14
CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS OF ONLINE TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Kuldeep Kaur Juneja
Assistant Professor, Education Department
Nirmala College of Education, Ujjain (M.P.) India
Email: kuldpjuneja@gmail.com

How to cite this paper:
Juneja Kuldeep Kaur (2022)
Challenges and benefits of
online teaching in higher
education, Journal of Global
Resources, Vol. 08 (01)DOI:
10.46587/JGR.2022.v08i01.014

Received: 22 Sep. 2021
Reviewed: 27 Oct. 2021
Revised: 18 Nov. 2021
Final Accepted: 02 Dec. 2021

Abstract: The present study highlights the challenges andbenefits influencing the acceptance, and use of e-learning as
tool for teaching within higher education. It will help to develop
a strategic plan for the successful implementation of e-learningand view technology as a positive step towards evolution andchange. An attempt has been made to find the effectivenessof online teaching-learning methods in Higher Education. A
questionnaire has been specially designed and deployedamong college faculties and students. About 200 faculties fromuniversity and Education colleges in Ujjain have taken part in
the online survey and submitted responses. It was found thatmultimedia, digital collaboration with peers, video lecturesdelivered by faculty handling the subject, online quiz having
multiple choice questions, interaction by the faculties duringlecture and online materials provided by the faculty promoted
effective online learning. Virtual classroom unlike traditionalclassroom, give unlimited scope for introducing teachinginnovation strategies. The use of ICT tools promotes
technological innovations and advances in learning andknowledge management. This paper explores the online
teaching - learning tools, methods, and a survey on theinnovative practices in teaching and learning. Challenges andbenefits of online teaching, various components on theeffective use of online tools, team- based collaborative
learning, simulation and animation - based learning are
discussed and explained in detail.
Key

words:

Collaborative Learning, Information andCommunication Technology, Online learning.

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Introduction
Education has undergone a transformation in the era of Information and Communication
Technology. The information bloom and the subsequent knowledge explosion have led totremendous change in the field of the individuals today and its effect is also witnessed in the fieldof education. With the global connectivity facilitated by ICT, searching for any information today
has become an easy task. In this digital era, the coming generations are quite apt at handling,
managing and working with technology. Technology driven world has touched almost all the fields
and all aspects of life. There has been a technological transformation in the field of education as
well. E- learning has become a crucial aspect of the education system. In such a situation it has
become a challenge for the teachers to accommodate e- learning in their teaching-learning
processes. Due to this transformation, there is a question of teacher substituting classroom;
Kothari in 1988, states that, the “message” of the teacher to the students is not merely to impartknowledge content of books which is largely information fast getting out of date but more thanthat it should be inspiration, by his/her example, towards the process of character building andthe use of knowledge for the welfare of the community. The total message to the students, andto the community, is the total life of the teacher. Thus, a teacher plays a much more crucial rolerather than just imparting the knowledge content of the curricula. The paper aims to describe the
ICT tools in online teaching and emphasizes on the challenges and benefits of online teaching
for learning English in Higher Education.
ICT in Teaching and Learning
Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learnt in school-Albert Einstein.
The face of Education has undergone a sea change over the decades. In comparison with thetraditional classroom teaching, the digital classroom teaching has made learning prompt, online,
self- driven and flexible. The journey of education in India, too, has been dotted with innumerable
milestones most recently, technology enabled learning. At the same time, digitization of education
has made it feasible for teacher remotely across various locations via virtual classroom. Dramaticchanges in learning models are paving way for constructive, experiential learning andcollaborative learning approaches which allows learners, educators, peers and members of thecommunity to stay connected, create, construct and share knowledge. The use of ICT tools like
Multimedia, supports educators in managing remote teaching- learning processes and designing
digital learning content. These ICT tools benefits both students and teachers to learn outside thebrick- and- mortar classroom.
Digitization of Education
Digitization of Education refers to the use of digital technology to teach students. A digitalclassroom is basically an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based classroom
solution, helping to convert traditional classrooms into interactive sessions with the help of best
hardware with syllabus-complaint multimedia content. In short, digital classroom means thefollowing• Use of projector with tablet.
• Using less paper.
• Use of digital resources and digital tools.
• Development of digital ethics and honour online, respect for fair use in education.
• Teacher-collected or teacher-created resources.
• Inquiry, Project and Problem-Based Learning.
• Student work is published for a wider audience.
• Digital Literacy and Multimedia.

