 found that students randomly assigned to teachers using the leading CAI products fared no better than students in control classrooms. Several years later, then graduate student Eric Taylor, decided to reanalyze the data from the study, focusing on whether the impacts of these technologies varied across classrooms. His analysis suggests that the introduction of computer-aided instruction had a positive impact on students in classrooms with less effective teachers and a negative impact on students in classrooms with more effective teachers. [x]

In recent years, the worlds of online learning and computer-aided instruction have converged to some extent, morphing into what is often referred to as blended- or personalized-learning models. There are a number of interesting projects underway across the country, including pilots supported by the Gates Foundation’s Next Generation Learning Challenge, and the emergence of charter networks with a goal to provide truly personalized learning for every student, such as Summit Public Schools in California and Washington. [xi]

In order for these new endeavors to be successful, they must overcome the challenges described above.

[i] http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/1996/05/01/08jacob.h07.html

[ii] In a recent publication, the International Association for K-12 Online Learning defined digital learning as “any instructional practice in or out of school that uses digital technology to strengthen a student’s learning experience and improve educational outcomes.”

[iii] This technology has even expanded opportunities for the long-distance professional development of teachers, enabling novice teachers to receive mentorship from master teachers regardless of distance.

[iv] http://www.apa.org/pubs/books/4311503.aspx?tab=2

[v] http://www.inacol.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Keeping-Pace-2015-Report.pdf

[vi] https://credo.stanford.edu/pdfs/Online%20Charter%20Study%20Final.pdf

[vii] http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1747938X13000031

http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/edu/105/4/970/?_ga=1.79079444.1486538874.1462278305

http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/features/edu-a0037123.pdf

http://rer.sagepub.com/content/86/1/42.abstract

[viii] http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/01/21/19el-rotation.h33.html?qs=New+Model+Underscores+Rocketship%E2%80%99s+Growing+Pains

http://educationnext.org/future-schools/

[ix] http://epa.sagepub.com/content/36/2/127.abstract

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19345741003681189

[x] https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5LXmfylL6JAC

[xi] http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1365.html

Economic Studies

Center for Economic Security and Opportunity

Darrell M. West, Roxana Muenster

August 5, 2024

August 1, 2024

Francis Annan

July 31, 2024

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13 Digital Learning Resources in Education

Angeliz Diaz

13.1 Introduction

• Asynchronous online learning – is a student-centered teaching method where their learning can occur in different times and spaces particular to each learner
• Digital learning resources – electronic resources such as applications (apps), software, programs, or websites that engage students in learning activities and support the learning goals of students
• Online learning – a method of education whereby students learn in an entirely internet-based environment
• Remotely – at or from a distance; typically by means of an electronic connection
• Synchronous online learning – a method of learning that requires students to attend classes at a structurally scheduled time virtually
• Traditional learning – a method of instructional interaction that occurs in person and in real time between teachers and their students

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, students should be able to:

• Understand the role digital resources have in education
• Understand how the presentation of information digitally may affect the quality of learning
• Describe the different types of instruction delivery
• Distinguish the difference between synchronous and asynchronous learning
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of virtual learning

The inclusion of technology for lesson delivery in classrooms is progressively becoming the new normal nationally. Even though COVID-19 has sparked an exponential increase in the number of students signing up for e-learning, the use of digital learning resources like websites and applications created to enhance learning comprehension of the courses’ content was something already seen before the pandemic. Our earlier implementations combined traditional learning materials and the use of multimedia technology as supplements to the courses. This ratio, where most of the course content was presented with traditional tools like notes, in-person lectures, and textbooks, allowed the 21st-century tools like online tutorials to not be overused or over-depended on. Even with such an efficient balance, society had to adapt from traditional learning  in an in-person learning environment to online learning using entirely internet-based environments due to the pandemic. The pandemic itself created an increase in the amount of digitized information and learning resources. Because these technologies have always been there, their implementation to the extent where society actually had to rely on them to learn was a very concerning transition for us all. With that increase in the usage of other resources for learning, their effectiveness, more specifically, digital learning resources, was put into question. The digital resources set forth to carry out the education of students gained broad acceptance as a result of the limited options available.

“ Natural Sciences workbook in print and online ” by Siyavula Education is licensed under CC BY 2.0

With the choice to sign up for online courses and usage of digital resources so readily available, it was assumed to be the newly convenient method of lesson delivery. The idea that students could learn in preferred environments through different learning styles was appealing. Still, it consequently held the power to create an over-reliance on online tools, thus decreasing the quality of learning regarding retention, comprehension, and accessibility regarding digital learning resources.

13.2 What are digital resources? How are they used in both traditional and online learning environments?

Key Takeaway

Digital learning resources are used for education in many ways and implemented in different forms. In traditional classrooms, digital learning resources are used as supplements to the primary course content, while in virtual learning the digital resources actually make up what is the “content” of the class.

With the choice to sign up for online courses and usage of digital resources so readily available, it was assumed to be the newly convenient method of lesson delivery. The idea that students could learn in preferred environments through different learning styles was appealing to ensure the achievement of students’ learning goals. These digital learning resources are opportunities for the expansion of learning. They are available online, worldwide, and at the touch of a hand. The most recognized digital learning resources are Youtube, Khan Academy, MOOCs, podcasts, Quizlet, e-textbooks, and so forth.

13.2.1 How digital resources are implemented in Traditional teaching and E-Learning environments

Traditional learning occurs in an in-person classroom setting where a teacher delivers knowledge to their students. Traditional learning classrooms expected their students to engage not only with the content but also their peers through constructive subject-related discussions. Outside of the classroom, the students are expected to develop their knowledge on the lesson learned in class and apply it to not only real-world scenarios but also put it to practice in assigned homework exercises. Digital learning resources are readily available for students, whether they are inside the classroom or applying their knowledge outside of class. Typically when learning a particular topic that may be harder to understand without visualization, the instructor of the courses may use digital resources to provide more information to the student and enhance the student’s overall ability to see beyond what is on paper. This availability and access to digital resources allows students to balance between the traditional paper-based course materials they are assigned in their traditional classroom and selectively implement digital learning resources when they may need further clarification on the course content and so forth.

Online learning, also known as e-learning, is a learning system in education whereby students learn the things they would traditionally but in an entirely internet-based environment. In these online courses, the content of the class is delivered to students in either a synchronous style or an asynchronous style. While the two styles both heavily rely on digital resources to execute their lessons, the structure of the courses is what sets them apart. In a synchronous online learning course, the instructor and the course students engage with each other and the course content remotely in different locations but at the same scheduled meeting time. The instructors of synchronous courses typically require their students to complete assignments and readings in preparation for class discussion virtually. These courses involve interactive lectures, discussions, student-led conversations, and presentations during structured class meetings (Staff Writers, 2021). In an asynchronous online learning  course, the instructor and the students all interact with the content of the course at their own time from different locations. The instructors of asynchronous courses allow the students to learn a sequence of units through prepared digital resources without holding a live session or enforcing a meeting schedule. Both synchronous and asynchronous courses use online tools and assign readings, upload media, assign online quizzes, suggest supplementary subject-related videos for clarification, utilize Google Docs, and much more (University of Waterloo, 2020).

13.3 The history of technology in education

From paperback books to microcomputers, the technological advancements established throughout decades worth of time have created the technologically advanced classroom environments our students take part in presently.

Since the early 1800’s different forms of technological breakthroughs have shaped education. With the development of new printing techniques in the 1820s, greater production and distribution of books was finally made possible. Because of this newfound accessibility brought by printing, the diversity of materials available to teachers and students significantly increased as textbooks began to become the new norm in public schools during that decade (Cohen, 1988). As the 19th century progressed, so did our societies’ ability to come up with technological advancements like the radio and television that would ultimately be used for the spread of class lessons, similar to the way we do so now with programs like Zoom and podcasts to make sure information is presented regardless of physical circumstances.

“Education Learning Tablet School Technology”  by  Max Pixel  is in the  Public Domain, CC0

In the 1970s, the computer was first introduced into the education system, leaving thousands of schools mesmerized by the potential the computers had to enhance the quality of learning for their students. In fact, they were so admired that federal and state programs began to require schools to purchase these technologies so that they could transform the instructional practices being carried out. By the end of the 1990s, computers were used to enhance classroom instruction, and there was an estimated one computer for every five students (Christensen, Johnston, & Horn, 2008).

Since its introduction into education back decades ago, there has been an evolution where we believe that students’ best performance can be achieved through the use of computers. While computers, initially, served as tutors for students, they have become so technologically advanced that our society has progressed to a state where we have almost become infatuated with the digital learning resources these computers grant us the access to utilize.

Society’s progression through time displays a pattern where the technological advancements developed were typically implemented into the educational systems in some form. The combination of traditional teaching and the implementation of multimedia technology as supplements to the course beneficially transformed the quality of learning for students. As a result of our continuous desire for progressions, the national shift from traditional learning in classrooms to completely virtual learning across millions of homes due to COVID-19 was not as difficult had these technological progressions not been in place. Because of the pandemic’s halt on normality, educational organizations were forced to make the most out of what was already available. The pandemic’s the form of instructional delivery. Granted, these e-teaching materials like e-textbooks and digital learning resources allowed for information to be accessible in a time of despair; it is argued that they were not anything new but rather a form of earlier digital learning materials. Earlier digital learning materials were merely electronic versions of paper-based teaching materials (Li, 2021). The digital learning resources that were once implemented in education as a complementary supplement to paper-based materials and course content are now the digital resources that are being used for the actual learning process itself. Now, society is progressively transitioning back to traditional in-person learning the way it was before COVID-19, with the presentation of information digitally being what seems to be a newly adopted form of normality.

1.4 The impact of digital learning resources on education

Digital learning resources are powerful tools that can be used to enhance the learning quality of students in ways a textbook may not be able to, and though these digital resources have their perks, there are also things that traditional paper-based materials like textbooks allow students to experience that digitalized materials for learning may not. Whether it be the traditional paper-based material or digitalized materials, each resource has its strengths and weaknesses when it comes to enhancing the quality of student education.

