I am meditating, learning new languages, reading and improving my bond with family: Abhishek, Ethames

These are first-hand student accounts on how our young population is managing to keep their exam prep or college course work going from the confines of their homes. In case you want to share your lockdown study experience, write to us at publish@shiksha.com.

As we already know, the whole world is suffering from COVID-19. Keeping in view the present condition Central Government of India has decided for countrywide lockdown. All the universities and schools across the country have issued notice to conduct online classes through various apps such as Google Classrooms, Zoom and many more.

At present all the colleges are conducting classes through online mode. Online courses give students a better opportunity to plan a schedule to make time for studies as well as extracurricular activities. The students can now study and work at their convenience. The online classes offer a great many benefits as the students could maintain a balance between their education and family commitments. However, this isn’t quite the same as the social interaction you would have with other students in a physical classroom setting. According to a recent study, the online learning performance is slightly better than students in traditional face-to-face classrooms.

There are a few advantages for conducting online classes such as:

• Networking Opportunities
• It might create a sense of isolation
• It requires more time than on-campus classes
• Require good time-management skills
• It allows you to be more independent
• Online education costs less
• Students have much freedom in online classes because they aren’t tied down to a fixed schedule

There are a few disadvantages of conducting online classes like

• Addiction to social sites (social isolation)
• Wastage of time as compared to offline classes
• Its causes many distractions
• Lack of accreditation
• It makes easier for students to procrastinate

I am spending most of my extra leisure time that I have during this lockdown period by reading good books, doing yoga, learning new languages, meditation, keeping in touch with friends, improving my bond with my family and many more. As exams are being postponed, I have got extra time for exams preparation, this helps me to well prepare for the university exams.

As I am preparing for the competitive exams as well, this time is very helpful to study for at least five to seven hours daily. Also, there are many online and offline resources which helps me in gaining much knowledge and clarification of doubts. Due to the current situation, my parent’s involvement in my college life has also increased. Also, they can interact with faculty daily.

About the Author:

Abhishek is pursuing B.Com with specialisation in Computers from EThames Degree College, Hyderabad. He recently completed an internship with DEET (Digital Employment Exchange Telangana).