The impact of covid 19 pandemic on teaching and learning
The Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on teaching and Learning
Introduction
The
global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has spread worldwide, affecting almost
all countries and territories. The outbreak was first identified in December
2019 in Wuhan, China. The countries around the world cautioned the public to
take responsive care. The public care strategies have included handwashing,
wearing face masks, physical distancing, and avoiding mass gathering and
assemblies. Lockdown and staying home strategies have been put in place as the
needed action to flatten the curve and control the transmission of the disease.
Bhutan
first declared closing of schools and institutions and reduction of business
hours during the second week of March 2020. The complete nationwide lockdown
was implemented from 1 August 2020. In between, movements were allowed, offices
began functioning, schools and college reopened for selected levels and
continued with online class for others. More than 170,000 children in Bhutan
from classes PP–XII are, today, affected by the school closure. The impact is
far reaching and has affected learning during this academic year or even more
in the coming days. Several schools, colleges and universities have
discontinued face-to-face teaching. There is a pressing need to innovate and
implement alternative educational and assessment strategies. The COVID-19 pandemic
has provided us with an opportunity to pave the way for introducing digital
learning.
Research
highlights certain dearth such as the weakness of online teaching
infrastructure, the limited exposure of teachers to online teaching, the
information gap, non-conducive environment for learning at home, equity and
academic excellence in terms of higher education. This article evaluates the
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teaching and learning process across the
world. The challenges and opportunities of online and continuing education
during the COVID-19 pandemic is summarized and way forward suggested.
Pedagogy for Continuing
Education Through Online
Lockdown and social distancing
measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to closures of schools, training
institutes and higher education facilities in most countries. There is a
paradigm shift in the way educators deliver quality education—through various
online platforms. The online learning, distance and continuing education have
become a panacea for this unprecedented global pandemic, despite the challenges
posed to both educators and the learners. Transitioning from traditional
face-to-face learning to online learning can be an entirely different
experience for the learners and the educators, which they must adapt to with
little or no other alternatives available. The education system and the
educators have adopted “Education in Emergency” through various online
platforms and are compelled to adopt a system that they are not prepared for.
E-learning tools have played a
crucial role during this pandemic, helping schools and universities facilitate
student learning during the closure of universities and schools .While adapting
to the new changes, staff and student readiness needs to be gauged and
supported accordingly. The learners with a fixed mind set find it difficult to
adapt and adjust, whereas the learners with a growth mind set quickly adapt to
a new learning environment. There is no one-size-fits-all pedagogy for online
learning. There are a variety of subjects with varying needs. Different
subjects and age groups require different approaches to online learning. Online
learning also allows physically challenged students with more freedom to
participate in learning in the virtual environment, requiring limited movement.
As schools have been closed to cope
with the global pandemic, students, parents and educators around the globe have
felt the unexpected ripple effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. While governments,
frontline workers and health officials are doing their best slowing down the
outbreak, education systems are trying to continue imparting quality education
for all during these difficult times. Many students at home/living space have
undergone psychological and emotional distress and have been unable to engage productively.
The best practices for online homeschooling are yet to be explored.
The use of suitable and relevant
pedagogy for online education may depend on the expertise and exposure to
information and communications technology (ICT) for both educators and the
learners. Some of the online platforms used so far include unified communication
and collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, Canvas
and Blackboard, which allow the teachers to create educational courses,
training and skill development programmes. They include options of workplace
chat, video meeting and file storage that keep classes organized and easy to
work. They usually support the sharing of a variety of content like Word, PDF,
Excel file, audio, videos and many more. These also allow the tracking of
student learning and assessment by using quizzes and the rubric-based
assessment of submitted assignments.
The flipped classroom is a simple
strategy for providing learning resources such as articles, pre-recorded videos
and YouTube links before the class. The online classroom time is then used to
deepen understanding through discussion with faculty and peers. This is a very
effective way of encouraging skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking
and self-directed learning. The virtual classroom platforms like
videoconferencing (Google Hangouts Meet, Zoom, Slack, Cisco, Web Ex) and
customizable cloud-based learning management platforms such as Elias, Moodle,
Big Blue Button and Skype are increasingly being used.
Challenges in Teaching
and Learning
With the availability of a sea of
platforms and online educational tools, the users—both educators and
learners—face frequent hiccups while using it or referring to these tools. Some
of the challenges identified and highlighted by many researchers are summarized
as follows:
Broadly identified challenges with
e-learning are accessibility, affordability, flexibility, learning pedagogy,
life-long learning and educational policy. Many countries have substantial
issues with a reliable Internet connection and access to digital devices.
