It is difficult to predict the future. However, by observing the current trends, we can predict or at least assume the pattern ofthe things that are yet to come. One of the serious problemsrising up nowadays is uncertainty regarding the education system. Amid the outbreak and spread of the global pandemic COVID-19, education remains as one of the worst-hit sectors. With the schools and colleges being compelled to shut down and the examinations being terminated, the COVID-19 pandemic had an immense impact on lives and further deformed the cycle of formal education. The striking concern is “how will education be after the brutal blow of COVID-19 pandemic?
The Abrupt Shift: Rise of Virtual Era
Only six months ago a small number of the corporate industry was familiar with the virtual app Zoom. Today, within a brief span of 2 months after the lockdown in India, a large number of virtual apps have infiltrated into our lives through web-enabled devices like smartphones, tablets, laptops, and PC. While the school and colleges remain shut down, the mode of learning expense endlessly. Today, learners from all age groups starting from K-12 including the college and universities get to explore a wide range of subject-related content online.
Even though the manual mode of teaching and learning has been suspended for a while, the educational institutions and the teachers continually strive to provide quality learning through virtual classes. Zoom, in fact, has been one of the most used platforms for wrapping-up the pending syllabus. The pandemic and the imposed lockdown has altered the way of life. Right from a professional to entrepreneurs, students to parents, everyone has grown used to the use of virtual communication platforms.
Zoom, Google Meet, has infiltrated the global markets recently and has succeeded in establishing itself for a reasonable purpose in various sectors like the educational sector, corporate industry, health & wellness, and more others. Virtual communication apps have emerged as a boon amid the crisis, especially in the times of remote learning and remote working.
Albeit the sudden shift to the digital platform from a manual one, people throughout the globe including those that aren’t as much tech-savvy have discovered a plethora of advantages that existed by wasn’t explored or utilized.
Education after COVID-19
So, how will education be after Covid-19? As far as schools are concerned the following changes are expected.
#1. A rise in the use of digital platforms, online resources as well as the digital modes of instruction to be on vogue.Use of interactive digital boards and other digital devices in the class and progress towards technology-aided learning.
#2. During upheavals such as mass rally, strikes (bands) schools might shift to online teaching on that day instead of wasting an entire day by simply labeling it as an unconsenting holiday.
#3. A shift to online tests and evaluation – more and more schools would switch to online mode for class tests. As online evaluation is much easier and quicker this may become a popular trend.
The change is more likely to be anticipated in colleges. Students would be more inclined towards multiple short term online courses besides the undergraduate degree course. The lockdown has made people aware of the innumerable short course available online from the top institutes around the world. In an age of multi-tasking, the practice of relying heavily only on the stream you study in college is likely to be replaced by an inclination towards acquiring multiple skills.
The government today allows students even to enroll in two UG degree courses simultaneously with one in online mode. For example, a student pursuing BBA Course can also undertake another UG course online related to BBA. With a considerable change bound to occur worldwide, the priority of recruiting agencies would also change. The focus will be diverted from the degree to the actual skills that s/he has mastered.
Also, the tendency of students to travel far and wide to enroll in colleges for higher education may shrink. Students of a particular region of a country are likely to enroll in good colleges that are adjacent instead of re-locating hundreds of miles away.
Also Read: This is how Inspiria is keeping the desire to learn alive via online classes
In the initial months after the lockdown, schools and colleges will emphasize on physical distancing with greater stress on hygiene. This will reduce to someextent the freedom students enjoy in college and the fun and frolic of college life. However, this too will eventually get normal. Hopefully in the resumes to normal again, despite the changes this COVID-19 pandemic will bring.
