As digital learning has exploded into the mainstream over the last few years, there’s been a lot of very public talk about the many benefits it brings to both teachers and students.
Often, this praise of digital learning focuses on the same points: it’s easy to bring students and teachers together when they’re physically apart, it’s highly flexible, it can be accessed from any personal device, and so on.
Of course, these are all excellent points and should be shared and celebrated. However, the benefits don’t end there. Digital learning has many advantages that are less well-known, but no less important and relevant.
This article will take a look at just a handful of the less well-known reasons to embrace digital learning.
1. Everyone is in an equal position and students at the front of the class are not at an advantage
In a traditional classroom, the simple constraints of physical space can sometimes create challenges for teachers and students. Learners at the back of the class may have to raise their voices to be heard while those at the front get first access to the teacher. On top of this, students may end up unfortunately placed next to a disruptive classmate, interrupting their own learning. Multiple studies have suggested that students at the front of the class perform consistently better than their peers at the back.
Teachers do an incredible job of addressing these issues in their class, but digital learning tools can help students to circumvent some of these challenges.. In a digital classroom, there is no front or back of the class. Everyone is in an equal position, with the same proximity to the teacher and (assuming home conditions are more or less the same) the same distractions to deal with.
2. Learners can use the text function instead of speaking to the whole class
In a traditional classroom, students that tend to be more shy, may feel less comfortable raising their hands and speaking in front of the class. Also, students may find it difficult to acknowledge that they are confused and ask questions to try and better understand the concept or skill.
Digital learning can help alleviate this challenge, by giving students the ability to answer questions and speak up via the chat function. Typing an answer out can be more comfortable for certain students, and allows them to participate in the class more actively.
3. Easy to practice and hone digital skills in the moment, during the learning process
In a digital classroom, students are practicing digital skills simply by being there. Logging into a platform, switching on your microphone and camera, and actively participating in an online meeting are all essential skills for the future economy.
In addition to these fundamental skills, digital classrooms are a great way to teach and develop other digital skills like coding, graphic design, and simply navigating common tools like Google Suite and Microsoft Office. Since the students are already on a digital device, it’s easy to introduce new digital activities into the class and demonstrate in real-time.
4. Many students are more at home in a digital environment
Today’s students grew up in a world where digital communication and devices were already an established part of life. This is a generation who were raised on computers, and they may prefer to learn on computers too.
In a recent survey, 73% of students said they’d prefer some courses to stay fully online after the pandemic. This was significantly higher than faculty staff, and indicates that younger generations are more comfortable with digital learning.
At Yup, we believe that digital learning is an essential part of everyone’s current and future education. Our platform is built to connect learners with mathematics tutors to supplement their education in and out of the classroom. Schedule a demo with us to find out more.
