Technology led Transformational changes in education..
Covid -19 has brought about the most visible impact on education as compared to other aspects of life. The shift to online mode has happened almost overnight. Lectures and classes shifted to online platforms unmindful of challenges posed to students and teachers. Examinations were postponed. Education apps which were at the fringe prospered with their adoption and usage amplifying online education. The apps now became mainstay. Many universities, colleges and schools are planning to continue with a blend of online and human assisted learning. So, will remote learning become the norm? What are the challenges and the upsides?
My view is that for postgraduate and professional courses or coaching classes it will be easier to move online as the students are self-motivated and content is critical. At the undergraduate or school levels the shift will be moderate. At the higher level the courses will become more modular, even the recent NEP stressed on the need of flexibility in the courses (read modular with multiple entry and exit).
It seems clear that more technology will be integrated into the teaching and learning online courses. Colleges providing teaching material, demonstrations through interactive videos and animations, asking for initial responses through discussion board sand online groups could become the norm. Online courses allow the learner to move at her/his own pace through recorded lectures. It can motivate students to learn without peer pressure or embarrassment. The quality of education can improve greatly with access to quality online lectures as access to other professors, academicians becomes possible. Thus, at places where offline education was sub-par can benefit greatly.
But access to online education is available to a fraction of Indian students. The latest NSSO reports suggest that ownership of computers and smart phones is at a low 27% with wide variance amongst Urban and Rural population, Rural ownership goes down to as low as 4–5%. The socio-economic considerations are crucial whenever we talk about technology and its impact in the Indian context. Rural, Urban, Tribal and non-tribal will have a bearing. Hence while moving online consideration of upgrading tech infra whether it’s Bharat net or e-governance framework, this aspect will need more than ‘priority status’ to make this work.
Digital has clear uses but perhaps cannot wholly substitute for classroom experience. There is a wide consensus apart from a body of research, that peer to peer learning is one critical component wherein a large amount of learning happens from colleagues and teachers, this perhaps cannot be replicated. Universities and Colleges know that a large part of their degrees’ worth comes from networking with peers and mentors. Upgrading the teacher skills and filling of vacancies is another area which needs action on a war footing. We have an estimated 1Mn vacancies of teachers in the primary and secondary schools as per the data released by the ministry of HRD (Education). The change in technology will need adaptation by students and teachers alike…