The effectiveness of any technological advancement can only be beneficial if it is used correctly so that it may serve its original purpose. The same notion applies to the development of different digital resources. While they come in various forms serving different educational purposes, all-digital learning resources hold the potential to enhance the learning comprehension, learning quality, and overall content retention of the student. The manner they are used and implemented allows for conclusions to be made regarding their effectiveness. The effectiveness of textbooks as a learning resource for students is actually one of the most discussed amongst most because of how traditional paperback textbooks have always served as a greater source of reference for digital learning resources.

13.4.1 Impacts of digital resources on the quality of learning

With digital learning resources, the way in which they are presented to students can significantly impact the quality of learning they receive. It is found that student retention is highly correlated with student perception of quality, meaning that instructors can only attract and aid students with digital learning resources if they provide educational services that are known to meet student requirements and add value to students learning (Ali et al., 2021). In order to ensure that students are intrigued by the content they are being presented, these digital learning resources must come into play in a strategic way that is able to engage the students with the content they are being taught in class. The only downside to this opportunity of engagement is that all students learn in different ways. Though digital learning resources have proven to be highly effective, they have also proven to highly distort the main idea and the bigger picture of certain material teachers are covering.

13.4.2 Advantages of digital resources in education

Digital resources can relieve financial strain. Because e-textbooks are generally cheaper than printed books, the usage of e-textbooks can provide a certain level of relief to the students worried about their rising academic expenses. The Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance reported that an average student spends from $700 to $1,000 on textbooks every year (ACFSA, 2007). With textbooks being such an overwhelming amount of money every year, students have become hesitant and given the purchasing of these books a second thought, which is why digitalized textbooks can serve as the median for having a needed educational resource at a lower price. Because of the great benefits that come from purchasing textbooks in general, digitized ones, with their prices significantly lower than paper-based ones, are a better option for those students who are not easily able to afford them. As a result of this affordability problem being one that is common amongst many students, the bright side is that states and colleges are already taking steps to increase the affordability of these educational resources. Furthermore, compared to printed books, e-textbooks are portable and relatively easy to purchase. The features that e-textbooks can provide, like searching, hyperlinking, highlighting, creating flashcards, and note sharing, is an advantage that paper textbooks don’t have. These active engagement features are advantages to the learning quality of students because of their ability to interact with the content and the satisfaction perceived from usefulness and ease of use.

13.4.3 Disadvantages of digital resources in education

Digital learning resources, while they can be efficient, are not as reliable as paper-based. Though technological enhancements to most digital learning resources are still being made through features like “offline” modes, where students can access their resources even when disconnected from the internet, technology can still fail elsewhere. Unlike traditional paper-based textbooks, online textbooks are limited to a specific amount of accessibility because access to the resources depends on the battery life of the device they are being used on. Additionally, the digital devices required to attain the benefits that may come with online learning resources are very costly and not necessarily a readily available resource to all students. In the United States, there is an overwhelming assumption that all students have access to online resources because of the modernized era of technology we live in. In the United States, there are 1 in 5 children who live in households that do not have food security. With that being said, this conception that incorporating modern technology into their lives is secondary (Gaille, 2019). Granted, these devices hold access to great resources, priorities have to be made, and realistically a pantry stocked with the essential groceries a family needs is of more importance than having a new device that can be the cost of a months worth of groceries or more. Furthermore, with the numerous resources available online to students, the authenticity of students’ work has been noted to be a consistent concern with students plagiarizing and cheating in order to keep up with their assignments. Unless students have a good sense of self-motivation, digital learning resources can set students behind if they are consistently procrastinating their responsibilities and getting out of them using digital learning resources that are meant to be supplementary to the content of the course. In conclusion, factors like battery life, distraction brought by the student’s device, authenticity, internet connection, and so forth are significantly degrading the quality of learning.

13.5 Where the use of digital learning resources in education will lead us?

The amount of students turning toward digital resources to enhance their learning is increasing in an upward trend. The upward trend foreshadows that as more things become digitized so will the amount of students who make use of these digital resources.

With the evolution of technology in the 21st century, the rate of learning resource digitalization is on the increase. As these traditional learning resources like paperback textbooks continue to be digitized at a rate higher than ever, so do the number of students using these digital learning resources. With this influx, it is essential for students to maintain a balance between traditional and digital resources because of the effects the overuse of digital information can have. By utilizing digital resources to enhance learning and retrieve information, rather than using digital information out of dependence, will allow students to greatly benefit from instructional e-resources. The proper usage of digital resources truly influences the quality of learning students receive, and when used properly, the learning quality can be exponentially significant. As the resources for students continue to expand digitally, the prevalence of technology can be predicted to continue to increase the same way it is presently.

Chapter Summary:

As seen in the most recent years, technology has become one of the most used resources in the daily lives of millions of individuals. From a business setting to a classroom one, the digital world has expanded to many aspects of a single day-to-day affairs, one of them being education at all grade levels. The challenge has arisen where the learning quality of these students using digital learning resources through their digital devices has been significantly put into question because of the power they hold to either support or degrade learning quality. With the insight this shift from traditional paper-based material to information being presented to students digitally, the conclusion has been made that it does not necessarily matter what students use as their resources, but rather how they are using it and whether or not they are dependent on the online-learning resource to attain any form of knowledge.

Review Questions:

1. How can digital learning resources play a role in education?

A.  They can make enhance the education of students

B. They can lower the costs of academic expenses

C. They can provide convenience because of their high accessibility

D. All of the above

2. What is a style of learning that occurs online where students attend classes virtually at a scheduled time?

A. Traditional online learning

B. Synchronous online learning

C. Asynchronous online learning

D. Remote online learning

3. The presentation of information to students digitally affects the _______ of learning of students.

B. Endurance

C. Enthusiasm

4. Which of the following is true about the trends in learning?

A. The amount of students signing up for online learning is now at zero because society has successfully transitioned back to traditional in-person learning completely.

B. Students continue to use digital resources in learning at rates that are predicted to continue to increase over time.

C. Students have relied more on textbooks than technology since the pandemic because they appreciate what they had.

D. Students will no longer be able to use digital learning resources because trends show an increase in price that does not allow students to even afford them.

Food for thought:

• What has your educational experience been like? What learning resources have you interacted with, have they evolved over time? How have they played a role in the quality of your education?

Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance. (2007, May). Turn the page making college more affordable. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED497026.pdf

Ali, S., Gulliver, S. R., Uppal, M. A., & Basir, M. (2021). Research investigating individual device preference and e-learning quality perception: can a one-solution-fits-all e-learning solution work? Heliyon, 7(6). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07343

Bellflower, J. V. (2012). The Effectiveness of Traditional and 21st Century Teaching Tools on Students’ Science Learning(Thesis). https://www.proquest.com/docview/916613682/abstract/80D106DF550547C3PQ/1?accountid=6167

Christensen, C., Johnson, C. W., & Horn, M. B. (2008). Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns (1st ed.). McGraw-Hill.

Gaille, B. (2019, December 5). 23 Advantages and Disadvantages of Technology in Education. BrandonGaille.Com. https://brandongaille.com/23-advantages-disadvantages-technology-education/

How Has Technology Changed Education | Purdue Online. (n.d.). Purdue University Online. https://online.purdue.edu/blog/education/how-has-technology-changed-education

Li, X. (2021). Textbook Digitization: A Case Study of English Textbooks in China. English Language Teaching, 14(4), 34. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v14n4p34

Staff Writers. (2021, July 27). Synchronous Learning vs. Asynchronous Learning: What’s the Difference?BestColleges.Com. Retrieved November 17, 2021, from https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/synchronous-vs-asynchronous/

Sun, J., Flores, J., & Tanguma, J. (2012). E-Textbooks and Students’ Learning Experiences. Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, 10(1), 63–77. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4609.2011.00329.x

University of Waterloo. (2020, December 17). Synchronous and Asynchronous Online Learning. Keep Learning. Retrieved November 17, 2021, from https://uwaterloo.ca/keep-learning/strategies-remote-teaching/synchronous-vs-asynchronous-online-learning

Electronic resources such as applications (apps), software, programs, or websites that engage students in learning activities and support the learning goals of students.

A method of instructional interaction that occurs in person and in real time between teachers and their students.

A method of education whereby students learn in an entirely internet-based environment.

A method of learning that requires students to attend classes at a structurally scheduled time virtually.

At or from a distance; typically by means of an electronic connection.

Is a student-centered teaching method where their learning can occur in different times and spaces particular to each learner.

Technology: Where it Started and Where it’s Going Copyright © by Angeliz Diaz is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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• Published: 25 January 2021

Online education in the post-COVID era

• Barbara B. Lockee 1  

Nature Electronics volume  4 ,  pages 5–6 ( 2021 ) Cite this article

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• Science, technology and society

The coronavirus pandemic has forced students and educators across all levels of education to rapidly adapt to online learning. The impact of this — and the developments required to make it work — could permanently change how education is delivered.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the world to engage in the ubiquitous use of virtual learning. And while online and distance learning has been used before to maintain continuity in education, such as in the aftermath of earthquakes 1 , the scale of the current crisis is unprecedented. Speculation has now also begun about what the lasting effects of this will be and what education may look like in the post-COVID era. For some, an immediate retreat to the traditions of the physical classroom is required. But for others, the forced shift to online education is a moment of change and a time to reimagine how education could be delivered 2 .

Looking back

Online education has traditionally been viewed as an alternative pathway, one that is particularly well suited to adult learners seeking higher education opportunities. However, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has required educators and students across all levels of education to adapt quickly to virtual courses. (The term ‘emergency remote teaching’ was coined in the early stages of the pandemic to describe the temporary nature of this transition 3 .) In some cases, instruction shifted online, then returned to the physical classroom, and then shifted back online due to further surges in the rate of infection. In other cases, instruction was offered using a combination of remote delivery and face-to-face: that is, students can attend online or in person (referred to as the HyFlex model 4 ). In either case, instructors just had to figure out how to make it work, considering the affordances and constraints of the specific learning environment to create learning experiences that were feasible and effective.

