5 Reasons Students Aren’t Showing Up for Virtual Learning

Virtual Learning

“If you want to teach people a new way of thinking, don’t bother trying to teach them. Instead give them a tool the use of which will lead to new ways of thinking.” – R. Buckminister Fuller

Very true to the context of the statement mentioned above, the past few months during the coronavirus pandemic outbreak, there is a tool that has tried to help students all over the world. As the entire globe battles the chaotic spread of the virus, the one sector that has probably had to face the maximum brunt is that of education. This is especially so with the emergence of plenty of the Best Online Colleges worldwide.

At a time when students of all years and classes should be going to regular school, they have instead been told to adjust to a new means of learning which is through the virtual online classes. It will be very incorrect to assume that in trying time like this it is only the students who are facing challenges. In all totality it is true that even the teachers who are taking these online virtual learning sessions are facing a challenging time with understanding and putting to use this technology.

Teachers globally are looking for means of how to replicate their regular classroom sessions in their virtual ones as well. Needless to say this has its own trouble areas such as technical breakdowns or even the fact that now more than ever, students are just not showing up for their virtual learning sessions. Along with this one major tee this issue that students are facing, there are a number of other challenges as well. For starters most of the teachers teaching students are themselves staying in studio apartments that have poor connectivity issues, and some have their own kids who are also part of online virtual learning sessions.

There is no denying that in the face of this pandemic the entire education system had to think of alternatives so that the students can at least get regular sessions and not have a very huge gap or break in their learning. Having said that, though these online sessions have brought some respite, teachers have limited access to their students and a very restricted control over their actions. After having gone through a number of teacher feedback comments on social media portals, these are some of the most common reasons why students are not showing up for their virtual learning sessions.

Reasons for Low Attendance in the Virtual Learning Sessions

Limited Internet Access:

One of the most common and probable reasons why students are unable to attend the virtual learning sessions is because they have no or limited access to the wifi and internet. This is one problem that is likely to be faced by a large percentage of students. It gets more challenging if there are more than one student in a single household. In a scenario such as this it will get  difficult to even arrange for two seperate devices on which the students can attend their virtual learning sessions. As teachers you need to be prepared to come across such incidents. Addressing this problem will allow you to advertise classical singing lessons and attract new students if you are a music teacher. By doing so, you’ll be able to share your passion and earn an additional income. 

No Scoring and Grading System:

The one big step that a majority of schools and universities have done is to do away with any form of grading and scoring the students. Under the present scenario of the pandemic, all the students are already under tremendous pressure. Some of the students could also be staying away from their families. In order to not cause more worries and pressure, most academic institutes have decided to do away with any formal grading and marking system. Though this step was taken in order to show positivity, it may have a negative effect. Most students will now take the virtual learning sessions for granted and might not take them seriously. This will happen especially because most students know that with no formal exams happening, whether or not they attend the sessions they will still face no consequences.

Additional Responsibilities:

To assume that all students who are in your class have a comfortable life during the lockdown period is a very wrong move. There could be some students whose parents are essential service providers and are actually working even during the lockdown days. In cases like this it is only natural that the students may be told to take care of their siblings and other elders who are in the house. If this happens to be the case it may become very challenging for a student to attend the virtual learning sessions.

Constant Interruptions:

There are a lot of families who may not have a house where everyone has a seperate room. In cases like this a student may have to sit in the common area where they will witness constant interruptions as the virtual learning sessions are going on. If this happens to be the case most of the times a student will prefer staying absent to avoid any embarrassments like this.

Out of Sight and Out of Visibility:

In the present day scenarios where most schools are witnessing an increase in the imbalance between the student to teacher ratio, there are a lot of students who already feel that they are not visible in the regular classroom sessions. As a result of this, they might feel that their absenteeism during the virtual learning sessions may go unnoticed as well, and this is why they choose to be missing from action at the time when the teachers are conducting the virtual learning sessions. There is no denying that all over the world all the sectors have been affected in ways that could not be predicted. As the education actor tries to limp back to normalcy, it is only a matter of time until when it will actually be clear as to how to get back students in full attendance for the virtual learning sessions. These happen to be some of the most common reasons why most of the students are preferring to stay away from the virtual learning environment. Now, it is for the teachers to decide and plan how to overcome these hurdles so that each student can take the benefit of online learning.

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