Covid-19 Pandemic: Challenges In Higher Education

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ABSTRACT

The Covid- 19 Pandemic has disrupted the life of every human being globally. It has brought life to a standstill in all sectors of the economy and posed a great threat and a challenge to the Indian Economy in the fields of Higher Education. The Pandemic has been a bane as it has affected lakhs of human lives globally. It has & been a great challenge to Educational Institutions and campuses, which are closed all around the world. All of a sudden we find restrictions in the fields of Education, Businesses, Trade and Movements.

When we look at from the Indian perspective, we find that Educational activities have come to a standstill for 32 crore learners in schools and colleges. Our Teaching – learning process has moved from off line to on line. Despite all these challenges, Higher Education has reacted positively and converted all these challenges into opportunities to ensure a continuity in the teaching learning process.

This research paper highlights on the major impact of Covid-19 pandemic on Higher Education in India and the adoptive and suggestive measures taken in overcoming the Covid-19 crisis. The Covid-19 pandemic had been a boon to many teacher- learners as new modes of learning, new perspectives and new trends have emerged, which would not have been thought of, had such a pandemic not occurred.

INTRODUCTION

The second week of March saw the closure of Educational Institutions in the country as a temporary measure to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, which had affected our country. A month passed and still there was no certainty on when the educational Institutions would reopen. This was a very critical and crucial period for the Education Sector as School Exams, College Exams, Board Exams, Entrance Tests of various competitive examinations, University exams were held up during this period. Days and Months passed and still there was no immediate solution to stop the outbreak of Covid-19. Life came to a stand still in all sectors of the Economy. In particular, the pandemic had affected the Higher Education Sector, which was a major and critical determinant in the country’s economic future. Life for students who were to travel for education and employment to countries. like U.K. U.S.A and Australia come to a major halt. This also affected the job offers for students within the country. The Covid-19 pandemic transferred the lives of teachers from the chalk-talk model to the Model driven by Technology. The need of the hour was now to adopt a good educational strategy in order to develop the skills of the younger generation, so that there is better employability, productivity, health and well being in the years to come and there is better preparedness in conducting online education.

NEED FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

The challenges posed due to Covid-19 have helped the Higher Educational Institutions to easily adapt to the Virtual and Online culture. These on line workshops, webinars and collaborative workshops have helped in bringing about an overall effectiveness in the teaching learning outcomes.

DISCUSSION AND FINDINGS

In a study by Mark Bowen (2020) ‘Covid-19 has changed how we teach students’, it is found that virtual platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Video Conferencing, Video Recordings, Webinars, Live-Stream Videos create dynamic sessions and though the online sessions have been challenging, it has been accepted and adapted by the academicians and students as well.

Findings of the study were that the staff and the students are coming together, so as to make use of the situation in the best possible manner.

Philip A. Ortiz (2020) on ‘Teaching in the time of Covid-19’, it is found that instructors and curriculum developers are trying to adapt to the transition quickly by not trying to lower the standards in higher education, but by revisiting the courses, so that there are better learning outcomes. There, also has to be different learning tools, so that the Course content can be delivered aptly.

Findings of the study were that virtual Collection of knowledge base and new learning resources have to be made available to the community of educators Ferwerda, Bruce (2017) in his study, ‘Personalizing Online Educational Tools’, has summarized that as more and more people turn to online resources to learn, there is a need for the systems to understand and adapt to the needs of their users. He concluded that as users, we are exposed to new content and the first impression from the System makes a lasting impact and a commitment to the program.

In short, our personal and professional lives are increasingly dependent on electronic gadgets and communication tools, as we move ahead in the 21st century. This switch from offline to online teaching has provided an excellent opportunity for Higher Education, Industry and Research- academic centres to fulfil their short term and long term goals.,

Based on the review of literature on online teaching, the researcher has designed an educational model as a tool for overcoming the problems of online teaching learning process.

First, Emergency preparedness for unexpected problems:

The Faculty, has to be prepared while switching on to the online education mode, as there is every likelihood for computer servers to shut down due to over load, network issues. There has to be an emergency or contingency plan B and C under these circumstances to address these issues.

Second, Course Content to be divided to Smaller units:

The Faculty, has to break the course content while teaching each module, and each module should last for not more than 20-25 minutes for better clarity.

Third, Use of voice in Teaching:

The Faculty, should modulate and adjust their voice in online teaching and speak slowly, so that students get the important points.

Fourth, IT Support:

The Faculty, should take the assistance of IT support, so that they are able to assist the students to put across questions in chat box and answer them, so that the students are comfortable with online teaching.

Fifth, Modify the learning requirements:

The Faculty, should modify the students learning requirements, anxiety issues in order to strengthen high level active learning outside the class.

Sixth, combine Online learning and offline self learning:

The Faculty, should combine online and offline self-learning by giving short assignments from time to time. Also, feedback should be provided and adjustments have to be done in online teaching, to facilitate better interaction –

Conclusion

This research paper concludes that through the educational strategies developed, online education can be made more effective. Also, the characteristics of – the target audience are to be considered, so that the content can be delivered in the right manner. Appropriate guidance and support are also to be provided, so that there is continuous participation and concentration in making teaching learning process effective.

REFERENCES

Angela Bonifati., A. Giovanna Guerrini (2020) ‘Holding a Conference Online and Live due to Cavid-19’.
Bao. W. (2019), ‘Bridging the gap between Research and Practice’. Identifying high impact education practices for Chinese Undergraduate Education (Pg 105-129).
Chiodini, Jane (2020), ‘Online Learning in the time of Covid 19’ .
Chiodini, Jane (2020), ‘Online learning in the time of Covid-19’.
Ferwerda, Bruce (2017), ‘Personalizing Online Educational Tool’. (Pg 27-30)
Lei. G. (2020), ‘Spring Semester begins with Online Teaching’.
Mark Bowen (2020), ‘Covid-19 has changed how we teach students’.
Philip A. Ortiz (2020), ‘Teaching in the time of COVID-19’.

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Covid-19 Pandemic: Challenges In Higher Education

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