The concept of online learning is nothing new and certain sects were already using it but the real test of online learning and conducting classes virtually came after the 25th of March, 2020 when a nationwide lockdown was initiated due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The lockdown was initiated with a strict social distancing policy and as a result, schools, colleges, and offices were shut. To keep the work going, work from home and online lectures gained a lot of traction in the time of the pandemic.
It’s not only schools but various other sectors also took to the virtual medium to get the ball rolling! Yoga classes, workshops, music lessons, get-togethers, and many others happened online via Skype, Google Meet, Zoom, etc.
With the sudden shift away from the classrooms and the usual social gathering, many have begun to wonder whether the adoption of online platforms will continue to persist the post-pandemic and how this shift would impact the worldwide market.
Looking at the estimates, many have already warmed up to “the new normal”. It is more comfortable, time-saving, and the reach is impeccable! If we need to address something to a class of say 100 students, they are only a zoom meeting away.
While there are certain reserved opinions against the sudden, unplanned move to online learning with poor bandwidth, no training, and little preparation might lead to a poor user experience that is not at all suitable for sustained growth. However, many believe that through this new method of education, a new model will emerge which will reflect significant benefits that will come along with it. But there’s no denying that the online method is the easiest method of teaching. Teachers can engage their students located anywhere in the world, take votes & counts, circulate study materials and documents with ease. Although, traditional learning cannot be ignored and can go hand-in-hand with e-learning.
There is no doubt that the pandemic has disrupted the traditional method of education and many are switching towards the new online method so we can assert that the new model of online classrooms will ensure that every student is provided with proper equipment to get access to online meetings and classrooms.
Tips for online teaching
Though there are challenges here are some tips for the teachers and schools so that they can conduct these online classes with ease.
- Have a good internet connection: The first and the most important step to conduct an online class is to have an internet connection. Ensure you have enough bandwidth for smoother functioning.
- Ensure online privacy and safety: Many zoom sessions often get intervened or disrupted because of unwanted guests entering the meeting. Ensure that only necessary participants are given access to the same.
- Hosting rights: Hosting a meeting alone can get tedious. Delegate a certain amount of work to your trusted student who would look after allowing participants into the chat, spotlighting, sharing of screens, etc.
- Raise hand feature: Online classrooms, though organized can get chaotic if not used properly. It may get difficult to keep a tab on your students when you ask them a question. So ask them to use this feature so that things get easier to moderate.
- Send out meeting links on time: Like how you used to reach your offline class in time, ensure that you send out meeting links to your students beforehand so that you don’t waste a lot of time waiting for your students to join.
