Digital teaching may become new norm but hurdles remain

Once schools and colleges reopen in the wake of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, the way teachers teach and students learn seems set for a fundamental

Once schools and colleges reopen in the wake of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, the way teachers teach and students learn seems set for a fundamental change, like so many other hallmarks of life as Indians have known them.

HT Image

Online lessons, for one thing, may be the new normal in a post-Covid-19 world in which the need to avoid close physical contact and practice social distancing will gain greater currency.

“The component of online learning is definitely going to increase vis-à-vis face-to-face classroom teaching,” said Pramod Kumar Jain, director of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Banaras Hindu University “ Another important {subject} on which norms will have to be established is social distancing on campus. These are the two immediate impacts of the Covid-19 crisis on education.”

The outbreak of Sars-Cov2, the virus that causes the coronavirus disease, has disrupted education across the country where schools and colleges were ordered to shut and cancel examinations. The disease and its aftermath have also led to delays in competitive admission tests such as the Joint Entrance Examination that qualifies students for entry into the Indian Institutes of Technology,.leaving the future of tens of thousands of students in uncertainty.

Most institutions are awaiting directions from the government to decide when to resume teaching although the higher education regulator, University Grants Commission (UGC), has given them a free hand in dealing with the situation depending on their needs

“The restrictions may be eased but till the time public transport does not open up, it will be difficult to have life back to normal in the campuses. However, there is a greater emphasis on online modes and every institute will have to develop its capacity {for teaching online ,” said a senior official at the human resource development (HRD) ministry, which oversees education, requesting anonymity.

Most schools have started online lessons during the lockdown, but deficient technology infrastructure and lack of experience loom as potential setbacks in educating and testing students on the Internet.The National Testing Agency, the Central Board of Secondary Education and state education boards aren’t prepared enough to administer a test that students can attempt sitting at home, policymakers said. To be sure, the availability of net connectivity and hardware at the students’ homes is another concern.

“This is an area where on which there can be more focus in the coming years. The UGC, which had not pushed for reforms like open book tests etc, has now allowed universities to adopt these options. This experience will have an immense bearing on the way we look at evaluation,” said the HRD ministry official cited above.

Students are, meanwhile, waiting anxiously for the dates of incomplete board examinations; the Delhi government says that conducting the exams is not feasible..

“Given the disruptions during the lockdown, educational institutions have lost time that was needed in completing the academic courses. While many institutions have adopted the use of online platforms, these have largely been taking the classroom in video conference mode. With teachers not able to view the receptivity of students through their body language and concentration levels, there is limited clarity on the effectiveness of learning,” said Anindya Mallick, partner, Deloitte India..

“Once institutions open for classroom teaching, it will be clear how much students have been able to learn..,” he said. Academic courses/ syllabi are designed with a standard timeline and level of learning/ content in mind.”’

Mallick added: “Truncating the course due to curtailment of an academic year is not an optimum learning option. The challenge, therefore, is how to complete the academic year’s course curriculum and ensuring the effectiveness of learning across all students in the class.”