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The digitization of education has led to the transformation of education on a massive scaleencouraging the teacher educators to use them in online teaching. Also, the influence ofmultimedia encourages innovative skills in Higher Education.
Importance of Multimedia
In the 1993, First edition of Mc- Graw Hill's-Multimedia - Making it work, Tay Vaughan declared"Multimedia is any combination of text, graphic art, sound, animation and video that is deliveredby computer. When you allow the user the viewer of the project, to control what and when theseelements are delivered, it is Interactive Multimedia. When you provide a structure of linked
elements through which the user can navigate, interactive multimedia becomes Hypermedia. In
other words, Multimedia is the combination of various digital media, into an integrated multisensory interactive application or presentation to convey information to an audience; Butcher –Powell (2005); Damodaran and Rangarajan (2007). Other than that, interactivity is also part ofthe elements that are required in order to complete interactive communication process throughthe use of multimedia.
Multimedia - How it works to develop good English Communication
The term multimedia was coined to define computer software applications and presentations thatutilized more than one media; Shelly, Cashman, Gunter and Gunter (2006). Basically, the teacher
controls the instructional process, the content is delivered to the entire class and the teacher
emphasizes on the factual knowledge. In other words, the teacher delivers the lecture content
and the students listen to the lecture. Thus, the learning mode tends to be passive and the learnerplays little part in their learning. In order to solve the problem, multimedia can be effectively used
for instructional purposes. The use of multimedia in teaching and learning will not only maintainstudent’s interest but also enable them to develop good English communication in a Constructivist
Learning environment.

Constructivist Teaching
Constructivist teaching is based on Constructivist Learning Theory. Constructivist teaching isbased on the belief that learning occurs as learners are actively involved in a process of meaning
and knowledge construction as opposed to passively receiving information. Learners are themakers of meaning and knowledge. The teacher motivates the students to actively engage in aninteractive learning environment. The students learn in a Virtual Environment.

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Concept of Constructivism
Constructivism is an innovative approach in which students construct their knowledge themselves
through interaction with each-other on the basis of previous experiences. It is student-centred
rather than teacher-centred in which teacher acts as a facilitator. Constructivism considered thatknowledge cannot be simply provided to the students by the teachers. Rather knowledge isconstructed by learners through an active, mental process of development; learners are builders
and creators of meaning and knowledge. It is based on interests, general and specific abilities,
attitudes, achievement, aspirations and motivation of students. This strategy offers flexibility,
motivation, adaptation, creativity and versatility for the teacher and the students. It encourages
students to learn through personal experiences along with others help and suitable learningmaterial. Because of these salient features of constructivism, this strategy is fruitfully used in
English teaching and learning. It will remove hesitation and develop confidence among students
during communication in English. This enables the students to engage, explain, explore,elaborate and evaluate.
ICT TOOLS USED DURING ONLINE TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION
These tools are effective for teaching and learning in higher education
Tools
Methods
ExampleMS Power point,
Easy to prepare and it can besound, graphics and prepared with many of the
flash slide show
popular multimedia elements
like graphic, sound and video.
Macromedia Flash
Presentation is created using
Author wareicons to represent different
media elements and placed ina flowline
Window Movie
Presentation is created using
maker, Macro media movie making concepts of
Director
casts, sounds, pictures andaudio
Adobe Acrobat
Easy to prepare and with
Readerword documents if you have
Acrobat Reader 5 with many
popular multimedia elements

Metaphors
Slide based

Icon Based

Movie Based

Books Based

The different ICT tools used during online learning were Microsoft Office, Power Point
Presentation, Adobe Acrobat, Animation. The use of multimedia, digital collaboration with peers,
video lectures delivered by faculty handling the subject, online quiz having multiple choicequestions, interaction by the faculties during lecture and online materials provided by the faculty
promoted effective online learning. The use of ICT in a collaborative learning environment
encouraged the students to develop deep-reflective thinking.
Impact of ICT in the Teaching and Learning Process✓ ICT can make the learning experiences more effective and efficient through its various
products.
✓ It can provide motivation to the learners.
✓ Learners can get various information clearly and very quickly.
✓ Learners can learn and work at their own pace just with little guidance from the teachers.