While, in many developing countries, the economically backward children are
unable to afford online learning devices, the online education poses a risk of
exposure to increased screen time for the learner. Therefore, it has become
essential for students to engage in offline activities and self-exploratory
learning. Lack of parental guidance, especially for young learners, is another
challenge, as both parents are working. There are practical issues around
physical workspaces conducive to different ways of learning.
The innately motivated learners are
relatively unaffected in their learning as they need minimum supervision and
guidance, while the vulnerable group consisting of students who are weak in
learning face difficulties. Some academically competent learners from
economically disadvantaged background are unable to access and afford online
learning.
The level of academic performance of
the students is likely to drop for the classes held for both year-end
examination and internal examination due to reduced contact hour for learners
and lack of consultation with teachers when facing difficulties in learning/understanding.
Student assessments are carried out
online, with a lot of trial and error, uncertainty and confusion among the
teachers, students and parents. The approach adopted to conduct online
examination varies as per the convenience and expertise among the educators and
the compatibility of the learners. Appropriate measures to check plagiarism is
yet to be put in place in many schools and institutions mainly due to the large
number of student population. The lockdown of schools and colleges has not only
affected internal assessments and examinations for the main public
qualifications like General Certificate of Secondary Educations (GCSE), but A
levels have also been cancelled for the entire cohort in the UK. Depending on
the duration of the lockdown, postponement or cancellation of the entire
examination assessment might be a grim possibility (United Nations, 2020).
Various state-level board exams, recruitment exams, university-level exams and
entrance exams have been postponed across India due to the COVID-19 outbreak
and national lockdown. Various entrance examinations (such as BITSAT 2020, NATA
2020, CLAT 2020, MAT 2020, ATMA 2020) have also been postponed/rescheduled. The
education system in schools, colleges and universities across the country has
been severely impacted due to the on going situation.
It is also possible that some
students’ careers might benefit from the interruptions. For example, in Norway,
it has been decided that all 10th grade students will be awarded a high-school
degree. A study carried out in France shows that the 1968 abandoning of the
normal examination procedures in France, following the student riots, led to
positive long-term labour market consequences for the affected cohort (Maurin
& McNally, 2008).
School time also raises social skills
and awareness besides being fun for the children. There are economic, social
and psychological repercussions on the life of students while they are away
from the normal schedule of schools. Many of these students have now taken
online classes, spending additional time on virtual platforms, which have left
children vulnerable to online exploitation. Increased and unstructured time
spent on online learning has exposed children to potentially harmful and
violent content as well as greater risk of cyber bullying. School closures and
strict containment measures mean more families have been relying on technology
and digital solutions to keep children engaged in learning, entertained and
connected to the outside world, but not all children have the necessary
knowledge, skills and resources to keep themselves safe online.
In the case of online learning in
Bhutan, majority of the learners are from rural villages where parents are
mostly illiterate farmers. Students are engaged in assisting parents in farm
activities such as agriculture, tending to cattle and household chores. Some
students even requested to postpone exam time towards the afternoon since they
had to work on the fields during morning hours.
Some students expressed that they had
to attend to their ailing parents/grandparents/family members and take them to
hospitals. By evening, when they are back home, it becomes difficult for them
to keep abreast with the lessons. Parents whose children are in lower grades
feel that it would be better to let the children repeat the next academic year.
Majority of students do not have access to smartphones or TV at home in
addition to poor Internet connectivity. There is no or less income for huge
population due to closure of business and offices. The data package (costs) is
comparatively high against average income earned, and continuous access to
Internet is a costly business for the farming community. Online face-to-face
classes (video) is encouraged by most; however, some students (economically
disadvantaged) have expressed that the face-to-face online class consumes more
data packages. The teachers are in dilemma as to whom to listen to and which
tools to adopt. Some think pre-recorded videos could help; however, this would
restrict interactions. It is difficult to design a proper system to fit the
learning needs and convenience of all students.
Opportunities for
Teaching and Learning
Although there have been overwhelming
challenges for educators, schools, institutes and the government regarding
online education from a different angle, there are several opportunities
created by the COVID-19 pandemic for the unprepared and the distant plans of
implementing e- learning system.
It has forged a strong connection
between teachers and parents than ever before. The homeschooling requires
parents to support the students’ learning academically and economically.
Children with disabilities need additional and special support during this
ongoing emergency.
