The pros and cons of online-learning

Abstract

With the development of the Internet, it became possible to provide the necessary data from one end of the world to the other. As well as the ability to communicate with other users online and post information on Internet sites, platforms, mobile applications, making information available to everyone. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the development and demand for distance learning using the Internet, television, radio and other technologies that have only partially replaced face-to-face. This situation has affected all countries of the world, including the Republic of Moldova. On March 11, 2020, the government of the Republic of Moldova closed all educational institutions of all levels. Approximately 434,000 learners from all educational institutions were ordered to switch to online education. Accordingly, a significant part of workers in the education system switched to remote work from home. The pandemic played the role of a kind of stress test and again raised the issue of the “digital divide”, recalling that more than 45% of the population still do not have adequate computer equipment and access to the Internet. The main question remains whether these changes will be temporary or will remain in remote or mixed work and how this will affect the quality of education in general. For learners in educational institutions and teaching staff, this issue is still fraught with doubt and uncertainty. Since the sudden immersion in distance learning and work has revealed the pros and cons of this system.