The use of varied delivery modes does, in fact, have a long history in education. Mechanical (and then later electronic) teaching machines have provided individualized learning programmes since the 1950s and the work of B. F. Skinner 5 , who proposed using technology to walk individual learners through carefully designed sequences of instruction with immediate feedback indicating the accuracy of their response. Skinner’s notions formed the first formalized representations of programmed learning, or ‘designed’ learning experiences. Then, in the 1960s, Fred Keller developed a personalized system of instruction 6 , in which students first read assigned course materials on their own, followed by one-on-one assessment sessions with a tutor, gaining permission to move ahead only after demonstrating mastery of the instructional material. Occasional class meetings were held to discuss concepts, answer questions and provide opportunities for social interaction. A personalized system of instruction was designed on the premise that initial engagement with content could be done independently, then discussed and applied in the social context of a classroom.

These predecessors to contemporary online education leveraged key principles of instructional design — the systematic process of applying psychological principles of human learning to the creation of effective instructional solutions — to consider which methods (and their corresponding learning environments) would effectively engage students to attain the targeted learning outcomes. In other words, they considered what choices about the planning and implementation of the learning experience can lead to student success. Such early educational innovations laid the groundwork for contemporary virtual learning, which itself incorporates a variety of instructional approaches and combinations of delivery modes.

Online learning and the pandemic

Fast forward to 2020, and various further educational innovations have occurred to make the universal adoption of remote learning a possibility. One key challenge is access. Here, extensive problems remain, including the lack of Internet connectivity in some locations, especially rural ones, and the competing needs among family members for the use of home technology. However, creative solutions have emerged to provide students and families with the facilities and resources needed to engage in and successfully complete coursework 7 . For example, school buses have been used to provide mobile hotspots, and class packets have been sent by mail and instructional presentations aired on local public broadcasting stations. The year 2020 has also seen increased availability and adoption of electronic resources and activities that can now be integrated into online learning experiences. Synchronous online conferencing systems, such as Zoom and Google Meet, have allowed experts from anywhere in the world to join online classrooms 8 and have allowed presentations to be recorded for individual learners to watch at a time most convenient for them. Furthermore, the importance of hands-on, experiential learning has led to innovations such as virtual field trips and virtual labs 9 . A capacity to serve learners of all ages has thus now been effectively established, and the next generation of online education can move from an enterprise that largely serves adult learners and higher education to one that increasingly serves younger learners, in primary and secondary education and from ages 5 to 18.

The COVID-19 pandemic is also likely to have a lasting effect on lesson design. The constraints of the pandemic provided an opportunity for educators to consider new strategies to teach targeted concepts. Though rethinking of instructional approaches was forced and hurried, the experience has served as a rare chance to reconsider strategies that best facilitate learning within the affordances and constraints of the online context. In particular, greater variance in teaching and learning activities will continue to question the importance of ‘seat time’ as the standard on which educational credits are based 10 — lengthy Zoom sessions are seldom instructionally necessary and are not aligned with the psychological principles of how humans learn. Interaction is important for learning but forced interactions among students for the sake of interaction is neither motivating nor beneficial.

While the blurring of the lines between traditional and distance education has been noted for several decades 11 , the pandemic has quickly advanced the erasure of these boundaries. Less single mode, more multi-mode (and thus more educator choices) is becoming the norm due to enhanced infrastructure and developed skill sets that allow people to move across different delivery systems 12 . The well-established best practices of hybrid or blended teaching and learning 13 have served as a guide for new combinations of instructional delivery that have developed in response to the shift to virtual learning. The use of multiple delivery modes is likely to remain, and will be a feature employed with learners of all ages 14 , 15 . Future iterations of online education will no longer be bound to the traditions of single teaching modes, as educators can support pedagogical approaches from a menu of instructional delivery options, a mix that has been supported by previous generations of online educators 16 .

Also significant are the changes to how learning outcomes are determined in online settings. Many educators have altered the ways in which student achievement is measured, eliminating assignments and changing assessment strategies altogether 17 . Such alterations include determining learning through strategies that leverage the online delivery mode, such as interactive discussions, student-led teaching and the use of games to increase motivation and attention. Specific changes that are likely to continue include flexible or extended deadlines for assignment completion 18 , more student choice regarding measures of learning, and more authentic experiences that involve the meaningful application of newly learned skills and knowledge 19 , for example, team-based projects that involve multiple creative and social media tools in support of collaborative problem solving.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, technological and administrative systems for implementing online learning, and the infrastructure that supports its access and delivery, had to adapt quickly. While access remains a significant issue for many, extensive resources have been allocated and processes developed to connect learners with course activities and materials, to facilitate communication between instructors and students, and to manage the administration of online learning. Paths for greater access and opportunities to online education have now been forged, and there is a clear route for the next generation of adopters of online education.

Before the pandemic, the primary purpose of distance and online education was providing access to instruction for those otherwise unable to participate in a traditional, place-based academic programme. As its purpose has shifted to supporting continuity of instruction, its audience, as well as the wider learning ecosystem, has changed. It will be interesting to see which aspects of emergency remote teaching remain in the next generation of education, when the threat of COVID-19 is no longer a factor. But online education will undoubtedly find new audiences. And the flexibility and learning possibilities that have emerged from necessity are likely to shift the expectations of students and educators, diminishing further the line between classroom-based instruction and virtual learning.

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Shaping the Future of Online Learning

Published may 22, 2024.

If you’ve been enrolled in any educational course or postsecondary educational program since 2020, chances are you’ve witnessed the rise in online learning firsthand .

The COVID-19 global pandemic shuttered storefronts, theaters, and classrooms alike, causing major disruptions in how goods and services were delivered. As consumers adopted Instacart for their grocery needs and streamed new blockbuster movies from the comfort of their living rooms, students needed an innovative way to bring their classes home. A year into the pandemic over 60% of all undergraduate students were enrolled in at least one online course , with 28% exclusively enrolled in online courses, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

There are other reasons for the widespread adoption, including accessibility. Rural and international students who may be far removed from traditional educational institutions can now attend Harvard classes anywhere there’s an internet connection. Or, consider working adults seeking to progress or switch careers. Life doesn’t stop for a class, and attending one in-person can be prohibitive. While still challenging, logging into a virtual classroom is far more manageable. Online education is for everyone.

Technological and pedagogical developments have helped online learning progress beyond the days of discussion boards and essay uploads. Now, students can enjoy a multimedia educational experience that is rooted in the latest research, all while participating in the community of their “virtual campus”.

If you’re one of the millions of learners who have experienced online education, you might be interested to learn where it’s going next. At Harvard Online, the question, “what is the future of online learning?” guides an ongoing conversation that drives us everyday.

In this blog, we sat down with Catherine Breen , Managing Director of Harvard Online. With more than two decades of senior executive leadership at Harvard University and oversight of Harvard Online, Breen has an invaluable perspective on the future of online learning, and the exciting role Harvard Online is playing in bringing the future into the present. 

Catherine Breen, Managing Director of Harvard Online, in a team meeting.

Harvard Online (HO): How has the online learning landscape evolved in recent years? 

Catherine Breen (CB): At the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown, there was a massive escalation in demand for online learning. Demand began to recede slowly as the months wore on and by late 2022, it started to level out. But we observed two big changes: Internally, the demand for Harvard Online content was still almost three times higher than pre-pandemic. Externally, in reaction to the demand surge, there was significant and rapid growth of new online course offerings and companies that purveyed varying types of digital products.    

HO: What is shaping the future of online learning today? 

CB: Because of the rapid and massive shift to online that occurred around the globe in the spring of 2020, the landscape changed permanently. There are many things shaping the future but here are just a few that I can see from my perspective:

• Increased adoption of online learning across all ages and levels of education: Everyone expanded their online course catalogs; new companies and offerings sprung up everywhere.
• Greater tech investment across organizations and industries: Organizations are investing more time, money, and effort into technology infrastructure, tools, and platforms to support online learning and participants in these courses.
• New pedagogical methods to bridge the gap between traditional and novel learning methods: Instructors have adapted their teaching methods for online, hybrid, and blended environments.
• Enhanced accessibility to quality education and learning experiences: Efforts have been made to improve access for students of all types, abilities, geographies, and backgrounds so that everyone can participate effectively.    

HO: What are the remaining challenges that online learning faces? 

CB: While these changes have improved the online learning experience, challenges remain, including addressing the digital divide, maximizing student engagement, and refining the quality of online courses.

The pandemic accelerated the adoption of online learning and its impact will likely continue to shape higher education for many years to come.  

HO: How does online learning contribute to Harvard's mission of promoting accessibility and inclusion in education, especially for learners who may not have traditional access to higher education?

CB: Online learning levels the playing field for learners in many ways.

Most students think that a Harvard-quality education is out of reach, for a variety of reasons. With online courses, however, learners from around the country and the world can take courses with Harvard instructors at their own pace at a more affordable price point.

Our online courses also typically incorporate a range of multimedia elements, allowing students with different learning styles to flourish. We also ensure that our online learning experiences are accessible to all learners, including those with disabilities. This commitment to inclusivity aligns with the broader goals of promoting equitable access to education.

Lastly, our online courses often include discussion forums and virtual communities where learners can connect and collaborate. This allows for interactions among students from diverse backgrounds and experiences, fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion.  

It’s clear that online learning has a lot to offer everyone, and it’s only getting better. In our next blog in this series, we’ll hear more from Cathy on how institutions can implement online learning modalities effectively. 

If you missed the first blog in this series detailing the future of online learning, you can check out the first blog here . To learn more about Harvard Online, explore our fully online course catalog here .

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Digital learning and transformation of education

Digital technologies have evolved from stand-alone projects to networks of tools and programmes that connect people and things across the world, and help address personal and global challenges. Digital innovation has demonstrated powers to complement, enrich and transform education, and has the potential to speed up progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) for education and transform modes of provision of universal access to learning. It can enhance the quality and relevance of learning, strengthen inclusion, and improve education administration and governance. In times of crises, distance learning can mitigate the effects of education disruption and school closures.