The use of online platforms such as
Google Classroom, Zoom, virtual learning environment and social media and
various group forums like Telegram, Messenger, WhatsApp and We Chat are
explored and tried for teaching and learning for the first time ever to
continue education. This can be explored further even after face-to-face
teaching resumes, and these platforms can provide additional resources and
coaching to the learners.
Teachers are obliged to develop
creative initiatives that assist to overcome the limitations of virtual
teaching. Teachers are actively collaborating with one another at a local level
to improve online teaching methods. There are incomparable opportunities for
cooperation, creative solutions and willingness to learn from others and try
new tools as educators, parents and students share similar experiences. Many
educational organizations are offering their tools and solutions for free to
help and support teaching and learning in a more interactive and engaging
environment. Online learning has provided the opportunity to teach and learn in
innovative ways unlike the teaching and learning experiences in the normal
classroom setting.
There are varieties of online
infrastructure that have been prepared by many educational firms and made free
for learning during this pandemic. The affordability and accessibility to these
online infrastructures for all the learners of varied economic backgrounds are
still a challenge.
Students with special needs having
learning difficulties, such as hearing impairment, visual impairment and
mobility disabilities, require additional training with support and guidance.
Many caregivers and parents at home are not able to cater to such needs,
hindering the learning of this group of learners. Therefore, there is a need
for investing time and resources to explore and research the best alternatives
for the special educational needs (SEN) of these learners.
As all students’ assignments and
examinations are carried out from home, it is challenging for educators to find
the authenticity of the work and the actual learning taking place. Moreover,
many parents guide and support their children during their learning process,
and the extent and degree of support varies greatly. Grading of students is
another area of study as no proper criteria are developed and effectively used.
Impact of COVID-19 on
Higher Education:
The shutdown of universities has also affected
the student’s learning in universities. In order to ensure the continuity in
institutes and universities,
one immediate measure
is essential. To
conduct the class smoothly, online
teaching methodology is
adopted. Learning management software
and open-source digital learning solutions are adopted by the
universities to run online classes.
Higher education is a critical determinant of the economic future of the country and higher
education sector has significantly affected by the pandemic as well.Many
students from India enroll in universities abroad. Due to the global closure of
the institutes and universities, it is expected that it will reduce the demand
for the international higher education.
The main concern which is coming in the mind of everyone is the effect
of the pandemic on the rate of employment. Because of the current situation,
graduates who have recently completed their graduation arefearing from the
withdrawal of job offers from corporate. Teaching methodology in institutes and
universities has also transformed due to the lockdown in India. It has been
replaced the old chalk-talk model with
the new technology. E-learning
solutions are making teaching and
learning possible in this situation
but engagement is a big problem attached with the
e-learning. The policy makers are trying to solve the problem of
engagement of students and tackling the digital
divide.In order to manage the
crisis in Indian education section,
a multi-pronged strategy is necessary in the long term. An effective education and well
rounded practices are needed in
India to build the capacity of young
minds in this time of crisis. To ensure the overall progress in India,
It will drive employability, well-being, health and productivity through
the development of skills.
Conclusion
The study on the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic on teaching and learning across the world concludes that
although various studies have been carried out, in the case of developing
countries, suitable pedagogy and platform for different class levels of higher
secondary, middle and primary education need to be explored further.
Internet bandwidth is relatively low
with lesser access points, and data packages are costly in comparison to the
income of the people in many developing countries, thus making accessibility
and affordability inadequate. Policy-level intervention is required to improve
this situation. Further exploration and investigation on effective pedagogy for
online teaching and learning is an area for research. Need for developing tools
for authentic assessments and timely feedback is found to be another area of study.
The affordability and accessibility for all the learners of varied economic
background is identified as a challenge, for which the educational tools
developer could focus on customization. The policy level intervention is also
vital. Education system across the world including Bhutan needs to invest on
the professional development of teachers, especially on ICT and effective
pedagogy, considering the present scenario. Making online teaching creative,
innovative and interactive through user-friendly tools is the other area of
research and development. This would assist and prepare the education system
for such uncertainties in the future.
The lesson learnt from the COVID-19
pandemic is that teachers and students/learners should be oriented on use of
different online educational tools. After the COVID-19 pandemic when the normal
classes resume, teachers and learners should be encouraged to continue using
such online tools to enhance teaching and learning.
REFERENCE
Ø Pokhrel-chhetri-2021-a-literature-review-on-impact-of-covid-19-pandemic.
Ø https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19
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