The Myth of Live Online Classes 
                     The Myth of Live Online Classes
Every now and then I get asked about Online Live Classes. Till a few 
years ago, I used to explain that Online Live Classes are not what 
they seem, but these days I cut any discussion short and say 
straightaway than we at AppSquadz also offer live online classes 
software. For the record, we at Appsquadz also offer live classes, but 
with a mild feeling that we are pandering because we cannot 
convince people well.

What people think of?

The phrase “Online Live Classes” evokes this beautiful picture of this 
fabulous online space where student and teacher commune and have 
one of those Socrates-Plato talks. A place where one can ask a 
question the moment it is formed in the mind and the teacher will 
stop the discourse, pause and nod in appreciation of said question 
and then go on to clarify that doubt before seamlessly reconvening 
with his own original line of thought. In reality, none of this ever 
happens. None of these can ever happen in a one-to-many setting.

What it actually looks like?

In your typical one-to-many live online class, the teacher sets out with 
a set of questions he/she plans to solve, adds 1-2 bits of theory and 
discusses them one by one on some platform. Any doubt/query you 
have can be posted on to the platform and the teacher will discuss 
this at some point of time in the future. The doubt-clarification 
sessions are fairly disjointed and exist as free-wheeling tropes to give 
one an illusion of preparation. Imagine listening to an intense video on 
learning Python while chatting on WhatsApp and browsing Facebook 
and you can get a rough idea of how doubt-clearance sessions 
happen.

Issues with Live Online Classes

But this is not my main crib with ‘live’ sessions. E-Learning gives 
students three key freedoms – of learning anywhere, at any time and 
at your own pace. ‘Live’ Sessions kill two of these freedoms – you 
have to attend at the appointed time and you have to follow at the 
pace set by the class. Live Sessions also fare worse than discussion-
boards (moderated ones) on doubt clarification.

Finally, live online classes are often far poorer than pre-created ones. 
For the IIM online course and youtube channels, I have probably shot 
1000+ videos and so with reasonable experience I have upped the 
efficiency of the shooting process. But I can confess that I usually do 
around 2-3 ‘takes’ for every video that I take because there is 
something about the explanation that does not satisfy me the first or 
second time. I either tweak the presentation or modify my explanation 
a little bit before reshooting. This after having spent thousands time in 
creating the presentation just the right way. A live online class simply 
does not afford this

I still immensely enjoy the Online Live Classes that I take because 
there is a certain thrill in shooting from the hip and improvising to 
convey an idea. But there is a big difference between a teacher 
enjoying the class and ALL students taking value from the class. Live 
online classes are useful for the 5-10% of people who are already 
very good and are looking to just have a quick dip into a set of tough 
questions. For the rest, they are more or less a waste of time.

One to One? One to Many?

Note that all of these issues on ‘live’ online classes are with the one-
to-many live online classes. If you get the opportunity to have a 
bunch of one-on-one live online classes with a qualified teacher, you 
should jump at that chance. That is a whole new ball game and if the 
teacher is good, then this is the real deal.

Why do then people want from live online classes?

For two reasons –

1) Students want to have this feeling of personalized service. A place 
where they can speak to the teacher directly and discuss something. 
The parallel to the classroom model is the idea of hanging back at the 
end of the class to discuss something for 5 minutes. This is very vital 
and this is the main reason why we at AppSquadz do have live 
classes.

2) The second reason is that everyone likes the idea that something 
bespoke is done for them. The idea that when presented with 
a fabulous buffet offering, one wants to exercise the option of asking 
the Chef to toss 2 masala Dosas with extra ghee for them.

When thinking about an online course, please keep in mind that the 
‘live’ class component is perhaps the icing on top of the cake. An 
online course that completely comprises only live classes offers a far 
inferior proposition to a well-built online course. We at Appsquadz 
Software offer the entire Software on a spectacular platform that has 
no ‘live’ option; we supplement this with live classes on another 
platform in order to provide fun and flavour.