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Argumentative Essay: Online Learning and Educational Access

Conventional learning is evolving with the help of computers and online technology. New ways of learning are now available, and improved access is one of the most important benefits available. People all around the world are experiencing improved mobility as a result of the freedom and potential that online learning provides, and as academic institutions and learning organisations adopt online learning technologies and remote-access learning, formal academic education is becoming increasingly legitimate. This essay argues the contemporary benefits of online learning, and that these benefits significantly outweigh the issues, challenges and disadvantages of online learning.

Online learning is giving people new choices and newfound flexibility with their personal learning and development. Whereas before, formal academic qualifications could only be gained by participating in a full time course on site, the internet has allowed institutions to expand their reach and offer recognized courses on a contact-partial, or totally virtual, basis. Institutions can do so with relatively few extra resources, and for paid courses this constitutes excellent value, and the student benefits with greater educational access and greater flexibility to learn and get qualified even when there lots of other personal commitments to deal with.

Flexibility is certainly one of the most important benefits, but just as important is educational access. On top of the internet’s widespread presence in developed countries, the internet is becoming increasingly available in newly developed and developing countries. Even without considering the general informational exposure that the internet delivers, online academic courses and learning initiatives are becoming more aware of the needs of people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and this means that people from such backgrounds are in a much better position to learn and progress than they used to be.

The biggest argument that raises doubt over online learning is the quality of online courses in comparison to conventional courses. Are such online courses good enough for employers to take notice? The second biggest argument is the current reality that faces many people from disadvantaged backgrounds, despite the improvements made in this area in recent years – they do not have the level of basic access needed to benefit from online learning. In fact, there are numerous sources of evidence that claim disadvantaged students are not receiving anywhere near the sort of benefits that online learning institutions and promoters are trying to instigate. Currently there are many organisations, campaigns and initiatives that are working to expand access to higher education. With such high participation, it can be argued that it is only a matter of time before the benefits are truly realised, but what about the global online infrastructure?

There is another argument that is very difficult to dispel, and that is the response of different types of students to the online learning paradigm. Evidence shows that there are certain groups of students that benefit from college distance learning much more than other groups. In essence, students must be highly motivated and highly disciplined if they are to learn effectively in their own private environment.

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An Argumentative-Writing Unit for Students Doing Remote Learning

Suggestions for self-guided activities that can help students practice making claims and supporting them with evidence.

By Michael Gonchar and Katherine Schulten

Note to Teachers: Here is a PDF teacher’s guide for using this unit with students.

Whether you’re here because your school has switched to remote learning or because you just want to sharpen your argumentative skills, welcome to our first “unit” written directly to students.

Of course, we know this isn’t a full unit like one you might work on over several weeks in school, under the direction of a teacher. Instead, it’s a streamlined version of the many resources our site offers on this topic, written in a way we hope teenagers can follow, at least in part, on their own.

If you are familiar with our site, then you know we believe strongly in student voice and choice. No matter how you use the ideas below, there is a lot of flexibility. You can choose what’s most relevant, interesting and meaningful to you as you go.

Here, in three items, is what you’ll be doing. How and in what order is up to you, though we have suggested a sequence.

Using our daily writing prompts to practice making arguments , either by posting a comment on our site, or by writing just for yourself, or for classmates or for a teacher in a remote learning-management system.

We’ve been asking a question a day since 2009, so you have lots to choose from. For instance, if the question “ Should parents track their children? ” doesn’t interest you, maybe “ Do memes make the internet a better place? ” will.

Studying some argumentative “mentor texts” — that is, good published examples full of “writer’s moves” you can borrow — that were written by fellow teenagers and by adults.

Writing a polished, 450-word opinion piece to submit to our Student Editorial Contest, which ends on April 21. We’ll pick winners, runners-up and honorable mentions and publish them on The Learning Network.

Here’s how. Please let us know if you have questions by posting them here, or by writing to us at [email protected].

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Before you do anything else, you should create a free account so you can comment on our writing prompts. Here’s a video that walks you through the process.

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Digital learning.

Innovations in teaching are often synonymous with digital learning: “flipping” a class seems to deliver content more efficiently, or an exciting new webpage presents historical data in dynamic, interactive ways. Digital resources can be exciting, bringing students closer to artifacts, texts, and data while expanding opportunities for immersion in the field. But too often, digital resources are assumed to naturally elevate learning efficacy through more advanced, relevant, or supportive features. While digital resources certainly can be powerful learning tools,  learning innovations must first take place in changes to the learning process.

This page provides examples, recommendations, and links to effective uses of digital resources. Instructors considering digital pedagogy should first acknowledge the conclusions reached in cognitive and educational science that students learn best when engaged positively on intellectual, emotional, social, and personal levels, which favor face-to-face collaborations to solve problems and explore complex questions. Instructors should ask how a digital approach will further their students’ learning objectives , and consider evidence pointing to small changes (Lang 2016, Ambrose et al. 2010), active learning approaches like discussion and interactive lectures , and course organization as the enduring means for effective learning.

Research Findings on Digital Learning

Research suggesting the advantages of digital learning over face-to-face learning remains problematic. Some studies conclude that students achieve marginally better learning and feel slightly more supported with online and distance learning (Atchley et al. 2013, Sachar & Neumann 2010, Department of Education 2010). Many others suggest little to no difference (Holmes & Reid 2017, Means et al. 2013), while many still point to the benefits of face-to-face learning (Saghafian & O’Neill 2018, Bandara & Wijekularathna 2018). While digital benefits may seem obvious (for instance, reviewable lectures, after-hours learning, new visualizations), they are counterbalanced with problems including technological distractions and accessibility / socioeconomic concerns.

In digital as well as traditional learning environments, collaboration and social learning have been shown to form the heart of the learning process. Yet digital learning, like traditional learning, can reinforce various modes of engagement that do not always privilege collaboration, especially student – content interfacing (Martin & Bolliger 2018). Online learning often prioritizes polished, accessible content over maximized student engagement (Nilson et. al 2018 pg. 23). Student engagement, however, among one another and with the instructor, has been shown to positively correlate in digital environments with student perception of learning and student satisfaction (Richardson et al. 2017).

Unfortunately, research into the level of sociability in digital learning and its effects on student learning is sparse, largely because digital pedagogy studies tend to measure content and design over student learning outcomes. A major meta-study of digital learning assessments (Esfijani 2018) found that most “quality of online learning” measures focus more on “O[pen] E[educational] resources, input, and processes,” and far less on “output- and outcome-oriented approaches” (69). Measures focused more on inputs that heighten institutional visibility and student perceptions cannot effectively measure actual learning outcomes. Performance data is often entirely missing in digital learning environments: the National Education Policy Center found only 15 of 38 surveyed states maintained overall performance rating data for K-12 virtual schools (Molnar 2017). Student cognitive development is critical and formational in the K-12 years, making the dearth of data on learning outcomes for these years additionally troubling.

Nilson et. al. underscore in their metastudy that “many students need more than the convenience of online learning and more than an online collection of content, activities, assignments, and assessments” (3). The following examples and recommendations contextualize digital resources and approaches in broader learning frameworks that attend to known learning processes, effective teaching strategies, and inclusivity concerns. 

• An instructor makes a variety of open educational resources available to his students, including an open-source textbook, in order to reduce textbook costs and invite students to annotate and build the course textbook themselves.
• An instructor uses a soundscape and visual representation of early modern London to immerse students in the sensory context of Shakespeare’s plays in performance and help them answer complex questions about the experience of his plays.
• An instructor integrates virtual reality technology into her class, allowing students to stand in an ancient temple and reflect on the experiences of historic populations.
• An instructor records their lectures, using small increments and rich visual displays to explain complex concepts in physics for students to watch, review, and respond to via the course’s Canvas Discussion and during class discussion.
• A university’s online certificate program provides learning objectives, assessments, and regular writing prompts alongside video content in order to clarify learning goals and help learners target areas of weakness or misunderstanding.

Recommendations

• Clarify Your Own Goals: Instructors should first consider authoring their course learning objectives and considering what kinds of practice and content students should experience in order to attain course learning goals. Digital strategies, like any strategy, should be used specifically in the service of student learning . For more on the translation of student learning into digital contexts, the classic essay by Chickering and Ehrmann (1996) remains highly relevant.
• Consider Active Learning: While digital learning often provides students with interactive opportunities, it also introduces new distractions, complexity, and equipment. Instructors may consider ways that various active learning exercises provide the same or greater interactivity and visualization approaches than digital resources, without the additional layer of equipment and access needs. Activities like jigsaw discussions, role play, and debate keep students engaged and reduce the opportunity for distraction while presenting ideas and concepts in imaginative, multimodal ways. At the same time, digital tools contextualized within broader active learning approaches can ensure that students are not left behind in a struggle with equipment, or prevented from participating entirely due to socioeconomic status or digital literacy. Digital learning can also helpfully enhance active learning strategies through technology like polling and active learning spaces .  
• Clarify Digital Procedures: Because students will most likely have varying degrees of familiarity with tools like learning management systems (Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle), polling software, video content, and even basic technological literacy, instructors can provide detailed help guides and / or additional help sessions hosted by the instructor, or a TA. Additionally, instructors can ensure their syllabus clarifies expectations like online submission protocols, measures of participation in digital opportunities, and reasoning for inclusion of major digital resources in course design.
• Be Sensitive to Inclusion and Accessibility: Students will arrive at class with varying levels of technological literacy and sensory ability, which will limit some and privilege others in the use of digital tools or environments. By being sensitive to inclusivity concerns in class, instructors can drastically improve the learning experience for students. While respecting privacy, instructors must seek out the needs of each student in their class, and provide additional supports or alternative pathways to crucial digital scenarios in class.
• Clarify Technology Policies: Because digital pedagogy increases the likelihood of devices in class, instructors should develop clear classroom policies regarding laptops and mobile devices. Digital pedagogy can be seen by students as an advertisement for lax policies regarding technology in the classroom, and instructors must ensure they maintain control over such policies early in the semester.  
• Be Present for Students: More than depth and breadth of content or sophistication of digital interface, effective learning emerges from an instructor’s ability to express care and intentionality for students, and to create an environment of social belonging (Freeman et. al. 2007). This practice can be difficult in a fully digital environment, and even blended environments or environments with significant technological focus can introduce distractions that remove students’ focus from collaboration and classroom togetherness (both vital components of student satisfaction, according to Freeman et. al.). Presence and focus can be equally problematic in traditional classrooms, and both start with the personality and commitment of instructors who can make efforts to connect with students .

