Khan Academy has emerged as a powerful force in education, offering students of all ages and backgrounds a way to learn every aspect of every subject. While there is no doubt that Khan Academy can be a powerful and helpful tool, there are also some valid criticisms worth considering.
These criticisms range from lack of personalization to more serious concerns related to its long-term effectiveness. In this article, we will explore these criticisms and how Khan Academy can work to address them.
1. Unpersonalized, Repetitious Lessons
Many students who have used Khan Academy to learn a particular subject have noticed a lack of personalization in the instruction. This often manifests itself in the form of repetitive lessons that students must complete before advancing, as well as an overall lack of difficulty custom-tailored to their skill level.
While it’s understandable why Khan Academy would want to make sure that everyone is on the same page before allowing them to progress, the result has been that many students feel like they are stuck in a cycle of static lessons that they find difficult to break out of. This isn’t to say that there aren’t solutions to this problem. Khan Academy should strive to create a more personalized experience, with lessons that are further individualized to account for the varying levels of difficulty between students.
For instance, the platform could track student progress and develop lessons tailored to each student based on their individual needs. This would be a major step in the right direction towards not only more personalized instruction, but also more efficient progression through the course.
2. Lack of Discussion and Engagement
Khan Academy lacks what most traditional classrooms and learning institutions provide — interactive discussion, group work, and other engagement activities. As anyone who has ever attended school knows, these elements are invaluable for the learning process. The ability for students to bounce ideas off of each other and collaborate on problem-solving and assignments is something that Khan Academy does not offer, and students may find that it can prevent them from forming useful learning habits.
In addition, the lack of feedback from instructors makes it difficult for students to understand exactly how well they are doing, especially at the start of their course. Without the guidance of an instructor and fellow classmates, it can be difficult to comprehend the material, stay motivated, and adjust learning techniques when needed.
In order to address these issues, Khan Academy should consider introducing an instructor-led system, wherein a teacher will provide feedback and guidance on a regular basis. Additionally, they should implement more interactive discussions, peer-to-peer support, and other activities that will help facilitate active learning.
3. Quality of Videos
One of the pillars of Khan Academy are its video lessons, which are meant to provide students with an immersive, visual learning experience. Unfortunately, many students have raised concerns about the quality of these videos, noting that the visuals can sometimes be outdated or the audio not always be crystal-clear. This can hinder the learning process, as proper comprehension is a key part in successfully understanding the subject matter.
Khan Academy should consider investing in upgrading the quality of their videos, from the visuals to the audio. In addition, they should work on increasing the frequency of new content to ensure that lessons are always up to date.
Regular updates could also help alleviate another complaint about Khan Academy — that the material is often too piecemeal, which can make it difficult for students to truly comprehend higher concepts.
4. Limited Access to Exploration
Another criticism of Khan Academy is that it lacks opportunities for exploration — that is, it focuses too much on simply teaching the material and doesn’t leave much room for students to explore their own pathways. As learning is a very personal process, it’s important to encourage students to develop their own knowledge bases in order to truly understand the material. This can be done through self-directed projects, open-ended assignments, or simply giving the students freedom to pursue whatever interests them most.
Khan Academy should consider introducing more opportunities for exploration, whether it be through introducing more open-ended assignments or simply by giving students more access to resources in which they can self-explore and study. Additionally, they should work on introducing more courses that focus on creative expression, such as animating, drawing, music-making, and other subjects that can help to bridge the gap between creative expression and core subjects.
5. Fewer Opportunities for Hands-On Experience
Hands-on experience is an invaluable tool for learning, and Khan Academy does not provide students with many opportunities to utilize it. While this isn’t necessarily a problem for students studying topics such as math or grammar, it can be problematic for students studying more hands-on subjects like science, engineering, or art. In order to provide students with a more comprehensive learning experience, Khan Academy should expand its offerings and introduce resources for students to practice what they learn in the classroom.
For instance, Khan Academy could provide online classes that allow students to engage in hands-on projects, give them access to virtual labs, or even arrange for in-person field trips or internships with local businesses — all of which can help provide students with a more concrete understanding of the topics they are studying.
6. Difficult to Determine Student Progress and Comprehension
The lack of feedback and personalized instruction on Khan Academy can make it difficult for students to comprehend their progress. With individualized instruction and feedback, it can be easier for students to understand exactly what they need to improve and the steps they need to take to do so.
With Khan Academy, however, it can be difficult to tell if a student is really progressing through the material or if they merely have memorized the material and lack a true, long-term understanding. In order to address this shortcoming, Khan Academy could work to introduce traditional assessments and accountability, such as quizzes, tests, and other methods of evaluation. As students must prove their mastery of the material before advancing, this would go a long way towards helping students recognize which areas need improvement and exactly which steps they need to take in order to develop deeper comprehension.
7. Issues with Online Support System
Finally, Khan Academy’s online support system — while helpful — is often lacking in certain areas, such as the completely automated nature of it. If a student has a question or issue that requires more than just a simple search and answer, there is often no way for them to get it addressed.
In addition, students might find that the support system is difficult to navigate and makes it difficult to find the help they need. Khan Academy should consider updating their online support system so that it is more intuitive and user-friendly. They should also introduce a live chat feature, allowing students to be able to interact with a human and get the help they need in real-time.
Conclusion
Khan Academy’s main strength is in its ability to provide an expansive library of lessons to students, covering various topics and disciplines. However, these strengths can also be seen as weaknesses when it comes to individualized instruction, hands-on experience, and engaging discussion — all of which are necessary if Khan Academy is to be successful. In order to truly reach its potential, they should focus on addressing these criticisms and areas of improvement.
By doing so, they can ensure that their platform remains a valuable resource for students of all ages and backgrounds.