Online classes have become the new norm and even after the pandemic recedes, students would not be willing to step out and gather in schools, says Ashutosh Kumar

The way year 2020 has panned out so far, paradigm shifts and persistent fear of the unknown have become a way of life. Even as nations emerge from the forced lockdowns, one point that it leaves us all with is the fact that the virus is here to stay.

While the student community somewhat rejoiced the announcement of the first lockdown, the happiness was short lived when parents and students alike were forced to mull over one vital question. How do you cope with the syllabi in a curtailed academic year and more importantly, will online teaching be beneficial in the long run? The fear of losing a year which would adversely impact careers was a nightmarish thought.

Over the last three months, online teaching and classes have become a new normal and even after the pandemic assuages, students would not be willing to step out and gather in schools, colleges or institutes for a long time. Such conditions would encourage students and parents to continue with online learning resources.

Parents are at ease with online learning because monitoring the progress of their ward is possible on a firsthand basis. Home tutoring and schooling has been a way of life in some western countries for a long time. Classroom teaching was being questioned for a long time here too. The main issue cited was students not being able to cope with the pace. With online teaching, the students are finding it easy to be able to understand and obtain adequate subject knowledge. Opting for online teaching will soon become a preferred choice for parents and teachers alike.

A major advantage of online classes is that students are able to learn sitting in the comforts of their homes from their smartphones, tablets, laptops or desktops without the fear of being exposed to the virus. Another major advantage is the load of the school bag gets transferred onto the gadgets thereby bringing down the physical exertion of the students.

The probability of online learning becoming full time has increased manifolds due to its effectiveness as a mode of learning and capability to provide better learning experience than the traditional modes of teaching. Students now have access to a number of teachers not limited to their school for guidance, while also getting information easily and on-demand and getting data-based recommendations. Up-skilling their current academic staff and equipping them with the right skills to create and deliver top quality digital content while ensuring maximum engagement is yet another prerequisite for transitioning the e-learning space. An effective way to do this would be through teacher training programmes that would help teachers create digital content with modern teaching methodologies, teach online and overcome the shyness of facing a camera. The education system is set to see a revolution, students have identified the high points of online learning and they would not be reluctant in learning online full time.

The writer is CEO & Co-Founder, Testbook.com