With the advancements in technology, today’s lifestyle has become tech-oriented. Every major sector is undergoing a digital transformation, be it IT services, healthcare, retail & eCommerce, or education. Every industry has transformed its operations, and the education domain is no exception. Following the trend, mobile app development service providers have created mobile apps and platforms that enable students and teachers to access elearning anytime and anywhere.
With this transformation, online learning seems very appealing, making the learning process more captivating and fascinating. As mobiles and tablets are an integral part of our lives, and we rely on them for most of our activities, learning for students has become easier and more convenient. Here are some key benefits of eLearning:
- Flexible and mobile
- No age limit
- Quick and easy access to information
- Highly efficient
- Affordable
How COVID-19 Transformed the Education Sector?
As per UNESCO, after the pandemic shook the world to its core, around 1.54 billion students were out of the classrooms globally, changing the education system drastically. It changed the way everybody looked at education. If we believe the WHO’s latest survey, it says that the virus will be staying for a long time. However, the process of learning and educating students can not be put on hold for this long time, and therefore, just like Work From Home, Education From Home has become the new trend.
Education digitization was already on its way before the pandemic; however, the complete shutdown has accelerated the transformation. A growing percentage of schools and institutions are adopting a digital learning culture where online classes are the most feasible solution ensuring an uninterrupted flow of education. Educational institutes of every kind and size are shifting classes to virtual platforms. Edtech companies are working hard to fulfill this exponential increase in the requirement of online learning solutions.
Online Learning: Shaping the Future in This Pandemic
In a matter of a few weeks, this pandemic has changed how students can be educated globally, giving us a glimpse at how the education system could change for the better in the long term. With the increased usage of Udemy, TutorEye, Skooli, and many other online learning platforms, students and the teachers can now improve the education experience at the convenience and safety of their homes.
With this advancement, the students do not need to commute to their classes. They can also get themselves enrolled in a university located in any corner of the globe and attend virtual classrooms. Students also get the opportunity to learn at their own pace and can go through the same lesson over and over again to clear their doubts. The education system has undergone a drastic change in such a short time due to the pandemic. However, the way the students, teachers, parents, and, last but not least, the edutech companies have handled it shows definite promise for the future.
Potential eLearning Challenges During COVID-19 and Overcoming Them
No doubt, online learning is growing exponentially; however, everything comes with its own limitations and drawbacks. The challenges of online learning need to be addressed and solved timely so that students and teachers can benefit from this growing technology. Let’s have a look at some of the challenges and the solutions to overcome it.
Lack of In-Person Interaction
The lack of in-person interaction with the teachers and the classmates may sometimes become frustrating for the students. No matter how enriching the online world may be, it is of no help when students need to have human interaction to solve their queries.
Solution: It is suggested to take advantage of tools to foster personal interaction with students and classmates as much as possible. Having video conferencing programs like Zoom, Skype, FaceTime can serve as the best alternative to actual face-to-face interaction. Organizing webinars or having forums where students can discuss their queries can also be a huge help.
Struggle to Adapt
Switching from a traditional classroom to a computer-based virtual classroom is an entirely new and unnerving experience for the students. Although online courses include the same lesson plan as in a traditional classroom, it is difficult to make the students adapt to this shift.
Solution: Most importantly, an open heart and mindset are required to accept this new learning approach and reap its benefits. As soon as you understand the benefits of online learning, you may wonder how and why you learned any other way.
Parents’ Involvement in Online Learning
After the world changed overnight and elearning became the new trend, parents found it completely different and challenging with this new role of involving kids to learn from home. The working parents, who are themselves working from home, underwent a feeling of stress, anxiety, and general uncertainty to get into this new role.
Solution: The parents should be supported in this whole process of online learning of students by the school administration. Educators can guide them through online learning basics and what role they need to play to ensure they provide optimum support for their kids.
Evaluating Teachers’ Performance
One of the most important factors that help to shape and influence institutional practice within a school is the evaluation of teachers. Now, when the learning system is online, it has become a struggle for the school administration to evaluate teachers’ performance.
Solution: Having a review option for the students after every session/semester helps the schools as well as the parents to assess the performance of teachers, identify low-performing teachers, and inform teachers about professional development.
Take Away
Nature has its way of teaching lessons to humans, and when lessons to be taught are tough, nature becomes a harsh teacher to make sure that the lessons are learned hard. COVID-19 came as one such harsh lesson that taught the capability and efficiency of online education to all those institutions and educators who claimed that remote education is not possible. The pandemic taught us that learning is prime and independent of the classroom environments and physical interaction with the teachers/students.
Where there was a widespread acceptance of online learning platforms by the teachers, the students and parents also welcomed it with open arms with the realization that it is the most efficient way to resume the academics without any gap. Online learning platforms have also scaled in a massive way to meet the current demands of the education industry and solutions like Yo!Coach is a ready-to-use software to kick start an all-inclusive online learning & consulting marketplace.
As more and more teachers and students are getting on the way of online education, this trend will stay even after the pandemic is over as the flexibility and functionality provided by it are unmatched. If you need a mobile app, the top education apps developers will help you with that.