Additional Resources

Blended and Online Learning – Vanderbilt Center for Teaching

DeLozier, S., and Rhodes, M. (2017). Flipped Classrooms: a Review of Key Ideas and Recommendations for Practice. Educational Psychology Review 29: 141-151.

Flipping the Classroom , University of Washington Center for Teaching and Learning

Flipping the Classroom , Vanderbilt Center for Teaching

Flipping Your Class , University of Michigan Center for Research on Teaching and Learning

Online Learning – Center for Educational Innovation, University at Buffalo

Online Learning Consortium

Yale Online Learning

Ambrose, S., Bridges, M., Lovett, M., DiPietro, M., & Norman, M (2010). How Learning Works: 7 Research – Based Principles for Smart Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Atchley, W., Wingenbach, G., and Akers, C., 2013. Comparison of Course Completion and Student Performance through Online and Traditional Courses. International Review of Research in open and Distributed Learning 14.4.

Bandara, D., and Wijekularathna, DK. 2018. Comparison of Student Performance Under Two Teaching Methods: Face to Face and Online. International Journal of Education Research 12.1 (69-79).

Chickering, A. and Ehrmann, S. 1996. Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever. AAHE Bulletin: American Association for Higher Education.

Department of Education. 2010. Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies. Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development (Prepared by Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., Bakia, M., and Jones, K).

Esfijani, A. 2018. Measuring Quality in Online Education: A Meta-synthesis. American Journal of Distance Education 31.1 (57-73).

Freeman, T., Anderman, L., and Jensen, J. 2007. Sense of Belonging in College Freshmen at the Classroom and Campus Levels. Journal of Experimental Education 75.3 (203-220).

Holmes, C. and Reid, C. 2017. A Comparison Study of On-campus and Online Learning Outcomes for a Research Methods Course. Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision 9.2.

Lang, J. 2016. Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning. San Francisco: Wiley.

—. 2015. Waiting for us to Notice Them. Advice: Chronicle of Higher Education.

Martin, F. and Bolliger, D. 2018. Engagement Matters: Student Perceptions on the Importance of Engagement Strategies in the Online Learning Environment. Online Learning Journal 22.1 (205-222.

Means, B, Toyama, Y, Murphy, R., and Bakia, M. The Effectiveness of Online and Blended Learning: A Meta-Analysis of the Empirical Literature. Teachers College Record 115.3.

Molnar, Alex (ed). Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2017. University of Colorado, Boulder: National Education Policy Center.

Nilson, L. and Goodson, L. 2017. Online Teaching at Its Best: Merging Instructional Design with Teaching and Learning Research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Richardson, J., Lv, J., and Caskurlu, S. 2017. Social Presence in Relation to Students’ Satisfaction and Learning in the Online Environment. Computers in Human Behavior 71 (402-417).

Sachar, M., and Neumann, Y., 2010. Twenty years of research of the academic performance differences between traditional and distance learning: Summative meta-analysis and trend examination. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching 6.2 (318-334).

Saghafian, M., and O’Neill, D. 2018. A Phenomenological Study of Teamwork in Online and Face-to-Face Student Teams. Higher Education 75.1 (57-73).

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Digital Education: Learning amid the Pandemic

• 22 Jan 2021
• GS Paper - 2
• Government Policies & Interventions

This article is based upon “Digital Education cannot Substitute for Real Learning” which was published in The Times of India on 21/01/2021. It talks about how the pandemic has completely shifted the present education system into a digital mode of learning and if it is actually substituting real learning or not.

The Covid-19 outbreak has disrupted children’s lives, pushed out many, and stalled classes and examinations across the country. To ensure students do not miss out on studies, schools shifted the classes to online mode.

With the pandemic forcing the teaching and learning process to migrate to the online mode, the education system has faced an upheaval like never before. Many of the students have been left clinging to their phones and computer screens.

However, the 2017-18 National Sample Survey suggested that less than 15% of rural Indian households have Internet as opposed to 42% of their urban counterparts.

Therefore, this shift to the e-learning system has sparked a debate on whether it helped the students to learn or has impeded their progress, social and emotional well-being, and more importantly if this is indeed education.

Digital Education

• Exploring the use of digital technologies gives educators the opportunity to design engaging learning opportunities in the courses they teach, and these can take the form of blended or fully online courses and programs.

Government Initiatives for Smooth Conduct of E-Learning

• E-PG Pathshala: An initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development to provide e-content for studies.
• SWAYAM : it provides for an integrated platform for online courses.
• NEAT : It aims to use Artificial Intelligence to make learning more personalized and customized as per the requirements of the learner
• Other initiatives include: National Project on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) , National Knowledge Network, (NKN) , and National Academic Depository (NAD), among others.
• Under the PRAGYATA guidelines, only 30 minutes of screen time per day for interacting with parents is recommended for kindergarten, nursery and pre-school.
• Schools can hold live online classes for a maximum of 1.5 hours per day for Classes 1-8, and 3 hours per day for Classes 9-12.

National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning

• The NPTEL is a project of MHRD initiated by seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), along with the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore.
• It was created in 2003 to provide online education.
• The aim was to have web and video courses in engineering, sciences, and management.

Technology as a Saviour

• Flexibility: Online education enables both the teacher as well as the students to set their own learning pace plus provides the flexibility of setting a schedule that fits everyone’s agenda. Consequently, providing a better work-study balance.
• A growing number of universities and higher education schools are coming forward to offer online versions of their programs for various levels and disciplines.
• With the online mode of learning, the money spent on study materials along with commute charges is considerably less.
• A Comfortable Learning Environment: Online learning allows students to work in the environment that best suits them.

The Other Side of the Coin

• Students learn more from each other while engaging in challenging collective tasks and thinking together.
• There is substantial learning that is lost when education goes online. Staring at a screen prevents them from using their mind and acting as remote receptors of what is beamed.
• Due to this, the mental stress that students have to undergo is very high.
• Moreover, the National Education Policy that talks about the digitization of education is also in contradiction with the right to education.
• Other health issues like neck and back pain etc. due to bad posture and lack of movement have been noticed in older students.

Way Forward

• Staggering teacher-student interactions in physical mode with not more than 50% of the total strength attending schools on alternate days.
• Giving priority to the less advantaged students who do not have access to e-learning.
• Genuine efforts must be invested to ensure every child gets good quality equitable education as a fundamental right.
• The teacher’s role has to go beyond just being in control of the class to being a facilitator for the transfer of knowledge.
• The system should not just heartlessly push the students and teachers in only finishing the course regardless of any gain of knowledge, stress should be upon quality learning and not quantity cramming.

‘Equality of Opportunity’ is one of the basic principles of the Indian Constitution. Shifting to a system that benefits only a section of people and leaves behind the neediest ruins the very notion of this statement.

Moreover, digital education is something where India is not successful yet. There is still a lot to do in terms of checking if students’ entitlements are not being compromised or in providing meaningful academic curriculum alternatives.

This editorial is based on “President Biden: Hope And Responsibility” published in The Economic Times on January 21 th , 2020. Now watch this on our Youtube channel.

3 Jan, 2022 - 5 min read

The meaning and importance of digital learning

The digital world is becoming ever more intertwined with the world of the classroom.

As tech continues to present new opportunities for learning, it is crucial for educators to adapt to our new knowledge landscape with approaches that benefit both them and their students.

To better understand how digital learning can revolutionise education, we thought we’d talk to one of our most experienced experts at academyEX. With Dr. David Parsons , the longstanding Director of our innovative Digital and Collaborative Teaching and Learning programme, we discuss the meaning of digital learning, the advantages of collaborative learning and how these concepts can intersect to create better outcomes for teachers and learners.

What does digital learning mean?

We tend to think of digital learning in two separate yet complementary definitions.

1. Upskilling with digital tools and integrating them into your established learning process.

2. Making use of a broad range of technologies to develop a more fulsome digital skill set and using computational thinking to use these tools in deeper, more creative and technical ways to accelerate and enhance learning. This interpretation of digital learning is becoming more prevalent in New Zealand as we embrace the updated curriculum , which signals a shift to a more digital future in education.

Why is digital learning important?

Digital tools and platforms are becoming ever more integral to our personal and working lives. Digital learning increases access to education and knowledge while empowering students with a mindset and capabilities that sets them up for success in their present and future. Plenty of data suggests that simply giving learners access to devices doesn’t necessarily lead to better outcomes; thoughtful integration and actively adopting a digital mindset is needed for digital learning to truly enhance the overall student experience.

What are some examples of digital learning?

The best forms of digital learning integrate multiple digital tools into a larger project or overarching concept. What is most important to remember about digital learning is that it is supposed to enhance the learning experience, not add additional burden or complexity. Digital tools should ultimately make the learning journey richer than it would be without them.

We aim to use tools that are free or very affordable and are built to be used intuitively by learners with all levels of digital skills.

What are the main advantages of digital learning?

The learning process becomes more time efficient

Teachers can better personalise learning to the needs of individual students

Digital learning establishes a mindset that allows us to continue adapting to new technologies well into the future

Effective learning can take place even when working remotely.

Digital learning is becoming more prevalent (and mandatory) in New Zealand regardless of whether you are feeling ready to integrate it into your classroom or not. Educators who are embracing shifts in the curriculum are becoming more efficient and effective while saving themselves time and preparing their students for the future of learning and work.

What is the difference between online and digital learning?

