Skip to main content

Lessons from COVID-19 lockdown for the Academia

 Pre-COVID-19, many academics were being pushed by university administrators to begin to consider online classes and many were hesitant because they questioned the effectiveness of delivering lectures online. So many universities were pushing hard for professors to consider the online domain as it was obvious that it is a new market to capture extra resources for the traditional academic institutions that were facing severe cash strap. Platforms such as Coursera.org, edX.org, udemy.com, etc. have proven that it is possible to deliver content online with a huge audience and following, and with great success. Top universities have several classes and courses on these platforms - some are offered for free, some are paid-view and some are offered at a discounted rate to students from low-income countries, and some even have complete degree package they offer to students thousands of kilometers away. Online students are finding values by receiving qualitative education from top institutions in the US, Canada, Asia and Europe without stepping a foot into their campuses, and the institutions who have perfected the art of online learning are smiling to the bank.

COVID-19 forced almost everyone indoor and learning also went to the corners of our rooms at home. From kindergarten to elementary, high school, and colleges, we all went online. The beginning was rough but teachers and students alike are getting into the mold. How well suited this is in the long run is debatable but it is possible that online learning will dominate the stratosphere of learning going forward. Some projected radical changes in how we learn, some have predicted the death of organized learning environment as we have known it for centuries. Let us quickly look at the list of some pros and cons of online learning:

Pros:

1. Cheaper than in-person: cost of school building - capital and maintenance, school resources, transportation, school uniform or change dress, etc.

2. Flexibility to learning time: Asynchronous learning makes it possible to choose when to learn or go to school.

3. Risk of bullying is reduced

4. Increase participation because students are less conscious of their peers' criticism.

5. Teachers are less stressed taking care of many students, especially younger students while trying to maintain the best teaching environment.

6. Creates an avenue to access top-notch speakers without the extra cost of flying them around.


Cons:

1. Lack of social interaction

2. High risk of distraction

3. Inadequacy of setting for some learning demonstration, especially in life sciences, sciences and engineering

4. Temptation to multitask

5. Indecency of accidental exposure - accidental exposing oneself. Ask Jeffrey Toobin of CNN.

6. Inability to control zoombombers

7. Fingers are not equal - students may lose good learning time if the internet misbehaves or they do not have access to broadband.

8. Inability to control academic integrity, especially during exams. despite all the technologies available - Respondus, ProctorU, etc.

9. It is unsustainable for parents of young children whose employer will ask them to return to work when the pandemic is over. It may be appealing to high school-college age students.


It is hard to project that learning will shift base completely online. There are so many things we do not know that needs to be tested scientifically before we slow the pace of growth of science discovery and innovation as we have known it in the last century, other, hasten it even more.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ISE L'OGUN ISE (WORK IS THE PANACEA TO POVERTY)

Ise ni ogun ise (Work is the panacea to poverty) mura si ise ore mi (Be conscientious my friend in your work) ise ni a fi n di eni giga (Through hard work can we excel) ti a ko ba ri eni feyintin (If there is none to create a pathway to the top for you) bi ole la n ri (It is as if we are lazy) ti a ko ba ri eni gbekele (If there is no one to be your mentor and godfather) a tera mo ise eni, (Work harder then, don't give up, innovate, there is dignity in labor, a way will open up for you soon) Iya re le l'owo (Your mom may be super rich) Baba re le l’esin lekan (You dad could have real estate in choice places) T’oba gbo’ju le won o te tan ni mo so fun oh (If you trust in their riches, your shame is around the corner) Ohun aho j’iya fun kii t’ojo (What you did not labor often does not last, because you might not value them) Ohun ta ba s’ise fun nii pe l’owo eni (It is what you work for that becomes a treasure) Apa lara, Igunpa niye kan (Arms are your fam...
Post a Comment
Read more

When you discover the wisdom of the universe, it is as if...

When you locate the wisdom of the universe, it would be as if you have a magic wand... Your prosperity rolls over, you climb to the top faster and leave many behind... Funke Akindele's movie, "A tribe called Judah" remains the highest-grossing movie in Nollywood (Nigeria's movie industry). I saw the movie last week and could not make head or tail of it.. But something was unique about it. It was the first Nigerian movie that cast MANY actors from all the major ethnic groups in the nation.. These are top actors... For so long, Nollywood has been divided along ethnic lines... You have the Yorubas doing their thing, the Igbos doing their own and our brothers in the North, the Hausas doing their own. But this movie cast actors from everywhere, so, it became a must-see for almost all Nigerians ... Funke Akindele is a talented writer, actor, and producer. But she is also a shrewd businesswoman. She located the wisdom in tapping the talent of diverse ethnic groups in Nigeria...
Post a Comment
Read more

Wannabee Prime Minister that is Denigrating her Native Country... for What?

Omo ale lo maa hun fi owo osi j'uwe ile baba eh - it is a BASTARD child that uses the left hand to describe her father's house.... We should speak honestly about our country, but when you hold a position like Kemi does decorum is essential. She could say the same thing in a way that will not impact the lives of ordinary Nigerians who live and make a honest living across the globe. She is an opposition leader for crying out loud... She is dragging her native country deep into the mud to gain cheap popularity.... She will need the votes of Nigerians if she will ever be Prime Minister one day. Every letter of her words will come back to hunt her... I trust Nigerians in the UK will not only mobilize against her, but they will also mobilize other Africans and Carribeans to shun her...
Post a Comment
Read more