How e-learning and MOOCs would be the future of education

17 / 03 / 2021

By India Today - -

As new semesters of the pandemic school year begin, where do the authorities concerned and the schools stand on in-school learning while keeping people protected?

That’s been a recurring question ever since the coronavirus-induced pandemic first shut down schools, profoundly altering our lives. In a matter of weeks, the education sector essentially ground to a halt. Prevention and containment strategies pursued by the government witnessed people shifting to remote learning, hence embracing the new normal. Students have been forced to attend classes virtually.

After more than nine months of ‘Studying from Home’ (SFH), the government is looking to normalise the return to conventional classrooms. Classes got started with full sessions for Class 10, Class 12, and the colleges, and this got an encouraging response from the students.

The transformation forced upon the institutions was quick and nearly warp-speed. The digitalisation that was expected to happen over the next five years or more was forced upon nearly overnight as the schools and colleges were forced to introduce online classes. The teachers, even those who claimed to be digitally challenged faced the daunting task of upskilling themselves for the new normal.

Educational institutes used innovative tools to engage students and ensure learning continuity.

The mobile technology was exploited to the hilt. The children who did not have laptops and computers used mobile phones to attend their classes. The teachers had to learn to get used to speaking before a camera and managing a class of students who attended class remotely from their homes.

Armed with the new technologies, the teachers were also able to test and assess students in real-time and know the effectiveness of their classes. But these good times were not to last as it had a few inherent deficiencies.

Digital fatigue

Online communication tools have transformed the way we learn. While it helped us seamlessly transition into remote learning and ensure learning continuity, an increased number of online classes in causing digital fatigue among students and the teaching fraternity. After the students were bundled off to their homes, and in front of their laptops and PCs, the students had been deprived of personal interactions or opportunities of socialising with their friends and classmates.

The hours of classes in front of a computer can be very tiring due to the way the human brain works when trying to perceive another person’s facial expressions which makes communication more effective.

The closure of the schools and colleges for long durations had become counterproductive and the government and some parents have also begun clamouring for children to attend schools and colleges. It is safe to say that Covid has brought digital overload, not just fatigue.

E-learning and MOOCs

While the classes shifted online, e-learning caught on very rapidly. Dozens of firms joined the e-learning fray. According to Crunchbase, there are 598 companies in the space in India, and they have combinedly raised USD 3.1 billion across various rounds. These entities have caught the fancy of the learners with their slick presentations and interactive classes promising to add to the students’ knowledge beyond what’s taught in the classrooms.

This is a bandwagon that many have taken to with gusto. While many of them will fall by the wayside as the models can prove quite capital intensive and requires a lot of investment, e-learning is here to stay. It will no more be the monopoly of the corporates who used it for their training.

According to data from the paper Online Education Market in India 2020-24, the online education market in India is set to grow by USD 14.33 billion during the period 2020-2024, growing at a CAGR of 21% during the forecast period.

The challenge

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disrupted the traditional structure of the education system, forcing students all over the world to shift to a virtual model of schooling. While the transition has been seamless for privileged students, the same can’t be said about students deprived of access to Internet services and electronic devices, leading to a digital divide in education in the country.

Numerous districts, towns, and villages lack the required infrastructure to teach their students digitally. This threatens to leave hundreds of thousands of children behind.

Very few states have proactively been helping all students to benefit from online classes by even using TV as a medium for children to learn. To ensure all children have a fair shot at the future, perhaps the schools need to open in a staggered way. It’s time for children and parents to cheer as safety measures gain momentum!