79% Indian students use smartphones to study online: Vidyasaarathi

Majority of students - a whooping 79 per cent - use smartphones to study online reveals ‘India Lockdown Learning,’ a report by Vidyasaarathi.

The report goes on to state that only 17 per cent of students attend their online classes using laptops and computers and rest 4 per cent students attend it through mediums like tablets.

Vidyasaarathi is one of the largest scholarship management portals in India - promoted by NSDL e-Governance.

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Vidyasaarathi’s ‘India Lockdown Learning’ report is based on a nationwide survey conducted by collecting data from over 10,000 students across 400 cities to understand the transformation happening in the educational eco-system - in the new normal.

The report that provides unique insights and perspectives on the e-learning scenario in India further finds that WhatsApp and Zoom Calls to be the most preferred medium of 59% students for conducting online classes; followed by 30% of students using their school’s or college’s online platform to attend online classes.

While online classes are part of the new normal, 75% of the students still prefer physical classrooms over online learning. Poor internet connection was highlighted by 57% of students as their biggest challenge for e-learning. 31% of students finding it difficult to focus and 12% finding it difficult to get doubts clarified while studying online.

Interestingly, over 60% of the students spend around 1-4 hours on e-Learning; followed by 31% spending 4-8 hours and 8% spending 8-12 hours studying online. This shows that despite the challenges, the students’ willingness to learn and the commitment of teachers towards online education.

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Moreover, among the total number of students who are utilizing online classes, 62% of them are using it for curricular and 38% for extra-curricular activities. Amongst the extra-curricular activities, 39% are taking online courses on art & craft. This indicates a shift from traditional learning methods.

Majority of the students who took the survey were in the age groups of 12 to 28 years where 62% were males. The respondents are in their undergraduate and postgraduate courses. They come from middle-class families, with around 90% students belonging to families with annual incomes below Rs 7 lakh, a press statement said.

Students are also well aware of the benefits of online classes. Majority of them cited that the biggest advantage of e-learning is the accessibility of the course content any time. Students also highlighted ease of use and convenient doubt clarification to be the other motivators for online education.