TACKLING THE MAZE-SOCIOLOGICAL INQUIRY INTO THE IMPACT OF ONLINE CLASSES ON UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN CHENNAI CITY

The World Health Organization (WHO) declar11ed COVID-19 as a global public health emergency of international concern on 30th January 2020 as well as a pandemic on 11th March 2020. India also reported its first case on January 27, 2020 in the state of Kerala. The virus had started taking its hold in our country too. Governments, both central and state swung into action and shut down all the educational institutions across the country. Students faced an unexpected break from their terms just before their final examinations. It took quite a long time for everyone to come to terms with the new global situation. The education industry was one of the worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with higher education institutions rushing to find solutions to keep their doors open. Online-based pedagogy in teaching and learning according to the available facilities of college, had to be implemented to ensure seamless education to the students. This involved the use of virtual platforms in the form of mobile and web applications for teaching and learning. In these difficult times, online learning tools emerged as a boon to all. In the last two years, higher education institutions have made massive investments in EdTech tools, especially in the online education segment and have resulted in significant technological improvements. As in any new technology, online education too has both advantages and disadvantages. While it has benefits such as portability, ease of access, reduced need for physical infrastructure, lowered costs and greater flexibility, its demerits include students boredom and struggles with motivating themselves to pay attention in class. Most of the students preferred off-line classes. Most of the statistics point to the fact that online education field needs to undergo massive changes to adjust to the new climate prevailing in the world now