Educational institutions have been forced to resort to online education through most of 2020. The exercise has given schools and colleges ample opportunity to explore alternate pedagogical approaches across different online platforms that can be employed not just during this lockdown, but also when other natural or man-made disasters occur and conducting classes on campus becomes impractical.
Millions of students in countries across the globe have been confined to their homes as a preventive measure against the spread of COVID-19. Many institutions were caught completely off guard as they didn’t have a fully functional digital learning response strategy in place. Virtual classes have become the norm and a viable option during crisis situations where internet connectivity is not an issue.
The move has been adopted even by some of the most prestigious institutions such as Stanford and Northeastern university.
Kick-starting an online graduate course usually spans over many months, sometimes even years. Institutions that are considering going online with their courses are having to cut short this turnaround time in lieu of the current pandemic which creates in its wake a slew of challenges. This article explores some of the hurdles typically faced by administrations engaged in the business of teaching when moving their academic activities online.
Preparation is Key for Online Education
Crisis situations make it impossible to conduct traditional, classroom style classes because of which course progress falls behind schedule. Institutions lose out on valuable revenue and are also denied the funds necessary to invest in future projects. This slowdown also causes an undeniable setback to students’ academic progress and future prospects. Even in cities where there hasn’t been a widespread COVID-19 outbreak, schools and universities are making arrangements to go virtual with a sense of urgency as there won’t be time for implementation when a house arrest due to COVID-19 or any other crisis becomes necessary. Besides, the administration, faculty, students and parents can allay their fears as a fully functional and readily deployable backup option is in place.
The Flip Side of Technology When Going Digital With Education
Administrative teams tend to work with online platforms that they are most comfortable with in order to save time and get the virtual environment ready as quickly as possible. However, this approach is a lot more prone to IT managerial issues such as quality control and a lack of flexibility when scaling operations. Consistent delivery across all courses becomes exceedingly crucial so that the students’ online experience is seamless, which in turn generates better learning outcomes.
Structured Course Content
Create a standardized format that can be adopted across all courses and modules. Centrally manage course content, permissions and restrictions. Ensure that navigation through the online environment and performing regular tasks such as updating profile information, submitting assignments, projects and so on as well as accessing reference study material is made as effortless as possible.
Platform Walkthrough
Moving classes online can be a daunting task, especially in the case of universities with hundreds and thousands of students. Institutions literally have to ensure that almost every academic product, service or utility that’s available on campus can be accessed online. Further, all components under each product, service or utility need to be prioritized into categories such as for instance – mission critical, essential and recreational – and then accordingly given preference when there is limited bandwidth availability during a disaster.
Plan and conduct elaborate course and platform walkthroughs so that both teachers and students know how to find their way around the virtual environment before online courses commence.
Train the Trainer
Not all teachers will adapt easily to the new virtual environment where there is a constant interplay of multiple tools and technologies. So it becomes imperative to put together training material that empowers the institution’s faculty to make this transition satisfactorily without compromising on the course’s learning outcomes. This can be achieved in a sequential manner, for instance by beginning with simple and straightforward live sessions into which other features such as live chat, discussion boards, quizzes, polls and more can be added in a step by step manner. The speed and effectiveness of online learning also improves and is more likely to match the production volumes of on-campus courses.
Long Term Benefits of Online Education
Staying prepared with an online education capability apportions the institution, faculty and students a greater sense of involvement. But many schools and universities that have already invested in digital learning are utilizing their virtual environments under normal conditions as well to enhance learning experiences in a fast paced, hyper-connected world where information is available dynamically and from multiple sources. The ability to switch back and forth between on-campus and virtual classrooms calls for a robust infrastructure along with an able IT support team that can provide timely assistance. Specific tasks can also be outsourced to third party vendors as long as alternate vendor options in the same price range are available.
Conclusion
While online classes have become increasingly commonplace during this pandemic, the current trend is a sure sign of the direction in which teaching methodologies are progressing.
In addition to providing the institution a reliable backup capability to continue operating and meet its academic targets and deadlines despite crisis situations, online learning platforms should also be made use of under normal conditions to increase the institution’s return on investment as well as enhance the student’s learning experience in an increasingly digital world.
