Introduction
The word ‘education’ was traditionally referred as chalk and talk bricks & mortar classroom model that delivers face-to-face courses. This old-fashioned education system subjugated by rote-learning over hundred years has over the past decade migrated to fit one for the digital age. The Internet has made it possible to acquire learning from home which is particularly suitable for students who for one reason or another cannot opt for the traditional classroom activities. Incidentally, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on 11 March 2020 declared the December 2019 outbreak of the coronavirus which started in Wuhan, China as a global pandemic. (WHO,2020) To reduce the proliferation of the plague, most governments around the world provisionally closed education and training institutions. As a measure of last recourse, many countries adopted online teaching as an emergency response a means to mitigate the lost time in classrooms and workshops, thereby causing an accelerated shift to online education. However, this change in paradigm brings in the question as to how effective is online learning and can it replace the traditional face to face learning in meeting the Education 2030 SDG4 whose aim is to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” by 2030. (UN, n.d.)
Online learning
According to the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) (2000), a pioneer in online learning, there are many approaches to defining online learning. Briefly, it can be said that it entails a separation of teacher and learner in time or place, or in both time and place by using synchronous or asynchronous communication. (COL, 2000). Many tertiary institutions made the shift towards blended learning, a mixture of online learning coupled with some face to face contact sessions with a view to extend training to a maximum number of students, most particularly, employees who wanted to upskill or reskill themselves without having to leave their jobs. In response to substantial demand, many learning platforms have emerged including Coursera, Udacity, edX and Udemy which provide distance learning to an unlimited number of participants.
As mentioned earlier, the COVID pandemic brought an “unprecedented situation has affected all learning at all levels. Basic and secondary education, initial and continuing training and work-based learning have all come to a stop” (International Labour Organization (ILO), 2020). ILO (2020) noted as cited by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2020) “as of April 14, 2020, nearly 1.6 billion or 91.3% of school students have been affected by system closures in 188 countries”. The whole world of education had no other alternatives but to turn to online learning.
Advantages of online learning
The core premise of Education 2030 is to go beyond basic education and initiate a comprehensive rethink of the education sector to build a lifelong learning society. (World Education Forum, 2015). Online learning easily and instantly reaches a huge number of learners or the totality of it as compared to face-to-face training. There is also efficacy in relation to learners as they are empowered to choose their personalized learning journey. They have greater flexibility in accessing learning resources and learning support from anywhere and at any time as long as deadlines are being met. Online education improves access to education and inclusion as geographical location is no longer a barrier to disenfranchised students, owing they have access to high-speed broadband or digital devices. Besides, students can progress at their own pace within certain parameters and at their own time.
The advantages of using state-of-the-art online learning platforms are many and include, inter alia a course collection which is curated in an ongoing basis to replace outdated content whilst taking into consideration student/learner feedback, a videos library to personalize learning experience, a platform that supports question & answer discussion between the learner and instructor. The videos include exercise files and quizzes, when appropriate, to allow users to put into practice what they learned.
The many problems usually encountered by students, such as the need to wake up early to travel to their schools, at times long distances wasting time on the road in public transports with their resulting carbon dioxide pollution, tend to be reduced giving a new breath to our environment.
My own case is a typical example, given my professional commitments it would have been very difficult to attend a full-time master’s degree course. UNICAF MBA online program has given me the opportunity to learn while keeping my job. Besides, I do not have to incur accommodation and traveling expenses which are major costs when studying abroad.
Disadvantages of online learning
However, whilst the shift to online learning seems to be the new commonly accepted mode of schooling, very few education systems, if any of them, were prepared to deliver educational instructions at scale and quickly in this way to all students. (World Bank, 2020) This new mode of teaching learning warrants certain prerequisites which were not there. Institutions lacked the digital infrastructure and learning resources, the institutional capacity and resources to transition to learning online. (ILO, 2020) Decision makers were confronted with various challenges which include, inter-alia, teacher preparation, the development of new tools and digital platforms and providing curriculum-relevant digital learning content and assessment tools and supportive administration systems which can in turn support the new learning environment. (ILO, 2020) The extract below from ILO (2020) as cited by World Bank (2020) and Solidar (2020) highlights some of the constraints in adopting online education system.
A recent survey by the World Bank in Central Asia found that 70% of the countries had minimal distance learning capabilities, with no country having universal online curriculum-linked resources for teaching and learning. (World Bank 2020). Even European education systems are underprepared for digitalisation, with 40% of EU citizens lacking basic digital skills and less than 40% of teachers and trainers receiving training on educational technologies during their Initial Teacher Education (ITE). (Solidar 2020). In addition, online education sparks significant equity concerns as we are talking of digital access for all, i.e., to ensure all children and youth have access to internet at home and quality education. “If students are required to provide their own computer and internet connection to participate in an online course, you are potentially denying them equal access to that program if there are no provisions in place to assist students who cannot provide their own device and connection.”(Raymond, n.d.) Sustained financing for online education requires a colossal education expenditure annually. This risks to exacerbate the digital divide and widen inequalities, especially as low and middle-income countries cannot afford to invest on large scale on tools and learning technologies and concurrently, keep abreast with rapidly changing technologies.
