Since the COVID-19 pandemic, countries worldwide have been forced to implement an online system to continue education. As the pandemic was an uncertain period whereby no one could convincingly state when it would be safe for people to physically interact with one another, public and private educational institutes resorted to virtual learning environments. This led students to adapt to “a new normal” in which they ultimately learnt in front of an electronic screen in the comfort of their homes. While in 2023, universities and schools returned to traditional in-person lectures, online education has not entirely been eliminated. Online education opened up distance education, allowing anyone to access quality education through free, open-source platforms. This blog will explain how online education continues to dominate in the post-COVID world and how it has affected traditional institutes.
How Has Online Education Progressed Post-COVID?
While online education has continued in certain respects, it has also progressed differently. For instance, the integration of smart classrooms, increased education access to a broader global audience, and the flexibility to learn at a person’s convenience and pace have resulted in the public consensus agreeing to accommodate distance education even after the pandemic. Here are five ways how online education has progressed and how it has affected traditional classrooms.
Increased Incorporation of Smart Boards in Traditional Classrooms
In an online setting, lectures are either conducted on a videoconferencing platform or through a learning management system (LMS). For almost two years, educational institutes had to be more mindful of the time a lesson was conducted, as most people have a lower attention span in a virtual environment. It also pushed lecturers to be more creative and improve their teaching methods. In this respect, it is often reported that a lesson lacking visuals results in an unengaging or boring classroom. Note, however, this is not the same for all disciplines. Especially on an undergraduate or graduate level, where a typical lecture is prone to be more discussion based, a virtual environmental setting would not drastically disrupt learning patterns.
As visuals have been recognised as an essential factor, post-covid, governments around the world have invested in smart boards. Hence, statistically, the incorporation of smart boards has improved at a rapid pace. This allows resource persons to use engaging content from the internet, such as video or images and share it on screen for the students. This instils a collaborative learning experience between the teacher and student. Furthermore, one of the main advantages of having a smart board is that it stores all classroom materials accessible to selected personnel. Hence, materials can easily be accessed from a remote location.
Increasing Part-Time Education Opportunites
In a professional context, the education a person receives in their degree, for instance, may not always be relevant. Alternatively, some may have never gotten the opportunity to pursue higher education before joining a workplace. Platforms like Udemy and Coursera, and recently, LinkedIn, offer multiple industry-specific courses that are more helpful for professionals. This allows those engaged in full-time work to stay up-to-date on industry trends and learn over time.
While you can access such content purely because you are interested in learning the content, most platforms also provide a certificate that can be added or featured on your LinkedIn page. People can now simply watch or listen to a recorded lecture and complete any tasks if required at their own pace. Instead of attending or watching a recording because it is mandatory, such courses allow you to start learning whenever you have the right head space. The great thing about this is also how professionals can access courses in another country at any time from anywhere. Universities tend to add a few courses with standardised materials on such platforms, offering people the chance to gain a university-accredited certificate if the course is completed and a specific fee is made. A similar education system is generally offered in training centres.
Increasing Access to Quality Education
When a person is interested in a specific topic, the most common thing they will do is read about it. Consider that you want to learn the subject properly, but it differs entirely from your academic or specialised background. Trying to figure out where you should start then becomes a problem. This is the beauty of having multiple courses available on the internet. You do not have to meet any entry requirements to do a course. Simply choose the subject you wish to learn and receive a standardised understanding in a short period.
Most courses are broken down into short videos of 20 minutes in simple language and may only extend to a week or sometimes more. You are in control of the level of knowledge you require. Websites generally categorise courses according to beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, providing access to quality education at whatever stage necessary. Although it will take some time to gain a proper answer, you can rest assured that a course conducted by a professor or lecturer would reply to such enquiries. Another key advantage cited is that you are not stuck with one resource person. With the multiple options provided, choose a course with a resource person that makes the most sense to you.
Allows Students To Keep Track of Their Own Progress
Traditionally, students are expected to remember all deadlines for their assignments. They are also left to find inspiration to study for their end-of-year examinations. With online education, however, LMS became popular in schools and universities. This has helped make a student’s life easier. For instance, if an assignment is due, there would generally be a submission folder open. Once this is done, you will typically receive reminders in your email when a deadline is approaching. An LMS would moreover have a calendar noting when your scheduled lectures are, offering an overview of everything relevant to your academics.
Educational institutes that want to get creative can make the LMS more fun to encourage students to prepare for examinations in advance. For example, having a leadership board may encourage students to finish their tasks early. Every time a specific chapter or activity is completed, you could earn a badge that acts as a form of acknowledgement for your effort. This also means that students can keep track of their own progress for the first time. Since submissions are made within the same portal, it also allows students access to their marks and feedback much faster than a traditional classroom would have provided. This helps teachers to monitor and provide individual attention to each student.
Adoption of AR/VR Technologies
Augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) provide immersive environments to learn and interact with others. This is the next best thing to the lack of physical interaction a completely online system provides. This has been a trending tool that educational institutes have used in the post-COVID world, particularly for medical students. Students doing medicine can gain a better understanding of certain diseases, and those engaged in their internships which are part of their academic program can gain valuable skills using VR technology. It has also played a key role for students with learning difficulties, such as autism or physical impairments.
In VR, students can immerse themselves in a 3D environment entirely different from their real surroundings. AR, on the other hand, showcases texts, images and related materials in the user’s existing surroundings. This particular trend has influenced museums and cultural hotspots in the world to offer virtual tours to their guests. For example, Google Expeditions offers over 900 VR tours, including a tour that takes you to each of the world’s seven wonders. It additionally provides 100 AR tours that centre on topics of key scholars and individuals in each field, such as Shakespeare, Picasso and others.
Growing Trends of Online Education Depends on the Student’s Age
The trends of online education require the integration of technology in a traditional institute. Whether it is through incorporating smart boards or merely introducing a user-friendly LMS system, it all comes down to a certain level of digital transitioning. It is commonsensical knowledge, however, that this is not a system suitable for all age groups. In many surveys, parents of k-12 students were the least satisfied with the education system during the pandemic. Scientifically, it is not advised to increase screen time among young children. Hence, the traditional classroom becomes relevant primarily for this age group. As children learn educational content and build emotional and social intelligence, face-to-face learning becomes important.
Is Online Education Much Better Than Traditional Forms of Education for Other Age Groups?
Many people have a different answer to this question. While some people consider online to be more convenient, students often complain that online could make education quite monotonous. The lack of physical and social interaction with their peers and the inability to clarify questions and doubts instantly are reasons cited to support the latter view. The need for a strong internet connection and an electronic device such as a mobile phone or laptop removes the notion that online education is available for all. As a person’s access to education then relies on technology and their data connection, the lack of signal in rural areas, for instance, hinders such opportunities from being created.
According to the type of person you are, you may or may not prefer online education to be the most ideal. However, all this suggests is that online education cannot be eliminated. There are many benefits online education has provided. It has opened doors for many people to access quality education and has encouraged students to have a more self-aware learning experience. Traditional institutes that fail to adapt and infuse the above trends may feel left behind in the educational world. Are you ready to equip the future generation with quality education?