Challenges and Barriers in Online Learning
- admin699391
- Jul 25, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 14, 2024
There are many advantages for online learning including flexibility and accessibility, but it also comes with various challenges and barriers. This can have a negative impact on students and can affect their learning.
The Oxford Learning College states that there are “over 100 million students worldwide enrolled in open online courses in a wide range of subjects”. This is largely due to the global Covid-19 pandemic which caused a significant increase in online education.
Challenges of Online Learning for Students
Digital Access
One of the most significant challenges of online learning for students is access to a computer and internet. This sudden increase in online learning during Covid-19 highlighted the severe digital poverty divide for thousands of children.
The University of Cambridge state “the likelihood of having access to the internet from home increases along with income. Only 51% of households earning between £6000-10,000 had home internet access compared with 99% of households with an income of over £40,000.”
Furthermore, Statista researched online education statistics on what head teachers thought were the main barriers for online learning with pupils’ access to digital devices at 86% and broadband or connectivity issues at 83%.
Isolation and motivation
Statista also reveals that 38% of parents believe the lack of contact with classmates has been a major challenge during online learning along with 40% of parents believing it's their children’s lack of focus.
For children, school is a hugely important part of social growth and online learning takes away the community that is needed by many. Sitting by a computer at home all day also reduces motivation and organisation which can affect the learning process.
Challenges of Online Learning for Adult Learners
The Cambridge Home School Online state that “between 2007 and 2019, the percentage of UK adults participating in online courses jumped from 4% to 17%”. This includes online university degrees and other online courses but with this increase comes similar challenges as mentioned above for adults along with extras.
For further information on how the online learning market is growing please refer to our in depth blog covering UK Online Learning Statistics.
Job related and domestic challenges
There are many challenges with online learning for both students and adults, however these hurdles can be overcome to achieve a suitable learning environment.
In ‘Challenges Faced by Adult Learners in Online Distance Education: A Literature Review’, they categorise external challenges into job-related and domestic. The job-related challenges include limited time to study, schedule conflicts and work overload. The domestic challenges include lack of family support, the study environment and technology issues.
How to Overcome Challenges of Online Learning
According to Oxford Learning College, “e-learning increases information retention rates up to 60%, compared to 8-10% for traditional learning”. This is because students have more control over their learning process and they can revisit the course content if required.
A learning schedule will improve motivation
The most important solution to overcoming online learning challenges is to create a learning schedule and stick with it. This will help establish an online learning routine and improve motivation and time management skills.
Frontiers state that during Covid-19 “30% of students had symptoms of depression and 50% increased levels of perceived stress”. Overcoming isolation is hugely important in online learning and can be combated by connecting with fellow peers and creating a community to improve communication and lift morale.
Challenges of technical issues and broadband connectivity
It is highly advised that learners check their internet connection and even invest in better infrastructure to ensure the technology works as it should for a streamlined performance.
Barriers to Start Online Learning
For many learners, a major barrier to start online learning is lack of technology experience. Oxford Learning College state “people aged 25-34 were the most likely to use an online course in the UK”. It is much more difficult for students in the higher age ranges to study online due to technological incompetence.
Inadequate support is a barrier for learners
Oxford Learning College also discovered that 53.4% of students found it difficult that there was less in person support when learning online. Domestic support is required of families for both child and adult learners to provide assistance and help maintain a learning routine.
Challenges of Online Teaching
Lack of online training
Ecclesiastical surveyed 500 teachers across the UK and “85% of teachers said online teaching is a challenge. Around 20% of schools gave no additional online training to teachers and 38% of teachers said online learning isn’t as effective as face-to-face lessons”.
Student engagement
One of the biggest challenges for online teaching is keeping the students engaged during the lessons. As mentioned above, students suffer from a lack of motivation with online learning and so teachers must create an engaging lesson plan to keep students interested.
Students will also have varied strengths and weaknesses and so teachers should provide a wide range of learning materials to appeal to all students. This can include videos, gaming, learning apps, audio and power points to incorporate different learning styles for effective results.
Barriers and Challenges of Online Education for Disabled Learners
Inaccessible online content
Online learning comes with many accessible and flexible options, however these may not be accessible for disabled learners. Alternative options should be available such as compatibility with screen readers, video captions, pictures with alternative text and more to accommodate online learning for disabled students.
For disabled learners it may also be more of a struggle to maintain a routine and rely on self management and timing skills and they will require more support at home.
However, according to a Disabled Students UK survey, “69.9% found online learning to be equally or more accessible than in-person learning”. As long as the online content is widely accessible for disabled learners, they tend to prefer the online learning process than in person.
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