Over the years, the human race has had its share of plagues. Some deadly, and others were easy to handle. Either way, it has always left behind death tolls. We caused some because of careless mistakes while some just found their way to us. One that has had a significant impact on this century is COVID-19. The pandemic has brought a stop to almost all operations on the face of the earth. Since it was declared a global pandemic, many activities all around the globe have a shutdown. The announcement led to changes in various sectors but majorly the education sector. There was an introduction of online learning to the education sector CAIB 2 exam by PNC .
Various scholars argue that learning online should not be mistaken for Digital Transformation. It should best be defined as applying technological devices and incorporating the internet in the education sector. True to their argument, you will find that most higher institutions who use the online system to conduct their teaching later send their students reading materials. It is pretty much the same as conduction face-to-face classes, with the only difference being the distance. Under normal circumstances, teachers would conduct their classes while giving notes to their students or later on makes copies of notes on the topics covered.
As much as various institutions were already introducing online learning in their curriculum, the vast majority preferred the old school way as its advantages preceded the disadvantages. For one, the teacher-student interaction on a face-to-face basis is said to be more effective than no contact at all. Secondly, many students, teachers, and parents were not prepared to integrate the new learning system, but because of the circumstances, learning had to continue one way or the other. However, some people support learning online because they believe that the new way is more sustainable.
The migration from the old teaching ways to the new teaching ways has both disadvantages and advantages. One of its advantages over traditional ways is that it is more efficient because of the number of tools that a teacher can employ when conveying a given concept ranging from PDFs to videos. Two, it accessible at any time and place. Teachers can leave behind recordings of their previous classes for students who missed them compared to the traditional way. Since students are learning at home, it cuts down on the cost of learning compared to students attending classes in their actual schools. Those are but a few highlighted advantages.
It also has its share of disadvantages. The biggest challenge is listening to a teacher for up to an hour while staring at a screen. Social media, games, and other entertainment features available on the internet have proven to be the biggest challenge, especially when there is no parental supervision. Teachers and parents have to find a way to make sure that the learning is productive. Another major problem is internet connectivity. Some students or teachers live in remote areas where their internet connectivity is either slow or does not exist. It would be best to address this challenge before other challenges if the students and teachers are to make most of the new mode of learning. Otherwise, it would not be fair to all the students country-wide. Teachers have to be trained; they have to learn firsthand. It is, however, not possible because of the pandemic. The challenges go on and on depending on one’s argument.
All the changes will finally have long-term effects on the education sector at large. Education experts will have to come up with better ways to enhance learning if the pandemic continues. In the meantime, it would be best for them to take notes and work on the areas that they can to ensure that this crucial sector is running smoothly.