Online learning is simply a subset of digital learning. There are thousands of useful digital tools that do not require an internet connection to use. For example, one of our top recommendations for teachers wanting to take advantage of location-responsive education on field trips is the Actionbound app, which facilitates the creation of interactive mobile ‘scavenger hunts’ and interactive guides that can be cached to your device and used in any area regardless of reception availability.

What is collaborative learning?

When explaining the concept of collaborative learning, I use the pot-luck dinner analogy originally coined by Olga Kozar . At a traditional pot-luck, everyone makes a dish (that they are likely already good at) and brings it to the table. Guests benefit cooperatively from what everyone else has brought, but they don’t learn how to cook any new dishes. If, instead, everyone came together collaboratively to make these meals, the whole process would indeed be more shambolic and less structured, but everyone would learn a new set of skills along the way. Collaborative learning makes the group approach new tasks and concepts as a whole instead of dividing work into sections for individuals to complete.

The academyEX team are strong advocates for the practice of collaborative learning. It supports one of our key learning principles: Ako. We believe that effective, reciprocal teaching experiences are fostered through collective knowledge exchange, and that the learner is always at the centre of education.

Collaborative learning approaches seem to be effective with all ages and demographics of learners as long as the tasks are structured to suit the capabilities and learning objectives of the group.

What are the benefits of collaborative learning?

Collaborative learning facilitates a more complete understanding of the concept or project for the group as a whole than they would have gained as individuals. It creates an environment where groups collectively solve problems, communicate healthily and continuously learn from each other, not just the educator. This approach also helps develop deeper personal connections, even when collaborating remotely.

Ultimately, collaborative learning accelerates the upskilling and thinking of an entire group, whereas other group approaches tend to only benefit a select few. The active engagement required of each individual in a collaborative setting also results in higher information retention.

With all of the collaborative digital tools available today, digital learning and collaborative learning have developed natural synergy. Combining them actually magnifies the benefits of both approaches!

Are there digital or collaborative learning courses for teachers in New Zealand?

Absolutely. AcademyEX have specifically developed qualifications and micro-credentials to help fill this gap in contemporary knowledge and capability across our education workforce. Our Digital and Collaborative Learning Postgraduate Certificate or Micro-credential explore the impact and use of digital tools in education and how student-centric collaborative- approaches can enhance your teaching practice, position you as an innovator in your industry and help you empower your learners for the future. 

“I had a lightbulb moment that’s now made learning work for all my students, even those with shorter attention spans. I’m creating videos with all the (boring!) info to watch before class. Then they come armed with questions. It’s fast tracking our experience and their thinking because they're using digital as their springboard!" -   Claire Funk, September 2021 DCL intake

Ultimately the goals of both digital and collaborative approaches are learning and developing better ways of thinking. At academyEX we advocate for exploration and discovery, and for educators to let go of the historical notions that ‘teachers are supposed to know everything’. The new age of digital has made information too readily available for any of us to keep up; pedagogies going forward should focus on teachers guiding students to effectively source and process information. Both digital and collaborative learning are important concepts to understand and embrace in order to make you the best educator you can be.

Learn more about our digital learning offerings here .

Impact of Online Classes on Students Essay

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Background study

• Impacts of online education

Introduction to Online Education

Online learning is one of the new innovative study methods that have been introduced in the pedagogy field. In the last few years, there has been a great shift in the training methods. Students can now learn remotely using the internet and computers.

Online learning comes in many forms and has been developing with the introduction of new technologies. Most universities, high schools, and other institutions in the world have all instituted this form of learning, and the student population in the online class is increasing fast. There has been a lot of research on the impacts of online education as compared to ordinary classroom education.

If the goal is to draw a conclusion of online education, considerable differences between the online learning environment and classroom environment should be acknowledged. In the former, teachers and students don’t meet physically as opposed to the latter, where they interact face to face. In this essay, the challenges and impact of online classes on students, teachers, and institutions involved were examined.

Thesis Statement about Online Classes

Thus, the thesis statement about online classes will be as follows:

Online learning has a positive impact on the learners, teachers, and the institution offering these courses.

Online learning or E learning is a term used to describe various learning environments that are conducted and supported by the use of computers and the internet. There are a number of definitions and terminologies that are used to describe online learning.

These include E learning, distance learning, and computer learning, among others (Anon, 2001). Distant learning is one of the terminologies used in E learning and encompasses all learning methods that are used to train students that are geographically away from the training school. Online learning, on the other hand, is used to describe all the learning methods that are supported by the Internet (Moore et al., 2011).

Another terminology that is used is E learning which most authors have described as a learning method that is supported by the use of computers, web-enabled communication, and the use of new technological tools that enhance communication (Spector, 2008). Other terminologies that are used to describe this form of online learning are virtual learning, collaborative learning, web-based learning, and computer-supported collaborative learning (Conrad, 2006).

Impacts of Online Classes on Students

Various studies and articles document the merits, demerits, and challenges of online studies. These studies show that online study is far beneficial to the students, teachers, and the institution in general and that the current challenges can be overcome through technological advancement and increasing efficiency of the learning process.

One of the key advantages of online learning is the ability of students to study in their own comfort. For a long time, students had to leave their comfort areas and attend lectures. This change in environment causes a lack of concentration in students. In contrast, E-learning enables the students to choose the best environment for study, and this promotes their ability to understand. As a result, students enjoy the learning process as compared to conventional classroom learning.

Another benefit is time and cost savings. Online students are able to study at home, and this saves them travel and accommodation costs. This is in contrast with the classroom environment, where learners have to pay for transport and accommodation costs as well as any other costs associated with the learning process.

Online study has been found to reduce the workload on the tutors. Most of the online notes and books are availed to the students, and this reduces the teacher’s workload. Due to the availability of teaching materials online, tutors are not required to search for materials. Teachers usually prepare lessons, and this reduces the task of training students over and over again.

Accessibility to learning materials is another benefit of online learning. Students participating in online study have unlimited access to learning materials, which gives them the ability to study effectively and efficiently. On the other hand, students in the classroom environment have to take notes as the lecture progress, and these notes may not be accurate as compared to the materials uploaded on the websites.

Unlimited resources are another advantage of online study. Traditionally, learning institutions were limited in the number of students that could study in the classroom environment. The limitations of facilities such as lecture theaters and teachers limited student enrollment in schools (Burgess & Russell, 2003).

However, with the advent of online studies, physical limitations imposed by classrooms, tutors, and other resources have been eliminated. A vast number of students can now study in the same institution and be able to access the learning materials online. The use of online media for training enables a vast number of students to access materials online, and this promotes the learning process.

Promoting online study has been found by most researchers to open the students to vast resources that are found on the internet. Most of the students in the classroom environment rely on the tutors’ notes and explanations for them to understand a given concept.

However, students using the web to study most of the time are likely to be exposed to the vast online educational resources that are available. This results in the students gaining a better understanding of the concept as opposed to those in the classroom environment (Berge & Giles, 2008).

An online study environment allows tutors to update their notes and other materials much faster as compared to the classroom environment. This ensures that the students receive up-to-date information on a given study area.

One of the main benefits of E-learning to institutions is the ability to provide training to a large number of students located in any corner of the world. These students are charged training fees, and this increases the money available to the institution. This extra income can be used to develop new educational facilities, and these will promote education further (Gilli et al., 2002).

Despite the many advantages that online study has in transforming the learning process, there are some challenges imposed by the method. One of the challenges is the technological limitations of the current computers, which affect the quality of the learning materials and the learning process in general.

Low download speed and slow internet connectivity affect the availability of learning materials. This problem is, however, been reduced through the application of new software and hardware elements that have high access speeds. This makes it easier to download learning materials and applications. As computing power increases, better and faster computers are being unveiled, and these will enable better access to online study facilities.

Another disadvantage of online learning as compared to the classroom environment is the lack of feedback from the students. In the classroom environment, students listen to the lecture and ask the tutors questions and clarifications any issues they didn’t understand. In the online environment, the response by the teacher may not be immediate, and students who don’t understand a given concept may find it hard to liaise with the teachers.

The problem is, however, been circumvented by the use of simple explanation methods, slideshows, and encouraging discussion forums between the teachers and students. In the discussion forums, students who don’t understand a concept can leave a comment or question, which will be answered by the tutor later.

Like any other form of learning, online studies have a number of benefits and challenges. It is, therefore, not logical to discredit online learning due to the negative impacts of this training method. Furthermore, the benefits of e-learning far outweigh the challenges.

Conclusion about Online Education

In culmination, a comparative study between classroom study and online study was carried out. The study was done by examining the findings recorded in books and journals on the applicability of online learning to students. The study revealed that online learning has many benefits as compared to conventional learning in the classroom environment.

Though online learning has several challenges, such as a lack of feedback from students and a lack of the proper technology to effectively conduct online learning, these limitations can be overcome by upgrading the E-Leaning systems and the use of online discussion forums and new web-based software.

In conclusion, online learning is beneficial to the students, tutors, and the institution offering these courses. I would therefore recommend that online learning be implemented in all learning institutions, and research on how to improve this learning process should be carried out.

Anon, C. (2001). E-learning is taking off in Europe. Industrial and Commercial Training , 33 (7), 280-282.

Berge, Z., & Giles, L. (2008). Implementing and sustaining e-learning in the workplace. International Journal of Web-Based Learning and Teaching Technologies , 3(3), 44-53.

Burgess, J. & Russell, J. (2003).The effectiveness of distance learning initiatives in organizations. Journal of Vocational Behaviour , 63 (2),289-303.

Conrad, D. (2006). E-Learning and social change, Perspectives on higher education in the digital age . New York: Nova Science Publishers.

Gilli, R., Pulcini, M., Tonchia, S. & Zavagno, M. (2002), E-learning: A strategic Instrument. International Journal of Business Performance Management , 4 (1), 2-4.

Moore, J. L., Camille, D. & Galyen, K. (2011). E-Learning, online learning and distance learning environments: Are they the same? Internet and Higher Education, 14(1), 129-135.