According to OECD (2020), “simply replacing the schooling hours by online lectures and discussions is likely to have a toll on students’ health.” On the other hand, the Edge Foundation research shows that young people are “at greater risk of harm” particularly those living in abusive families, temporary accommodation or who have serious mental health issues as they are cut off from their normal safe teaching and learning environment. Students with poor language proficiencies or with disabilities and other special education needs might as well encounter difficulty in using technology effectively and hence, their academic performance would be negatively impacted. Conversely, children and young people are usually more interactive and proactive when they work in group under a teacher in-person to guide them. Moreover, lower income families very often cannot afford the tools and setting for the student to engage productively in online learning. “The closure of education and training institutions places additional pressure on families to provide support to children and youth learning at home and may also accentuate gender disparities and increase the risk of domestic violence, exacerbating cultural codes that influence access to education.” (ILO 2020) Poor parents in lesser developed countries are compelled to make selection between which child will be provided with educational tools, oftentimes at the detriment of girls. (UNA-NCA, 2020)
Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) seems to be the sub education aspect to be most affected. An online survey conducted by European Commission reveals that despite there is a plethora of online courses and learning modules available, in most cases they are not tailor-made for TVET. (EC, 2020) Distance learning structures “focus exclusively on theoretical knowledge; in a few cases, demonstrations in ad-hoc videos, or step by step instructions are used to show the more practical skills linked to a specific VET profession.” (EC 2020). Work experience placements and internships were cancelled due to Covid-19. Teaching practical subjects at all schooling sections have been badly affected as most countries do not have advanced technologies such as gamification, augmented reality, virtual learning environments and simulators making students feel unprepared for the exams.
Conclusion
In conclusion, online learning has proved its effectiveness in this pandemic period under certain circumstances. It has proved to be effective for countries with well-developed digital infrastructure, quality trained teachers and courses not involving hands on practicals, amongst others. On the other hand, “many factors including inherent to human psychology prove that it is not a long-term substitute for face-to-face teaching and practical skills training.” (ILO, 2020)
NB: This article has been published in Training and Employment Magazine ((http://www.tnemag.mu/
References:
- European Commission. (2020, Nov 09-13). Fight against COVID-19. Retrieved from Fight against COVID-19 | European Vocational Skills Week (europa.eu)
- Edge Foundation (2020). The Impact of Covid-19 on Education: evidence on the early impacts of lockdown. London: Edge Foundation. / Retrieved from covid-19-report-final-web.pdf (birmingham.ac.uk)
- International Labour Organization. (2020, April). Distance and Online Learning during the time of COVID-19. Retrieved from wcms_743485.pdf (ilo.org)
- OECD. (2020, March 23). Education responses to COVID-19: Embracing digital learning and online collaboration. Retrieved from Education responses to COVID-19: Embracing digital learning and online collaboration (oecd.org)
- Raymond.R (n.d.). Access and Equity for All Learners in Blended and Online Education. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED561307.pdf
- The Commonwealth of Learning. (2000, October 24). An Introduction to Open and Distance Learning. Retrieved from (PDF) The Commonwealth of Learning -An Introduction to Open and Distance Learning THE COMMONWEALTH of LEARNING An Introduction to Open and Distance Learning | Pumpkings Calabaza – Academia.edu
- United Nations. (n.d.). Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development. Retrieved from https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal4 / Goal 4 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs (un.org)
- UNA-NCA. (2020, Jun 29). Education Inequality: The Impact of COVID-19. Retrieved from Education Inequality: The Impact of COVID-19 | by Advocacy @ UNA-NCA | UNA-NCA Snapshots | Medium
- World Bank. (2020, Dec 30). Digital Technologies in Education. Retrieved from https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/edutech
- World Education Forum. (2015). Education 2030 Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action. Retrieved from FFA-ENG-27Oct15.pdf (unesco.org)
- World Health Organization. (2020, March 11). WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19. Retrieved from WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 – 11 March 2020
Contributed by-
Shaheen Roheemun
Shaheen Roheemun is a holder of a BA (Hons) Business Administration Banking & Financial Services, 2nd class First Division, of the University of Technology, Mauritius (UTM). After a spell in different companies, she set up as a co-owner and co-manages the Roland Dubois Consulting Ltd and has been involved in a series of consulting activities in TVET and in the production of this training and employment magazine which is issued on a quarterly basis.
*The views expressed are personal.
