When the COVID-19 pandemic made its way into our lives, we thought it was a matter of a few days until life gets back to normal, and we get back to our ways. However, as days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months, we had to find out strategies to go on with life. As official meetings resorted to Zoom with wacky backgrounds, and hangouts with friends became hour-long video calls, education was, and is still trying to find its feet in the new normal.
Coronavirus restrictions resulted in education institutions closing indefinitely with little to no resources available. Not only the students but the teachers and administration were struggling to make ends meet. However, over time, most countries have adopted different means to provide the students with an alternative to regular in-person classes. From online classes to TV and radio streams, the methods were creative. However, the struggles out-weighed the solutions.
One of the significant caveats of distance learning programs is the lack of interactivity.
In-person classes always ensure a discourse between teachers and students. The physical presence of the teacher always helps the students to ask questions, engage in discussions and solve their problems in class. Also, most classes create room for discussion to engage their students. Additionally, physical classes had its fair share of breaks and recess to give the students the breathing space to deal with the stress.
However, as interactive classes were replaced by monotone, often banal online sessions – the interactivity was also replaced by a plethora of problems. The connectivity issues, paired with the overall lack of experience with online classes for both the teacher and the students, resulted in replacing excitement with boredom. Later, students came up with creative ways to entertain themselves instead of focusing on the study materials. However, we cannot necessarily blame the students since the uncertainty of the situation came with its own share of stress and anxiety, leaving a negative effect on the students as well.
Furthermore, the lack of resources to conduct online classes and exams have been very harsh on the students as well. Since the schools had to close with no preparation at hand, the quality of classes has not been as good as they were before. Most teachers are not accustomed to the online way of teaching to make the classes more exciting for their students either. The lack of resources has significantly affected developing countries since the internet is still considered a luxury in these parts of the world, and most students are not equipped with the tech to participate in online classes from their homes.
Also, in-person classes give the teachers the freedom to curate their lessons based on the condition of the students, making changes to the course material on the go to make sure it satiates the students’ needs. Furthermore, in a physical class the students have the opportunity to reach out to the teachers after class if they struggle with the material or have any queries. However, in contrast to the physically conducted classes, once the classes shifted online, the teachers had to resort to a “one size fits all” formula due to the technological limitations. Eventually, this format led to the students struggling with the material with little to no extra guidance other than the lackluster online class.
Other than connectivity, and the lack of resources, the uncertainty of the situation is hard to deal with as well.
As exams are postponed until further notice and students have nothing to do at home, the procrastinating monkey has taken over their productive mindsets as well.
The pandemic might have closed down educational institutes indefinitely, but it changed online education for the better, making us more accustomed to it than ever. While online classes and distance learning might be the future of education, it’s not fit for everyone. The new normal has changed many things permanently. Although some of the changes were positive in the long run, the interaction and warmth an in-person class brings can never be replaced by an online classroom with no heart.