Spector, J., Merrill, M., Merrienboer, J. & Driscoll, M. P. (2008). Handbook of research on educational communications and technology (3rd ed.), New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

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Digital Learning In Higher Education

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INTRODUCTION

Some of the positive features of digital learning are as.

• Kamal Deep Singh,S. (2012). Computer in Education New Delhi, Dhanpat Raj Publishing Company (Pvt) Ltd.
• Arulsamy.S. and Sivakumar. (2009). Application of ICT in Education New Delhi, Neelkamal publication (Pvt) Ltd
• https://www.thehighereducationreview.com/magazine/digital-learning-in-higher-education.
• https://en.unesco.org/themes/higher-education/digital

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New study explores what makes digital learning products more – or less – effective.

Educational technology has become a fixture in the U.S. classroom, but scholars continue to debate its effectiveness – some even arguing that the products might deter learning by taking students’ time and attention away from more powerful supports. 

What does research show about the effectiveness of edtech? Does the impact vary when it comes to teaching certain skills and student populations? How can schools determine which products are most useful for their own setting and purposes? 

A new Stanford-led study sheds light on the value of edtech interventions, with a focus on products aimed at helping elementary school students develop early reading skills. In a meta-analysis of studies conducted over the past two decades, the researchers found that the effectiveness of tech products varied considerably, depending on particular features of the interventions and the skills they targeted. 

“When we talk about digital learning products, they’re really not all the same – there’s a wide range,” said Rebecca Silverman , the Judy Koch Professor of Education at Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE), a faculty affiliate of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning , and the study’s lead author. “There isn’t a single answer to whether digital technologies support literacy. The question is much more complex: Which products, with which characteristics, under which conditions?” 

The paper , published July 31 in the peer-reviewed journal Review of Educational Research , was co-authored by Elena Darling-Hammond, a doctoral student at the GSE; Kristin Keane, a postdoctoral scholar at the GSE; and Saurabh Khanna, PhD ’23, who is now an assistant professor at the University of Amsterdam. 

Stanford GSE Professor Rebecca Silverman

Accounting for variability

For the meta-analysis, the researchers drew on 119 studies published between 2010 and 2023 to examine the use of various digital interventions in kindergarten through fifth grade, including computer programs, e-books, online games, and videos. 

The study is unique, they said, in its focus on edtech at the elementary school level and its review of interventions across four skills: decoding (the ability to read words quickly and accurately), language comprehension (understanding the meaning of words), reading comprehension (processing the meaning of a passage), and writing proficiency (the ability to convey ideas in writing).

Their analysis found positive effects on elementary school students’ reading skills overall, indicating that generally, investing in educational technology to support literacy is warranted. But when the researchers isolated particular learning outcomes to measure effectiveness, they found wide variability, suggesting that the effectiveness of a particular edtech product can depend on different factors, including features of the tool and characteristics of the users.

The authors observed that most studies – and the majority of products in the marketplace – focused on basic decoding, where students use phonetic skills to understand the relationship between written letters and their sounds. Relatively few studies considered language and reading comprehension, and only a handful looked at writing proficiency. 

“Decoding is a fairly constrained construct involving a relatively circumscribed set of skills,” Silverman said. “There are only so many letters and sounds and letter-sound combinations that kids need to learn, so it’s generally easier to teach and see change over time.”

Language comprehension is a more complex construct, she said, involving a vast number of concepts, word meanings, and sentence constructions and the ability to make connections and build knowledge. “Its complexity makes it harder to teach and see progress. But it’s a crucial skill to be able to access texts and content, so we need more tools and research focused on that piece.” 

Product features that appeared to account for some of the variability in effectiveness included the type of technology, the duration of the intervention, and the instructional approach (that is, whether it emphasized repetition and facts, strategies to organize and process information, or open-ended tasks). 

The analysis found, for example, that certain personalization, gamification, and interactive feedback features, like pop-up questions and clickable definitions, were not effective for supporting more complex skills like reading comprehension.  

Where student characteristics were concerned, socioeconomic status surfaced as one factor moderating effectiveness: With decoding as an outcome, for example, studies with a substantial percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds tended to have larger effects compared with other studies, which Silverman said could be due to the programs they used being more geared toward their needs. 

The researchers suspected that disability and language status would also emerge as a factor in the variability they uncovered, but few studies disaggregated findings based on these backgrounds. 

“A program might not benefit some kids as much as others, and if we don’t track that in a systematic way, we’re not going to know,” Silverman said. “Right now, it’s not being systematically captured in the research, and that’s a problem.” 

The researchers also noted that few studies addressed edtech’s impact on students’ motivation or engagement, and few included follow-up over time, to assess whether the effects lasted months or even years after the intervention. 

Considerations for school leaders

The findings point to several directions for educators and policymakers, the researchers concluded. For one thing, Silverman said, districts contemplating a particular product should carefully consider whether it’s appropriate for their population of students, and whether the content and approach aligns with the curriculum and classroom teaching. 

She advised that, rather than taking marketing claims at face value, districts conduct a critical analysis of any program before deciding whether to adopt it for their schools. “Is it following the principles of effective practice for the skills you’re targeting with that program?” she said. “What studies have been done on it? How strong is the company’s own research? Has anybody done any independent research?”

Districts can also generate their own data, for example, by running a pilot program in which some schools or classrooms implement an edtech intervention, comparing their outcomes against the schools that don’t. “You may not be able to isolate [the effects of the program] completely,” Silverman said, “but an analysis can suggest whether this product is helpful.”

If a product doesn't appear to produce positive effects, districts can partner with researchers to try to figure out why — or they can move on to trying other tools and evaluate those, she said. “We don’t want kids to keep using products that aren’t helpful.”  

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How Digital Learning is Changing the Face of Education?

What is digital education system.

Digital education is all about using digital technologies and tools in an innovative manner to teach and learn. It is also referred to as e-learning or Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL). Besides, digital technologies allow educators to design engaging learning sessions in various courses. On the other hand, digital education enables students to learn from anywhere in the world or in the comfort of their homes. While the conventional education system focuses on grades and scores in exams, the digital education system is focused on effectively imparting knowledge as well as skills. Digital education has revolutionized the learning process and made it mobile, engaging, and interactive.

Advantages of Digital Education For Students

Personalized Learning

One of the top digital education advantages is helping students learn at their pace. Further, the digital format enables educators to customize the curriculum to suit the students’ learning capabilities.

Makes Students Smarter

Tools developed using the latest technologies allow students to develop effective self-directed learning capability. They become good at using online resources and searching and gathering the required information. As such, digital learning enhances their productivity and efficiency.

Motivates Students

Students who use the digital education platform become more engaged and develop their knowledge base. Moreover, digital learning is more interactive than the one-sided lectures in the traditional system. In addition, digital learning allows students to connect better with the learning material.

Extensive Learning Opportunities

One of the greatest advantages that digital education offers to students is extensive learning opportunities. Students get to learn several new things through digital tools.

Makes Students More Accountable

The assessment of students is more transparent in the digital education system as reports are auto-generated and feedback is provided in real-time. It empowers students to self-assess their performance and determine ways to improve the same.

Better Engagement Rate

The scope for engagement is limited in the case of the traditional education system. The digital education system, on the other hand, provides a wide range of learning options through limitless availability of content, interactive sessions, virtual reality, etc.

Deeper Involvement of Teachers and Parents

Digital learning technologies and tools such as social learning platforms make it easier for teachers to create as well as manage separate groups for students and parents. Further, the opportunity to personalize learning sequences for students makes education more productive and accelerates progress.

Makes Students Acquainted with Digital Technologies and Tools

Exposure to various digital technologies and tools during elementary and secondary classes prepares students for higher education and taking up modern careers. Further, they help them acquire various skills.

Digital Learning Tools and Solutions

Digital education in India is changing the way children learn different subjects. Modern Internet technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) enable the personalization of the learning experience to suit the time schedules and specific needs of students. Further, a wide variety of digital learning solutions and tools are available today.

Digital learning involves the employment of technology to enhance the learning process. This is mainly because it allows students to learn from anywhere. The different types of digital learning solutions and tools available to stude4nts include the following:

• – Adaptive Learning
• – Badging And Gamification
• – Blended Learning
• – Classroom Technologies
• – E-Textbooks
• – Learning Analytics
• – Learning Objects
• – Mobile Learning
• – Personalized Learning
• – Online Learning/E-Learning)
• – Open Educational Resources
• – Virtual Reality
• – Augmented Reality

Digital Learning in the Classroom

Digital learning, an instructional practice, enables interactive learning. It employs the use of a wide range of enhanced educational strategies and includes blended learning, personalized learning, and flipped learning, among other strategies. It also relies on digital tools to a large extent. Further, it doesn’t refer to just the use of digital tools in the classroom. The purpose of employing digital learning strategies is to enhance learning and not just continue it through digital means.

The Obstacles to Effective Digital Learning

The popularity of digital learning is on the rise. However, there are obstacles that have to be overcome to make it very effective. Studies show that digital learning is changing the face of education for the better, but the obstacles are: 

• – Self-discipline is a major issue that many students struggle with. 
• – Moreover, children cannot have the kind of social interaction that the traditional education system allows.
• – Digital platforms do allow children to interact with teachers but it cannot be compared with the kind of interaction that is possible on a physical campus.
• – Other obstacles include poor time management and difficulties posed by technology.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed digital transformation?

As a result of the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, schools, as well as universities around the world, had to be closed down. Though the digital transformation of the education sector had started, COVID-19 was instrumental in hastening the process in an unprecedented manner. This created new opportunities and challenges for teachers, students, and administrators as well as suppliers of educational equipment and material. The availability of Internet connectivity at cheaper rates with the implementation of the 5G technology enables many children to attend classes. Many employees started working from home, and firms developed digital business models in order to ensure some revenue flows.

