COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the industries of the world drastically. the governments across the world are still making efforts to cope up with the crisis. Most importantly, the education sector has also been impacted. This pandemic has led to the closure of schools, colleges, and other educational institutes. According to UNESCO, 166 country-wide closures took place which affected 1,465,743,062 learners in the world, as of 26 March 2020. The governments did so, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Social distancing has been an important measure to prevent the disease from people. So the education sector adopted digital platforms to continue educating students. This led to the rise of dependency on educational platforms on the internet as well as video conferencing platforms.
E-learning or Electronic learning is the process of learning through electronic media devices such as laptops, Personal Computer tablets, smartphones, etc. So in simple words E-Learning is a type of learning that is available electronically. E-learning is used mainly for the purposes of online courses, online degrees, or online programs. Webinars and Discussion portals also take place. E-learning has provided advantages to people because it is cost-effective. Also, it removes the geographical obstacles of getting to know about a particular skill. All you need is a good internet connection and any digital device. Whether you are preparing for ITIL certification, PMP certification, or any competitive exam, eLearning offers courses in every field possible.
Since this pandemic has forced people to sit at their homes and go out when necessary, it was the students that were affected the most. It led to the adoption of e-learning as it was the only convenient option left for people to grow. Not only did schools and colleges adopt it, but the other professionals as well.
Just as students got affected during the pandemic, the professionals also got affected exactly. Professionals started working from home. They found out that they were left with extra hours at home, which were otherwise spent on commuting to work. So the idea was to utilize the time onto something productive and useful. So whether it was pursuing their hobby or planning for their future, it was the most relevant time for professionals. Often people have found themselves stuck with the work that they were sometimes unable to do what they really wished to work for their purpose. As professionals are always eager to learn, this time of lockdown turned out to be the best opportunity to learn something new. With the business environment coming with newer trends very frequently, it is best for people to upskill themselves regularly.
With a lot of content of learning available online, it became easier for people to find out the right course and opportunities for them. It is never too late to learn something new or to shift your career onto another domain. Some of the topics that got higher enrollment is machine learning, data science. Artificial intelligence, DevOps, Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, UI/UX design, etc.
This can prove to be a wonderful opportunity for people because when they get back, they can be assigned to new projects or a different job role in their respective organizations. It can give enhanced work experience to people.
No matter what people learned during their free time, it is the students that have to upgrade themselves through online education. The school students were already pursuing the education provided online by their schools. But there is more to education apart from the school’s education. So the higher school students enrolled themselves for the preparation of entrance exams such as JEE, NEET, etc. Not just the entrance exams, the online courses also gave the students the benefit of self-paced learning. The online courses gave the benefit of better graphics and meaningful content which can be completed in a shorter duration also.
Conclusion
We are still in the dilemma of the pandemic situation. Though restrictions have been eased for the people up to great extent, it will be a safer option to only go out in social situations when it’s too important. It is seen that students are still pursuing their education with the help of online platforms. So whether you are a student or a professional who hasn’t benefited from the e-learning platforms, please check out their courses and offers. I am sure that there will definitely be something which you have always wished to learn!