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| Learning in the internet age | | |
Vijay Garg
In the last decade, liberalization and the Internet revolution have been among the important global developments. Education has been one of the key areas to take advantage of this.
The participation of the Internet in the development of school and higher education cannot be overestimated. Although online education was at an early stage before COVID-19, the pandemic has seen it grow rapidly. If not for the digital sector, the academic world would have come to a standstill.
The Gain
Today, with the advent of video-sharing social media platforms, many activities related to education are streamed and news is viewed digitally for the benefit of students and teachers.
Government and private bodies alike have started to develop appropriate dashboards, learning managing systems (LMS) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, thus creating availability and accessibility of data in a dynamic manner.
Students, in particular, have taken advantage of Internet-enhanced learning. Wherever possible virtual practical classes are organized and young entrepreneurs are creating engaging and innovative virtual practical courses to complement the theoretical knowledge.
With online submission and publishing of research papers, researcher-friendly apps, online conferences and webinars, allowing experts from different fields to share their knowledge without being limited by geography, research has gained an impetus. .
E-learning has helped people to learn anywhere, anytime. Those who wanted to upskill or reskill themselves have also benefited. Completing online courses has enabled many people to upgrade their qualifications and move up the corporate ladder.
Flip Side
However, there have also been some problem areas. Often both teachers and students take online classes very casually. Punctuality and formality have borne the brunt. It is not uncommon for students to register attendance and then disappear from class. Despite remote proctoring being available, verifying the veracity of assignments and project work has been a daunting task, as was dealing with malpractices during examinations. So many institutes are returning to the offline exam to conduct the final exam.
Apart from using the Internet for productive purposes, students also use it for entertainment purposes and for sharing things. However, if they are not aware of the security measures, it can lead to many problems. Scamsters lurk online to get inattentive people into trouble. Phishing, cyberbullying, fake news, exposure to inappropriate content, and scams are all issues that students need to be made aware of, especially now that they are spending more time online.
While preparing for the exam, students should be advised to turn off notifications or stay away from social media so that they can concentrate. Teachers and parents can set time limits on device use to prevent addiction.
Another shortcoming of e-learning is the lack of individual attention to the issues of the learners. Lack of connectivity and access to equipment among the economically weaker sections. And there is a need to address the inadequate exposure to digital tools, both among students and teachers. Apart from teacher training, continuous feedback from students is important for quality assurance.
Future
With both teacher and student familiar with the online mode, it is now possible to take advantage of the learnings from the past few years. Including lectures by global experts, conducting conferences/webinars and oral speeches, administrative and other meetings can now be done online, unless physical presence is absolutely necessary.
The government is also promoting and promoting online, open and distance learning modes, supported by the introduction of MOOCs, cloud-based learning and flipped classrooms. Visual learning is now enabling short video lessons that will keep students engaged, such as virtual field trips and walkthroughs.
However, there is a need for high speed and continuous internet services especially in rural areas. This will ensure that the youth of those areas are not left behind in the process. Ensuring digital equity for all is critical to the progress of the country and providing education for all, at any time, any place and at any pace. |
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