75% students prefer physical classes to online learning: Survey

NEW DELHI: As per a report released by NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited’s Vidyasaarathi project, 79 percent of students use smartphones to study. While 59 per cent of students are using WhatsApp and Zoom calls for their online classes. And three quarters of students prefer physical classes to online learning.

The report, ‘India Lockdown Learning’ by Vidyasaarathi states that only 17 percent of students attend their online classes using laptops and computers and rest four per cent students attend it through tablets and phones. Vidyasaarathi is the scholarship management portal by NSDL e-Governance.

The report is based on a nationwide survey in which over 10,000 students across 400 cities participated. It was conducted to understand the transformation happening in the educational ecosystem. “The survey helps us to take note of how students are adopting e-learning which is becoming the norm and the challenges they face in the transition. The survey is holistic in capturing all the essential data for us to discern the pros and cons of the new normal,” said a statement.

Giving a picture of e-learning scenario in India, the report states that WhatsApp and Zoom Calls were used as the most preferred medium for teaching-learning with 59 per cent students using them; followed by 30 percent of students using their school’s or college’s online platform to attend online classes.

Poor internet connection biggest challenge

“While online classes are part of the new normal, 75% of the students still prefer physical classrooms over online learning. Poor internet connection was highlighted by 57% of students as their biggest challenge for e-learning. 31% of students finding it difficult to focus and 12% finding it difficult to get doubts clarified while studying online,” the report states.

According to the report, over 60 per cent of the students spend around one to four hours on e-learning; followed by 31 percent spending 4-8 hours and eight percent spending 8-12 hours studying online.

The report reads: “Moreover, among the total number of students who are utilizing online classes, 62% of them are using it for curricular and 38% for extra-curricular activities. Amongst the extra-curricular activities, 39% are taking online courses on art & craft. This indicates a shift from traditional learning methods.”

Majority of the students who took the survey were in the age groups of 12 to 28 years where 62 per cent were male students. The respondents are in their undergraduate and postgraduate courses. They come from middle-class families, with around 90 per cent students belonging to families with annual incomes below INR 7 lakh.

Also read:

• Students in Tamil Nadu start #StopOnlineClass campaign
• COVID-19: No school meals for 51 lakh Gujarat students, says RTE Forum

Write to us at news@careers360.com