15 June 2020 by Mardhiah Nasir, VP of Sales
Education is constantly changing. Over the last decade, we have seen changes from student demographics to structure and delivery modes. These changes became visible and inevitable after the Coronavirus (COVID-19) spread across the globe, especially when it was declared a pandemic. A significant change in the education sector presents both an opportunity and a threat.
We cannot ignore the transformative potential of new technology, nor the need to equip students with the requisite skills to cope with a digital world and to be up to par with international standards. We need to realise that keeping up to speed is not a walk in the park.
In the event of crises or prolonged emergencies, the demand for a traditional classroom-setting evolving into a over-the-top. (OTT) learning environment is unavoidable given safety aspects that need to be considered for both educators and students. However, it is, predictably, a learning curve and there are three main barriers to break. These will evolve the education paradigm holistically. With education at a tipping point of an amazing journey of evolution we have one big question to answer – ARE WE READY?
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Mindset Readiness
For both the educator and students, restricted movement directives issued by authorities across the globe are causing forced adoption of technology-based remote learning delivery. This can cause issues without proper preparation and readiness. The readiness is not confined to infrastructure or technology but mainly to the mind. While educators are encountering new approaches in education delivery that offer a lot of flexibility and benefits to students, the number of educators and students who encounter learning interruption increases every day. Are the educators ready with the experience and skill to deliver education online? Are the students ready to overcome distractions at home and receive an education online? -
Technological Proficiency
The remote learning environment provides an option for education to be delivered on-demand. It can be on or offline based on need and enables connectivity and remote engagement with education content from homes. However, adopting technology requires both educators and students to have skill sets that usually need to be trained. For the technology to actually be used, the education industry needs to ensure capabilities of the existing infrastructure, connectivity and devices. A comprehensive platform set with features and functionalities specifically adapted to serve OTT learning needs would ensure smooth transition and ease of use for both educator and student. Imagine the world where the internet will be available for everyone like electricity where everyone will have it and know how to switch it on and off. - Strong Support Mechanism for Educator and Student
For successful implementation of an over-the-top(OTT) learning environment, we should consider a proper communication protocol between the educators and students, clear guidance and instructions with established procedures, dynamic lesson design and nation-standard platform instead of multiple private-owned designs. In addition to the transformation of a classroom setting and education delivery to meet the requirements of an over-the-top (OTT) environment, the role of educators must change too, and change requires substantial support for it to be significant.
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Therefore, Without strong foundations to ensure the stability of any new projects, schools won’t see the return on investment they would otherwise expect. eventually encouraging the re-adjustment of educator and student engagement.
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