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✓ ICT provide a wide variety of tools to demonstrate learning suitable for different types oflearners in the classroom.
✓ ICT can help the teachers to evaluate the learner's progress and proficiency in certain
skills.
✓ The learners can interact with the teachers, peers and experts on various issues outside
the classroom. The teacher who was more comfortable with a student-centered andcommunicative approach to language learning seemed to be most successful in
integrating technology into the class.
Review of related Study
The most striking innovation in digital systems and rapid growth of Information andCommunication Technologies (ICT) represent a revolution that has fundamentally changed theway people think, behave, communicate, work and earn their livelihood. As access to informationand knowledge is pre requisite to achieving the Millennium Development Goals - or MDGs - it has
the capacity to improve living standards for millions of people around the world. An integrated
approach to CALL in teacher education is one in which the use of technology appears in multiple
phases during the teacher candidate's coursework rather than in a single, stand - alone class.
Hegelheimer (2006) provides an example of one developing model for this. He describes a course
he teaches in technology skills that aims to provide a foundation course during the first semesterof the two-year program that faculty in later classes can then build on. Another important approachis the online approach which is an example of learning about technology through technology.
Online CALL courses may be offered for practical reasons (e.g., because the teacher candidates
are not physically in the same location as the course, the objective of the course is to trainteachers for online delivery of their own language courses. In either case, teachers have to use
technology regularly to receive instructions, communicate, and complete assignments, including
tasks and projects. Anand, Saxena & Saxena (2012) E-learning and its Impact on Rural Areas
studies about the awareness and impact of E-learning in selected rural areas in India, theproviders and learner’s ratio and an analysis on the collected data has been made to find theadvantages of E-learning resources and their effects on social and mental development of theindividuals belonging to rural areas. Darius P., Gundabattini E. and Solomon D. (2020) A Survey
on the Effectiveness of Online Teaching-Learning Methods for University and College students
makes an attempt to find out the effectiveness of online teaching learning methods for university
and college students by conducting online survey. Zhang Zhen (2016) The Use of Multimedia in
English Teaching. US-China Foreign Language reveals that the application of multimedia
technology in teaching English has become a trend so it is an urgent need that education should
be modernized which is especially beneficial to language learning.
Research Questions• What are the challenges and benefits of online teaching for teachers?
• What is the impact of using ICT tools for teacher educators for effective online teaching?
• What is the impact of collaborative and digital learning on students?
Objectives:• To study the benefits of ICT tools for teacher educators for effective online teaching.
• To find out the impact of collaborative and digital learning on students.
Hypothesis• There is no significant effect of using ICT tools for teacher educators for effective online
teaching.

Journal of Global Resources, January 2022, Volume 08 (01) Kuldeep Kaur Juneja Page | 122•There is no significant effect of collaborative and digital learning on students.

Methodology
Research Design: In the present study, the researcher for examining the attitude of teachereducators towards the use of ICT tools and attitude of students towards learning English in acollaborative environment, conducted an online survey by constructing an Attitude Scale test
based on Likert Method of summated ratings in which respondents specify their level ofagreement to a statement typically in five points: (1) Strongly disagree; (2) Disagree; (3) Neither
agree nor disagree; (4) Agree; (5) Strongly agree. Summative scales are constructed by taking
answers to a set of survey questions that tap a common theme, or concept, and computing ascore for each individual that can be used as a representation of their position (negative topositive, high to low) based on the concept in question. Therefore, quantitative data is obtained,
which means that the data can be analyzed with relative ease.
Sample: Study was conducted on a sample of 200 teacher educators of University and Educationcolleges of Ujjain by conducting online survey using Likert Method of summated ratings. Also, a
study was conducted on a sample of 50 students of Education colleges.
Tools:
1. Attitude scale constructed by the investigator to measure attitude of teacher-educators
towards the use of ICT tools.
2. 15 questions were constructed in a five-point scale to test the attitude of teachereducators.
3. Attitude scale constructed by the investigator to measure attitude of students learning
English in collaborative environment.
4. 15 questions were constructed in a five - point scale to test the attitude of students learning
English.
Analysis and Interpretation
To find out the attitude of teacher-educators towards the use of ICT tools and attitude of students
learning English in a collaborative environment, the investigator constructed an Attitude Scale
test based on Likert Method of summated ratings. The data was collected using attitude scale,the investigator analyzed the obtained data using percentage analysis. Based on the descriptive
statistics (M+SD), (M - SD), (between M and SD) the total sample is categorized into three groups- High, Average and Low.

#
1.

Table 01: Attitude of teacher-educators towards the use of ICT tools
Category
Number
Percentage
High
104
52

2.

Average

44

22

3.

Low
Total

52
200

26
100

Table 1 shows the percentage distribution of Attitude of teachers towards the use of ICT tools
during online teaching. 52 percent of the sample i.e.,104 teachers have High attitude towards
using ICT tools and comes under high group. 22 percent i.e., 44 teachers have medium attitude
towards using ICT tools and comes under Average group and 26 percent i.e., 52 teachers have
Low attitude towards using ICT tools and comes under low group. A pie diagram has been drawn
to show the percentage distribution of teacher’s attitude towards the use of ICT tools.

