E-learning is not ideal for lessons that require lab work and it also makes it harder to clear doubts compared to face to face teaching.

Yes.

But in moredetail:

First - there is no special e-learning separated from normal learning, and today ICT-enabled learning has become a normality anyway. It is added use of new ICTs for communication and content we are talking about, but the learning itself is not fundamentally different, it still demands time on task as one example, and it becomes a lot better with social interaction.

Basically, ”a course is a course is a course” for students. They have often not studied this one earlier. (”A course is a course is a course is also a title of a very good paper by Dziuban et al https://www2.fgcu.edu/FacultySenate/files/2-8-2013_Charles_Dziuban_-_A_Course_Is_A_Course.pdf )

Campus-based or Internet-based education becomes different for some students. Some do better results in one environment (as campus), other thrive and develop best in online studies. For most students it does not matter much for learning and grades, although they can prefer one environment for social interaction and the other for convenience in their life puzzles. See also the attached papers by Fendler and coauthors on differing results for individual students related to study modality.

Concering assessment of results, I do not think there must be any significant difference either, if organised in a sound way.

Article Online Versus In-class Teaching: Learning Levels Explain Stu...

Article No significant difference—Unless you are a jumper

(full text here https://olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/olj/article/view/887

E-learning is not ideal for lessons that require lab work and it also makes it harder to clear doubts compared to face to face teaching.

E learning during Covid 19 can be justified for teaching, but those teaching is not enough for evaluation their knowledge. Because, the devices need for e learning were not with all students. So, what we did after reopening the universities, the lessons were revised and did the practical. Then planned the exams.

My opinion, no it is not fair but it is also fair. Why? Let me try to describe it briefly.

E learning can be useful for learning but it can not change the position of teacher/lecturer probably. The knowledge is not only about subject material but also the skills and the behavior including in it.

Therefore, E learning can be a good media for learning in this situation, however it is a technlogy devices, in other hand it can be ideal and also not ideal. Well, the using of e learning is depend on the needed.

I think it really depends and we cannot generalize our verdict on this matter since their are creative and "techie" teachers who can really give assessments without comprising its integrity. Since assessment is teacher's prime basis for giving evaluation to the students I think with the correct use of right/appropriate ed technologies, tech training/proficiency of the teacher, right assessment for the competencies being tested I think it can be 99.9% fair

Anders Norberg the answer might be yes in your environment, but here in Zimbabwe and lecturing in a practical subject the answer must at this time be NO. The main reason being financial constraints from both the institution (a Polytechnic) and the students. Only around 20% of my around 55 students for Engineering Drawing have been able to access any of the lessons provided online. Of those around half have done the first of 30 practical assignments accompanying the lessons. Which means there is no basis for assessing any learning for most of the students.

Hi Ylva Bergstrom ! You are completely right of course from the perspective of your environment. However I believe that IT access and use increases also in developing countries, but sadly not at any even or guaranteed pace.

Anders Norberg I can see from your profile that you have done research on inclusion of disadvantaged groups, so you can understand our environments here.

I have noted a lot of your research papers are close to my interests.

Det ska bli intressant att lasa nagra av dem.

Ylva Bergstrom ! Yes, I felt bad for only arguing here in the context of countries with a rich IT infrastructure and very common hardware access, as Sweden mostly is. I understand so well that Zimbabwe is something eIse.

I have tried to widen this question with education access from only a technical question to also a social question. And then we also have the issue that ”disadvantaged” is relative to peoples local and social contexts. A disadvantaged Swede would not be seen as so very disadvantaged if placed in other contexts.

Sweden has its educational problems too. Good standard of living and Developed welfare economics does mot solve everything. We have all university education tuition-free as example, but young people from non-traditional backgrounds often that they Are nor welcome anyway, and that they have to borrow for their living expenses during studies (in a quite generous grant/loan system in comparison. Actually, statistics of widening social participation shows that this is now going backwards, young people of today become less educated than their parent generation. So this is complex.

Anders Norberg I am actually the first and only one in my extended family with a University education. Even my cousins children do not have. Three of my children have gone to University and another three to college. But it is a bit scary that we are going backwards and the current generation getting less educated.

Dear Anders Norberg

First, in certain environments and disciplines, I agree with you.

As you know, dear, there are some specialties that require laboratories or anatomy rooms for medical specialties. Then it may be complicated for the student.

Secondly, Concerning the assessment of results, as you said "if organised in a sound way", I think that a lot of the teaching staff had a new experience, which led to some failures in the accuracy of the students ’evaluation.

Hi Samarakoon Mudiyanselage Samantha Samarakoon

Totally agree with you, to some environments that it is necessary.