In traditional in-person classes there is the learning aspect, but there is another aspect that is being changed by online classes, and that’s social interactions. Social interactions are an extremely important part of school, and it allows people to create relationships with each other and meet new people. With online school it makes it a lot harder to connect with people, and social interactions are a lot less prevalent. This issue is hard to deal with, but attempting to connect with people online and talking to people in classes can help deal with it.

Online learning still has social interactions, it’s just a lot different from in-person. Online learning allows for students to interact with each other and the teacher, however, most people would agree that these social interactions are a lot less common and a lot less meaningful than in typical in-person classes. Throughout my life, especially when I was younger, I met a lot of friends through school. This is a common way to connect with people because through spending time with people and talking to them in-person, relationships develop. Now students are left staring at their teachers and peers on the screen with no real personal connections.

The lack of in-person social interactions caused by online learning can have many negative effects. People not interacting with their peers can cause them to feel lonely and isolated. Not seeing others for an extended period of time isn’t good for humans. Feeling isolated can lead to several other problems as well, like anxiety or depression. Social interactions are vital for meeting new people and creating strong bonds. Not only on an individual to individual basis, but also with the class as a whole. Often classes can become a community and a strong group through the countless interactions that occur throughout the class. With online learning this can still be replicated, but it is a lot less common, and these communities aren’t usually as strong or interconnected.

The amount of social interactions in an online class depends on the format of the class and how willing a student is to reach out. Some classes and teachers do an outstanding job having students talk to each other and making themselves available to talk too. Although these social interactions can still occur, they don’t compare to in-person interactions at all. In online classes, discussions often will happen through the chats and not people actually talking. This makes a big difference and is a lot less impactful than people talking back and forth with their teacher and peers. Even when discussions between students happen in groups like in breakout rooms, they are often a lot more quiet and awkward than legitimate in-person discussions. When looking at an individual student in online classes, it is extremely easy to avoid social interactions. People can decide to turn their cameras off and remain mute throughout the entire class, which allows their mind and attention to go elsewhere. By not being engaged in the class, a student’s ability to do well in class is effected, and their ability to interact with others is gone.

Online learning creates a lot of losses when comparing to in-person learning. Trying to address these issues, like the lack of social interactions, is essential for students and teachers. If students work to make connections with others and stay involved in class, then the lack of social interaction can be minimized. I myself also need to work to stay focused in classes and interact with my peers more, it’s just difficult sometimes. Now because of the pandemic and for people’s safety, in-person interactions need to be significantly reduced. While we still consider the situation we are all in, we all need to continue to try to replicate social interactions online to the best of our abilities.

Sources:

What Happens to the Social Aspect of Learning in an Online Course?

7 missing pieces: why students prefer in-person over online classes