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Figure 01: Percentage distribution of the Attitude of Teacher-Educators

Percentage Distribution of Teacher's Attitude
26

52
22

1st Qtr2nd Qtr

3rd Qtr

The above figure shows the percentage distribution of the Attitude of teacher - educators
towards the use of ICT tools. The figure above shows the High frequency attitude of teachers
towards the use of ICT in teaching English. Hence Hypothesis is rejected.
Table 2 shows the percentage distribution of Attitude of students learning English in acollaborative environment. 52 percent of the sample i.e.,26 students have High attitude andcomes under high group. 22 percent i.e., 11 students have medium attitude and comes under
Average group and 26 percent i.e., 13 students have Low attitude and comes under low group. A
pie diagram has been drawn to show the percentage distribution of student’s attitude.
Table 02: Student’s Attitude in learning English in a collaborative environment#
Category
Number
Percentage
1.
High
26
52
2.
Average
11
22
3.

Low
Total

13
50

26
100

Figure 02: Percentage Distribution of the Attitude of Students in Learning English in a
Collaborative Environment

Percentage Distribution of Student's Attitude
26
52
22

1st Qtr2nd Qtr

3rd Qtr

The figure above shows the High frequency attitude of students in learning English. Hence
Hypothesis is rejected.

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Results and Interpretation
When used appropriately, ICT especially computers and internet technologies enable new waysof teaching and learning rather than simply allow teachers to do what they have done before abetter way. These new ways of teaching and learning are underpinned by constructivist theories
enable a collaborative learning environment. The teacher can teach English in a digital
environment, motivating to learn and explore by scaffolding the learning materials. The students
become active participants in the learning environment instead of passive listeners.
Challenges faced by teachers in handling ICTThere are numerous challenges faced by teachers in using ICT. Some of these challenges are
discussed below:
1. First of all, there is need for adequate availability of technology which includes high costs
incurred on acquiring, installing, operating, maintaining and replacing ICTs.
2. Secondly, it is imperative to make all teachers ICT literate and effective in handling ICT
tools for teaching-learning processes.
3. Another challenge is that the teachers need to develop their own capacity so as toefficiently make use of the different ICTs in different situations. They need not think that
ICT would replace teachers.
4. Another challenge faced by teachers is that English being the prominent language
associated with the modern technology. This causes problems as in many states people
are not comfortable with English.
5. Teachers are not comfortable in handling these modern gadgets and technologicaldevices. They do not have the skill and command in using them in a virtual hand-on
activity.
6. The challenge for educators is not to dismiss or keep up with student’s latest technologicalknow-how, but to create meaningful learning experiences in which students are taught
how to apply their knowledge in solving real-world problems.
Students of the 21st century need technology-based education to survive in a technological world
for which the pre-service and in-service teachers need to overcome the technological challenges.
Discussion➢ Appropriate computer technology places users in control of their own learning. It
encourages both independent and collaborative learning while extending and supporting
the learning process.
➢ The integration of ICT in teacher-education enhances classroom management skills,
leadership qualities, collaborative skills, teaching methods, and lesson planning. It helps
student - teachers to explore diverse teaching methods and techniques and apply thoseby teaching students in a real - life classroom environment.
➢ Since technology has become a part and parcel of lives of individuals, it becomes
imperative for the teachers to be comfortable in its handling in education system as well.
The teacher may utilize them in the instructional materials as per individual differences.
➢ There is an urgent need to develop and deploy a large variety of applications, softwaretools, media, and interactive devices in order to promote creative, aesthetic, analytical andproblem- solving abilities and sensitivities in students and teachers.
➢ Teachers should develop a positive attitude towards ICT and be interested themselves in
its learning. They should not take it as a hindrance to their career rather accept it as aninnovative teaching resource in the classroom.
➢ NCF (2005) visualized a major shift in the conceptualization of teaching and learning. The
main thrust is on the privacy of the active learner where teacher's role is that of a facilitator

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and a constructor of knowledge who encourages learners to reflect, analyze and interpretin the process of knowledge construction. "Progress is impossible without change".
Conclusion
In the present scenario, it is very easy to access information with technology. E-learning also
facilitates information and knowledge by way of global connectivity. It can be used as an effective
resource for implementing constructivist pedagogy among the learners. E-learning makes thelearners “how to learn” rather than “what to learn”. If the learners are taught how to learn, they
are engaged in the learning processes, learning would become an interesting exercise for themand they would themselves develop capability to become life-long learners. Fair use of ICT would
lead to effective transition to the knowledge society in the globalized world and would also create
better teaching and learning environment in society.
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