It is hard to reject things you are used to and change your methods of work and life approach in general. However, the epidemic didn’t leave people a choice. You can notice huge changes in various life spheres, and education hasn’t become an exception. Isolation has forced people to replace their regular classes with Zoom chats and conferences. And it seems the traditional education process has never come back to its initial format. We can watch the “progressive future” that they foretold back in the day. And even though students and their parents speak out against the digital format of studying, they cannot stop it. Times are changing, and the only thing we can do is to get used to it and try to take advantage. So, what novelties can you see in the modern studying process?
Hybrid model of education
Rapid changes may frighten people, but difficult times require non-standard decisions. The main problem is that modern people are pioneers in digital education. So, the very training process remains imperfect and challenging. It is more about a hybrid education model when they have introduced the latest technologies into the learning process but haven’t made up the rules. The modern online platforms cannot replace live classes to the fullest extent. They still have many weaknesses that call into question the effectiveness of such education in general. And even though students don’t waste time on their way to college, they still lack free time and sometimes are forced to order paper online to get their assignments done on time.
Challenges of online learning
Isolation and digital education have highlighted social issues and shown once again that different social strata don’t have the same comfortable conditions for online education. Thus, many students don’t have reliable internet access or required devices, so they struggle to participate in digital learning. In the USA, you can see an impressive gap between wealthy and poor social classes. Only about 70% of the latter can boast of having a laptop or PC to work on. And while some educational institutions have tried to do their best to provide digital devices to students in need, many others are concerned that isolation will only worsen the differences in education level.
Advantages of online learning
Many academic institutions adhere to the old-school approaches to the educational process and focus on traditional skills instead of meeting modern needs. They neglect the development of critical thinking or flexibility in their students, even though they are important for achieving life success. However, the new realities encourage students to work on their soft skills on equal par with academic ones. And studies have shown that students learn almost twice faster online compared to regular classes and post less requests like “Can I pay someone to do my homework?”Thus, they can go back, re-read, skip some parts or devote more attention to other paragraphs. However, the effectiveness of digital education varies among different age groups. Thus, students with better concentration and motivation demonstrate much better results.
Asynchronous learning
Most academic institutions spend huge material and mental resources to stay on track, inform, reassure and keep in touch with students and parents. The academic staff has to improve their skills and abilities to teach remotely. But they have neither time nor effort to learn new technologies on the go, so they work with what they are used to and know for sure.
Nowadays, asynchronous learning is the key adjustment for professors who are used to teaching in live classes. It has turned out that students and teachers don’t have to communicate simultaneously for most educational process aspects. Asynchronous learning provides teachers with additional flexibility in preparing the required materials, while students have a chance to find a balance between studying and other life spheres. And the digital format is the win-win option when it comes to asynchronous learning. Thus, teachers can post the required materials online for on-demand access, check papers for plagiarism with the help of specialized services like https://writemyessayforme.cheap/, and set up an online meeting for students with certain questions. So, such an approach simplifies the lives of teachers and students in many ways.
Curriculum and assessment
While earlier they highlighted the importance of getting high grades, now they have shifted the focus and made students’ interest in studying the top priority. And even though many teachers have to follow the national curriculum, others can select program content. Thus, digital education involves a huge variety of assignments, and instead of writing essays on philosophical themes, students write letters to senior centers.
Many examinations have been canceled or postponed due to isolation, and it is still unclear when academic institutions will be able to work in the “normal” mode. In general, many colleges build their curriculums based on the students’ assessments to provide them with the highest education level possible. It helps make it clear what areas require more attention and what approaches should be adopted.