Online Classes due to Covid-19 | 06 Apr 2020

Why in News

The lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic has led to closing of educational institutes like schools, colleges and coaching institutions.

  • The educational institutes are thus switching to e-learning.

Key Points

  • Different e-learning Techniques Being Used
    • YouTube, Zoom app and Google Classroom are being used by some institutions.
    • The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan has deployed its SWAYAM Prabha portal which has lectures on DTH (direct-to-home) and online, to help students.
    • Few states are trying to tap Doordarshan to remove access barriers.
  • e-learning poses a challenge to teachers, students and their parents over technology and access that is why the effectiveness of the instructors (teachers) can not be analysed and also not every student is joining the virtual classes.
  • Challenges
    • All of the students do not have laptops or tablet computers. Parents also use the computer for their work from home so children do not get a chance to use it.
    • Teachers are apprehensive about students using smartphones because of distracting apps.
    • Teachers too might have technical constraints and if teachers are equipped but the same might not be the case for the institutions.
    • The lockdown makes it worse for those who have technical problems in their devices.
    • Parents are finding it difficult to adjust to the online system. The added household work due to the absence of domestic help adds to their problem.
    • Most of the subjects like beauty culture, fashion design and tailoring, office management, travel and tourism, web design etc need practical learning so it is difficult to teach them from a distance.
  • Suggestions
    • Online classes offered as live teaching can be sustained only with a mix of activities, worksheets and interactive sessions.
    • Teachers should have a structured plan which does not suffocate or burden them and also keep the students involved.
    • All institutions will have to chalk out an infrastructure plan which can be used in such a crisis.
    • Teachers need to be considerate about how children feel or what they are going through these days so an understanding should be developed.

SWAYAM Prabha

  • It is an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resources Development to provide 32 High Quality Educational Channels through DTH across the length and breadth of the country on 24X7 basis.
  • It has curriculum-based course content covering diverse disciplines.
  • This is primarily aimed at making quality learning resources accessible to remote areas where internet availability is still a challenge.
  • The DTH channels are using the GSAT-15 satellite for programme telecasts.

Source: TH