Online learning and Zoom seminars: Is it actually as bad as you think?

The debate as to whether or not online learning is as effective and as enjoyable as in person teaching has been going on for a good few months now, ever since ‘Zoom University’ became the norm. Yet still, eight months on, no one has come to any real conclusion – is it actually as bad as everyone says it is? Of course, it can never compare to the absolute thrill of going to a 9am lecture after having been on a night out mere hours earlier, but it does have its other advantages.

Here are a few reasons as to why online learning might actually not be as bad as you think it is.

You can wake up five minutes before your 9am

Everyone dreads that early morning commute, and pre-corona you would have had to get up at least an hour before to make sure you would make it on time, and you’d still not manage to eat breakfast or find your keys. Whereas now, you can wake up at 8:55am and not even get out of bed if you don’t feel like it, and you’re ready for your lecture.

You can ‘go to uni’ from pretty much anywhere in the world

Any international student knows how reassuring it is that they can travel back home and still be able to show up to their classes. Not to mention the fact that it’s all from the comfort of your own home, you barely have to move a muscle or even get dressed – how relaxing does that sound? You don’t even need to find a new outfit or chuck on some clean clothes, because no one will ever know.

Your bank account will be a little bit richer

As a student, saving money is what we all strive to do everyday. Now that the hospitality industry is shut, there’s not really much to spend our money on – especially transport. Transport is one of the main drainer’s of any student’s income because, let’s be real, the bus is painfully pricey. Now that we don’t need to get to campus, that’s a lot of money saved that can be spent later on other things, and holidays are just around the corner. Nice one.

No need to uncomfortably cram yourself into the 25 bus

If you live in town you’ll know how packed the university bus gets, especially right before a 9am. Everyone rushes to get into work or campus and you can’t help but sigh at the thought of having to stand for 45 minutes at the crack of dawn. Now that everything is online, you don’t have to squeeze between random people with morning breath or give the side eye to someone who just stole your seat on the bus because you can just avoid it all together.

Everything can be done at your own pace

There’s nothing worse than being in a lecture and feeling like your hand is about to fall off because of how fast the lecturer is talking and flicking through slides. By the time you blink the lecture is over and you’ve only written one word. Now, with lecture recordings you can slow down or speed them up to your own liking, and even pause it all together. You don’t have to watch them on a specific day, everything is up to you and your own schedule.

Although nowadays it seems like there’s not much to be positive about, it goes to show that there is always a silver lining to every cloud. Our university experience has been put to a halt and it’s incredibly frustrating, but looking beyond that can really give us a more positive outlook.