So far all I have done is talk about the benefits of online education; everything he gives us for less money. Everything we can acquire just by sitting in the comfort of our homes. But as we all know, nothing comes without a downside. If something brings you benefits and comfort, somewhere there must be something that is not so beneficial and can be a bit painful. Everything has a cost. So does online education.
One of the main drawbacks of online education is the lack of technical skills required to earn an online degree. Most people are not yet technologically advanced enough to deal with the methods being used to enhance online education. I do not mean that all students are not technologically equipped; however, there are still a large number of people left behind. Even many of the teachers and administration staff find it difficult to operate the programs to teach or monitor the students. Tutors especially have obtained their degree through traditional means and are mostly not very familiar with the devices.
Second, the most important thing required for online students is a computer and an Internet connection. However, people in regional and remote areas still do not have access to this product. It is quite expensive for them to buy a computer. In a place where online education helps students from different fields to meet and study together, at the same time it creates a difficulty where a student cannot consult or discuss a technical problem that has occurred to him, as it is possible that you can’t find anyone in your area.
Online course designers can sometimes wrongly anticipate advances in computer technology. This leads to courses being developed for implementation on computers that were expected to be available in the future, but were not; (Alexander, S. (2001) Developments and experiences of E-Learning in Education and Training Vol. 43, Iss. 4/5, p. 240.)
The cost of an online degree is not always as low as students think. Some degrees can cost much more than if they were taken in a traditional way due to the cost of accessories and multimedia materials that are involved in the curriculum. These costs may even outstrip the costs of accommodation and travel in local education.
Online education sometimes becomes very difficult to maintain. One of the reasons a student moves towards online education is lack of time. You find it difficult to maintain a balance between work and college hours. But even if she studies online, she needs to put in the time to get grades and pass courses. In college and school, students have pre-set schedules. While while studying online, you have to set a schedule by yourself or all your efforts will be wasted.
Another big downside that would count is the lack of interaction. Even though students interact with their tutors through online learning systems, you still can’t hear other students’ questions and discussions at the time of the lesson presentation. However, nothing is totally free of disadvantages. Online education also has some. Now it is up to the student how he handles everything.