As the deadly COVID-19 pandemic continues to traumatize the world, a sheer wave of panic has abruptly forced the human civilization to standstill. Spreading like a bushfire, COVID-19 or Coronavirus is an infectious disease causing chronic respiratory illness, which contaminates the persons within the close proximity of patients through saliva, cough or any droplets while coughing and sneezing. Affecting almost 1 million people worldwide, coronavirus is the reason behind the deaths of almost 69,000 people globally. In India, the death count has surpassed a number of total 109 with more than 4000 people suffering from the deadly virus. Forcing the overall human population to stay indoors prohibiting any kind of social gatherings, the world leaders are trying their best to prevent the swelling of the infectious disease through contamination.

To fight the current pandemic situation all the public places such as airports, railway stations, transports, malls, movie theaters including educational institutions such as schools and colleges are shut down by the order of the government. This has resulted in the discontinuation of studies as the students and teachers are also confined to their residences amidst the complete lockdown.Since the lockdown has been implemented in various countries the scope for e-learning have increased by 295 percent and on various e-learning platforms over the world more than half a million people have registered for different courses. To help out the students and continue the flow of education, online learning or e-learning classes has emerged out as an efficient solution.

Importance of e-Learning

A cost-effective and time-saving platform of education, online portals have always been popular among the students who are willing to carry out the learning process outside the confinements of four walls. Speaking about the virtual education students are receiving due to the lockdown implemented due to Covid-19 pandemic Dr. AkhilShahani, Managing Director, The Shahani Group, said, “The webinar is a step in our efforts to transform and strengthen Indian education, with the view of making education available to all. We endeavour to ensure that students receive the best education even in difficult times like these from the safety of their homes. The webinar attempted to equip educators to not only take up the challenges of teaching virtually, but also push the limits of their professional capabilities for the benefit of the students.”

Much more advantageous than the traditional teaching methodologies, e-learning has many effective features which makes it a unique solution of learning among the students in this current ongoing pandemic. Some of its unique features are

• Satisfies Everyone’s Needs: Starting from regular students to dropouts, homemakers, distant learners and many enthusiasts who try to acquire knowledge, e-learning is effective for everyone which makes it stand out from the traditional way of learning.
• Time Flexibility: Unlike the classroom studies which are limited to the confinements of time periods, online learning can be accessed anywhere and anytime. Also, the classes or the delivery of lessons can be adjusted as per a student’s pace of learning which enhances their capacity of grasping the contents
• Prompt and Effective Delivery of Lessons: The online platforms ensure updated and innovative contents that help the students stay ahead of the learning curve. Lessons can be quickly wrapped up in a couple of hours and days along with the opportunity to focus on the specific subjects as per their preferences.
• Cost-Effective: Online learning platform is cost-effective as it doesn’t require any kind of tuition fees or any additional charges. Unlike traditional classroom teaching methodologies that require travelling from one place to another, e-learning classes can be accessed anytime and anywhere.
• Higher Efficiency: Apart from being a quick way of learning which ensures scalability and consistency in learning, e-learning holds unique proficiency by bestowing numerous opportunities for exams, evaluations, and certifications for the students. This is a positive influence among the young learners of the society which helps them to achieve certified proficiency in the subjects.

Colleges and Schools Emphasizing on e-Learning

To help the students gain education irrespective of the adversities such as time, money, and distance many colleges and schools are imparting education via online platforms. Through these platforms, they ensure the completion of courses, conduction of tests and exams, evaluation and certifications. The names of some of the educational institutions are mentioned below which are carrying out the advanced teaching process across the world through various online platforms include UniNettuno University, Italy, The Free University of Berlin, Germany, Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands, University of London, England, Hult International Business School, Massachusetts, Purdue University Global, Chicago, Geneva Business School, Switzerland and many more across the globe.

While many colleges have been temporarily shut down until any further notification, some of the international universities have embraced this lockdown period and continued the flow of education through online platforms. Although the coronavirus has acted as a catalyst in intensifying the use of e-learning as a mainstream channel of education, online education has been in the education arena long before that. There is a sudden growth in the rate of learning via e-learning platforms due to the COVID19 outbreak and owing to its innovative features and unique characteristics; online learning is gradually becoming a trend of the future.  This pandemic outbreak has driven the educational sector to rely upon the e-learning and experience the impactful changes.

With digital advancements, e-learning platforms deserve heavy investments by the government along with its implementation in education sectors to achieve more profound results. The future of e-learning seems bright owing to the major digital uprising and tech-enabled advancements across the world.