How long can virtual learning last?

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic students have been forced to attend school virtually as this option for students is a safe way of learning as there is a decreased chance of getting COVID-19. Some schools though have reopened and the efforts have been unsuccessful as many students and classrooms after the first 9 weeks have had to be quarantined. Although schools put many procedures in place there is always the risk of contracting COVID-19 while being near people. With COVID-19 looking to be at its highest point, virtual learning seems to be the safest way to attend school. The real question though is how long can students attend virtual learning? Although schools and teachers try to emulate aspects of face-face learning through using zoom or other platforms it is tough for the students to experience the same things that they do in face-face learning. For example, the social aspect in virtual learning is significantly decreased in virtual learning which can hurt a student’s social skills. Eventually, these social skills will need to be in their jobs in the real world. If their social skills are weak there will be a smaller chance they will get a job or simply communicate with coworkers. Another problem that arises from virtual learning is that it incentivizes cheating as it is very easy to cheat on assignments and tests. This is due to the fact that students have the internet and other resources with them at all times and that there is no one to proctor making sure that the students are not using these resources. Since the students are cheating they will become accustomed to using the internet and other students to find the answers to assignments. With students cheating, they will not be accustomed to studying for tests and quizzes. This can hurt students in the long run as they will lose the skill of studying once face to face school return and depend upon the resources they used on virtual tests. These tactics will not work in face-face school as the teacher will be proctoring the tests and if the students are not able to use their resources combined with the fact that they are not accustomed to studying for tests their academic performance will worsen. The final problem that comes with virtual learning is a problem that arises from the quality of the virtual courses. Typically online courses contain less information and are thus easier to their face-face  counterparts. So the virtual students will be learning a lesser quality material which will hinder their performance once they return back to face- face school as they will not know the material of the course as much as they need too. Although these problems arise from virtual learning, teachers and students must come together to solve these problems as virtual learning will continue to occur throughout the 2020-2021 school year as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to worsen. Teachers have been attempting to solve the issue of improving social issues of students as teachers have been doing things on the Zoom called breakout rooms where students can be in video chat rooms with a small number of people. In these breakout rooms students can talk to their fellow classmates which helps to improve their social skills as they are interacting with people their age. Developing these social skills are important as they will be used in interviews, in the workplace, and in public. Teachers have also been attempting to solve the issue of cheating as students are forced to take tests on a lockdown browser, the tests are timed, and they make tests stimuli based meaning that the students can not simply use their notes or the internet to find the answer to the questions. Finally teachers are attempting to fix the issue of the quality of the virtual courses as teachers themselves are attempting to teach the class through zoom or other video platforms rather than students trying to learn the course material themselves. Through implementing these solutions to virtual learning, students and teachers can continue to have a safe, virtual learning environment for as long as the COVID-19 pandemic goes on.