Every institution has geared itself since the pandemic, adapting digital means and relying on a virtual school management system for daily activities. This is a far more complex job which is easier said than done. Changing the mediums of school administration overnight is not possible, but with the effort and support of students, teachers, and school office staff, this tool was made possible. Currently, institutions follow mostly online classes held over an LMS portal. But the question remains- What is the ideal approach to online learning?
Schools, colleges, universities, personal coaches, and tuition teachers have approached online learning in numerous ways. Here are some factors the adaptation of which are the most suited for online learning systems. Following these closely would amount to the ideal approach to online learning;
Keep things simple
Overcomplicating online learning methods can scare teachers and students since most of them are not trained to use digital devices as much. A school management system should be easy to use, easy to access, and convenient with time flexible features. Students should be able to connect with their mobile devices too in case they don’t have a desktop.
Typing assignments can be time-saving but if students are used to writing their homework, teachers should give them the option of doing so and uploading the PDFs on elements portals. The emphasis from this example is to be made on providing options to students so they can choose which online medium they want to adopt for academic progress.
Syllabus updates
The syllabus for pandemic students was different than for ones who were attending hybrid classes. Depending on the functionality and capacity of students to adapt to online modes, institutions tried to change and update a syllabus so that students can keep progressing while learning to adapt entirely to online classes.
Equipped teachers
Teachers are the ultimate leaders who will be taking online classes by sharing presentations, organizing video call sessions, and monitoring student progress constantly. Hence, every teacher should be well equipped with all the necessary tools to teach through LMS portals. Technological change posed some serious challenges to teachers who have been teaching traditionally for decades. Educators overcame these by constantly training themselves and accepting assistance from the institution for making teaching patterns easier.
Considering student needs
Students have various needs at various points of time in their life. High school students needed to attend the last few years in the institution because they would never get to experience school days again. Similarly, middle school students wanted to attend all club activities and sports events but online education did not make this possible.
Keeping in mind the interests and needs of every student, institutions have approached learning patterns uniquely by ensuring no child feels isolated. This gave rise to online events, conventions, webinars, and other extracurricular activities which eventually proved enough to satisfy every student.
Innovative digital methods
Experimenting is the key to progressing. Therefore, institutions experimented with the trends of pandemic years and applied a few to observe whether students and teachers are comfortable with their new methods of learning. By observing and practicing various trends, the school administrations can chalk out ones that made learning familiar to traditional forms, but with extra benefits.
Replicating the class environment
Although we cannot expect online classes to be the same replication of a traditional class because the physical element is missing, teachers can put in a lot of effort to bring it as close to attending an offline class as possible. Practically impossible, but the same events or activities which were held in the everyday lives of a school institution could be held on virtual platforms too.
Institutions that believe in the active involvement of teachers, students, and other school administration staff are the first to achieve the objective of replicating a classroom environment. Everyone’s valuable input is important since they have different takes on the school environment. Their feedback is the direct result of school experiences.
No matter how distinct or common the different institutions’ approaches to online learning is, the ultimate objective is to first survive the pandemic and bring out all students and teachers safely and then focus on academic, mental, and emotional progress.
