Cons of Online Learning:

- lack of accessibility through communication/effective interaction with teacher

- lack of teacher control

- feeling isolated from others

- low self-organization of students

Quality Issues of Online Distance Learning- Cons

Pros of Online Learning:

- can combine work and study

- can get an education at one's place of residence

- flexible learning times 

- depending on quality and communication,  online learning helps students learn very well




University of California, Berkeley

Online distance learning is often viewed positively for the convenience and flexibility it provides, but its educational quality is frequently questioned when compared to traditional in-person learning. Key quality concerns involve the usability of online platforms, the level of academic rigor, and issues such as academic dishonesty. Studies indicate that the quality of online education can be improved when teachers provide immediate, specific feedback, offer technical assistance to make platforms easier to use, and actively encourage interaction among students.

Quality Concerns in Online Distance Learning

Markova, T., Glazkova, I., &amp; Zaborova, E. (2017). Quality Issues of Online Distance Learning. Procedia- Social and Behavioral Sciences, 237, 685-691. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2017.02.043

Quality Issues of Online Distance Learning

Quality Issues of Online Distance Learning- Pros 

The point of this article was to determine what the biggest problems and sources of stress were for online learning according to college students. Through a questionnaire sent to all students in King Saud University of Saudi Arabia, in the College of Education, students gave answers about what their biggest concerns were about their classes being forced into online learning because of the pandemic.  This article is one of many that goes into the problems faced by the transition into a new style of learning, one that, before the pandemic, was adopted by a smaller percentage of the academic population.

Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Academic Stress in University Students

Proctoring software allows for online exams to be supervised, most notably as a way to safeguard against academic dishonesty. It does so primarily through two distinct functions: lockdown and video monitoring. Lockdown restricts a student's available computer resources (such as access to Google or an online text). It may also record the student's screen and mouse movements while test-taking. Video monitoring records the student in their environment during testing. It may flag certain times within the recording if cheating is suspected (for example, a student looks down for a long period of time). 

Proctoring Software

A 2017 study by Alessio et al. found evidence for the prevalence of cheating in online distance learning. The study examined 144 undergraduate students over the course of a full semester. Exams were administered online in one of two over-arching conditions: proctored and un-proctored. The results showed a significant grade disparity among the two conditions, with proctored students scoring an average of 17 points (two letter grades) lower per exam. Additionally, proctored students used significantly less test-taking time compared to their non-proctored peers. On average, proctored students used 30.5% less of the allocated exam time. These results were validated between-subjects as well as within-subjects. Likely, the higher exam grades and longer testing times observed in non-proctored students are due to time spent using restricted materials (Google, textbooks, notes, etc.). Given these results, the use of proctoring services seems to lessen the prevalence of cheating in online exams. However, additional research is needed in the field before assertions are made. 

Academic Dishonesty in Online Distance Learning

Alessio, H., Malay, N., Maurer, K., Bailer, A., & Rubin, B. (2017). Examining the effect of proctoring on online test scores. Online Learning, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v21i1.885

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