Recent Developments in Technology and Education

The recent technological developments that are heavily impacting the education sector include virtual reality and augmented reality, gamification, artificial intelligence, and virtual learning (ILT over the web). These developments or trends have changed the way students learn and teachers teach in virtual classrooms. Smartboards and technology-enabled learning have started replacing the traditional methods of teaching using blackboards and chalks and learning from textbooks. These trends in the education sector make learning engaging and less stressful. They enhance the experience of the students and learning occurs in real-time.

The Challenges of Digital Transformation in Education

It is a fact that the recent developments in technology open up exciting new possibilities. However, shifting to digital transformation does pose some challenges to students and teachers. Some of these challenges are as follows:

Internet connection speeds – It may not be a challenge in schools, but many students may not have access to broadband and WiFi.

New interfaces – Unfamiliar and complicated interfaces often dissuade students and teachers from getting involved due to the fear of failure.

New systems – Schools may have to purchase new systems or significantly upgrade their existing systems.

New Distractions – Students may be distracted by other apps on their devices.

Benefits of Digital Learning over Traditional Education Methods

Digital learning is beneficial in many ways when compared with the traditional methods of education. Digital learning allows educators to design curriculum and courses on the basis of the ability of individual students. Other benefits include the abundance of information available on the Internet and the ease of sharing information between students, teachers, and parents.

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Essay on Digital Literacy

Students are often asked to write an essay on Digital Literacy in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Digital Literacy

Understanding digital literacy.

Digital Literacy is knowing how to use digital devices like computers, tablets, and smartphones. It’s about understanding the internet and social media. It’s important because we live in a digital world. We use digital tools for school, work, and fun.

Why is Digital Literacy Important?

Digital Literacy helps us learn and communicate. It helps us find information quickly and easily. It can also keep us safe online. We need to know how to protect our personal information and avoid dangerous sites.

How Can We Improve Digital Literacy?

We can improve Digital Literacy by learning. Schools and libraries often have classes. We can also learn from friends or family. Practice is important too. The more we use digital tools, the better we get.

Challenges of Digital Literacy

Sometimes, Digital Literacy can be hard. Not everyone has access to digital tools. Some people might find them difficult to use. But with time and patience, we can overcome these challenges.

250 Words Essay on Digital Literacy

What is digital literacy.

Digital literacy is the ability to use digital devices like computers, smartphones, and tablets. It’s about knowing how to search for information online, use social media, send emails, and protect your personal information. It’s a bit like learning to read and write, but with technology.

In today’s world, technology is everywhere. We use it for school, work, and even fun. Being digitally literate helps you do all these things easily. It also helps you stay safe online. For example, knowing how to spot a scam email can protect you from losing money or personal information.

Parts of Digital Literacy

Digital literacy has many parts. One part is technical skills, like knowing how to use a keyboard or mouse. Another part is understanding how to find and use information online. This could mean using a search engine, reading a blog post, or watching a video tutorial.

Learning Digital Literacy

You can learn digital literacy at school, at home, or even by yourself. Many schools teach students how to use technology safely and effectively. Parents can also help by showing their kids how to use devices and the internet responsibly.

The Future of Digital Literacy

As technology keeps changing, digital literacy will also change. It will be more important than ever to keep learning new skills. This will help us keep up with the digital world and make the most of the opportunities it offers.

500 Words Essay on Digital Literacy

Digital literacy is the ability to use digital technology, such as computers, smartphones, and the internet. It includes knowing how to find information online, how to use social media, and how to stay safe on the internet. Just like we need to know how to read and write in school, we also need to learn digital literacy in today’s world.

Digital literacy is important because we use technology every day. We use it for schoolwork, to talk to our friends, and even for fun. If we do not know how to use technology safely and effectively, we could get into trouble. For example, we might accidentally share personal information online, which can be dangerous. Or we might have trouble completing school assignments if we do not know how to use the internet for research.

1. Technical skills: This includes knowing how to use different devices, like laptops, tablets, and smartphones. It also includes knowing how to use different types of software, like word processors and web browsers.

2. Information skills: This involves knowing how to find and evaluate information online. Not everything on the internet is true, so it is important to know how to tell the difference between reliable and unreliable sources.

Improving Digital Literacy

There are many ways to improve digital literacy. Schools often teach students how to use technology and the internet. There are also many online resources that can help. These include tutorials, videos, and websites that explain how to use different technologies. It is important to practice these skills regularly, just like any other skill.

In conclusion, digital literacy is a vital skill in today’s world. It involves understanding how to use technology, how to find and evaluate information online, and how to stay safe on the internet. By improving our digital literacy, we can become more confident and capable users of technology.

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21 Creative Digital Essays You Can Use In Your Classroom

With digital essays, learners can express ideas and reinforce details by having control over the “camera” and where the readers eyes go.

A Collection Of Creative Digital Essays You Can Use In Your Classroom

Prezi is not new, and by now you’ve heard about it and have already decided whether or not you like it. (Of course when you say you don’t like it, you mean you don’t think it’s an effective learning tool, right?)

The draw is simple enough: novel presentations that tell stories or relay arguments and ideas. It is marketed as the “non-PowerPoint”–the software that allows you to “jazz up” presentations (while making you seasick in the process).

But focusing on its novelty misses the power of a digital essay: multimodal (and multimedia), non-linear narrative and argument sequences that can support text, images, voiceovers, YouTube videos, music and more while using the background and pathways themselves as layers of additional meaning. Learners can express ideas, then reinforce select details, a thesis, or even a narrative event by having free control over the “camera” and where the readers eyes go. This can be very, very powerful if done correctly.

As Simple Or Complex As You’d Like

Digital essays on prezi can be used as very simply–to copy/paste typed pencil/paper essays, or in far more creative and interesting ways.

To show what’s possible, I’ve gathered up 21 of the more interesting (and academic-focused) presentations so that you can have a look-see. You can use them in your classroom for their content, or use them as models for students to see what’s possible.

Note that even with the digital essays below, each are interesting for different reasons, but even many of these are guilty of the occasional gratuitous zoom and spin.  But before you hate prezi for this, realize that just because others abuse the spin  and zoom doesn’t mean your students have to. Let them know ahead of time–no gratuitousness , unnecessary spinning  or zooming; give a badge to the student that shows the most restraint here, they’ll figure it out.

They’re all embedded below–hopefully it doesn’t crash your browser.

21 Amazing Digital Essays You Can Use In Your Classroom

1. Reimagining Public Education

2. Social Media 101

3. Digital Portfolios

4. Heart of Darkness

5. Prezi & Mobile Learning

6. Plot Diagramming

7.  How Prezi Works

8. Syria: The Basics

9. 30 Things About Me: A Personal Essay

10. Martin Luther King, Jr.

11. Android 101

12. A Visual Overview Of Typography

13. Artificial Intelligence

14. The Destruction Of Non-Linear Learning

15. Sensation & Perception

16. What Is A Prezi?

17. Cyberbullying

18. The Theory Of Relativity

19. From Assignment To Research

20. Everything That Rises Must Converge

21. Operations With Fractions

Bonus : This is a rambling, opinion-based but thorough look at the intersection between population growth, culture, and public education I wrote last year. It’s very long. Brownie points if you make it all the way through.

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DIGITAL LEARNING

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INTRODUCTION

Scope of digital learning, freedom to choose the place.

Time Consumption

Speed and convenience, the digitalized content, digital learning technologies, portable devices, cloud-based learning.

• Secured Data Collection
• Time Consumption and easy maintenance

Flexible learning

Learning collaboration with digital devices, e-learning methods, cbts and wbts, mobile learning, social learning, game-based interactive learning.

• D. Picar, E-Learning and Motivation, White Paper, ITEC at SFSU, 2004.
• Tsai, C. W. (2011a). How much can computers and internet help? A long-term study of web-mediated problem-based learning and self-regulated learning. International Journal of Technology and Human Interaction, 7(1), 67-81.
• Trespalacios, J. & Rand, J. (2015). Using asynchronous activities to promote sense of community and learning in an online course. International Journal of Online Pedagogy and Course Design, 5(4), 1- 13. doi:10.4018/IJOPCD.2015100101
• Lin, Hung-Ming &Tsai Chin-Chung (2011). College students' conceptions oflearning management: the difference between traditional (face-to-face)instruction and Web-based learning environments. Learning, Media andTechnology, 36(4): 437-452.

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Digital Collaborative Learning: Promoting Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary among Saudi University English Majors

Arab World English Journal, No. Special Issue on CALL Number 10. July 2024 Pp.118-133

16 Pages Posted: 7 Aug 2024

Bothina S. M. Abdelshaheed

Majmaah University - Department of English

Date Written: July 28, 2024

This study considered how digital collaboration can improve English majors' Reading Comprehension (RC) and Vocabulary Learning (VL). It employed tests and semi-structured interviews to investigate whether differences exist between Collaborative Digital Learning (CDL) and Individual Digital Learning (IDL) regarding participants' reading comprehension and vocabulary learning and to explore EFL learners' perceptions of CDL. Sixty EFL majors enrolled in two sections of the same course-RC and VL-were randomly assigned to a treatment group and a control group. Both groups were pre-tested before performing the assigned digital activities through the learning management platform and Quizlet website. At the end of the course, both groups were post-tested. The treatment group was only individually interviewed about CDL's impact and perceptions. The results revealed that CDL had improved students' RC and VL. The treatment group outperformed the control group in the post-test scores in the test dimensions, RC and VL, and in the overall scores of the test. The analyses, including paired-sample t-tests, independent-sample t-tests, Cohen'd statistics, and qualitative content analysis, indicated more significant benefits of CDL over IDL in improving RC and VL. It emphasized the importance of integrating collaboration activities in reading and VL classes. The data obtained from the interviews showed the learners' preference for CDL as a valuable interactional setting for English as a foreign language. This study highlights the need for collaboration and more digital tools to be integrated into EFL education in Saudi Arabia. Based on these findings, conclusions, limitations, and recommendations were provided.

Keywords: collaborative learning, digital learning, English majors, promoting reading, reading comprehension, vocabulary learning

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Bothina S. M. Abdelshaheed (Contact Author)

Majmaah university - department of english ( email ).

English Department, College of education, Majmaah Saudi Arabia

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