Blog Post #4 – Challenges Facing Online Learning

Main Challenges

Online learning is a method of teaching a larger number of people in a distributed and asynchronous way. Online learning can take place through digital conferences, online courses, electronic articles and journals, and social media platforms, among other parts of the internet. 

Despite the vast applications, online learning faces some serious challenges. According to the ION Professional eLearning Programs from the University of Illinois (n.d.), online learning is limited by factors including, but not limited to: Technology access and quality, and the educator’s adaptability to online learning.

Potential Solutions

Solutions are needed to handle the various challenges that accompany online learning. In the case of technology access and quality, a solution would be to teach with the user’s technology in mind. Simply put, learning methods should be user-friendly to users with slower internet speeds or lower storage spaces. For example, learners should not need to download a 500 MB textbook for one course, when the same textbook can be accessed through a website for 0 MB.

Another challenge concerning online learning is individual adaptability. Educators may have little to no experience teaching online courses or using online material in their teaching. To combat lack of experience, educators should familiarize themselves and their students with useful and easy to navigate online tools (such as Brightspace, Mattermost, etc.)

For more information about online learning challenges and prospective solutions, click here.

References

Knanaki M. (2024). Efront. https://www.efrontlearning.com/blog/2024/08/online-learning-challenges.html

Strengths and weaknesses of Onlline Learning. (n.d.). ION Professional eLearning Programs. University of Illinois Springfield. https://www.uis.edu/ion/resources/tutorials/overview/strengths-weaknesses