While online education was a force majeure in the pandemic times, schools and colleges will need to voluntarily and adequately prepare for remote teaching. How can they prepare? A round-up of five actions they must take.
Pandemic and Online Education
A closer look at the recent changes brought on by the pandemic reveals powerful trends underway in education management – sourced from the rise in online education.
The past year accelerated the reliance on remote education not only for the learners but also for educational institutions – from K12 to High Education. A report from Burbio shows that going forward only 19% of educational institutions will opt for complete in-person education; while over 18% will split their time between remote learning and in-person learning.
The psychological barriers to distanced learning are at an all-time low.
Students, parents, faculty, as well as education leaders, have warmed to the idea of remote teaching and learning.
Given such endorsements from all stakeholders, the question now is – how to make online education a part of regular schooling and curriculum.
The digital wheel by Edvantic in its article – “Scaling Up: Deconstructing the Best Practices of Online Education” – lays out the most crucial components that must be considered for undertaking online transformation. Make an action plan for 2021 by arming yourself with all the information you need. The highlights of the article are given here.
How can Education Leaders Scale Online Education?
When planning a digital transformation within your institution, K12 and Higher Education leaders rightly wonder about how they must get started, and how they should plan on educating leaders and changemakers for the same.
The questions that most press leaders and educators when it comes to bringing digital transformation are:
-What changes should be targeted?
-Can teachers take distant examinations?
-Which tools and technologies should be used?
-What should be targeted – culture or technological requirements?
-How to scale the e-Programs?
To pull the right levers of online education and make it a success, leaders can refer to the Edvantic’s digital wheel for a panoramic understanding.
Digital Wheel: 5 Actions to Establish and Scale eLearning
Sort through the cacophony and successfully plant online initiatives with five spoked digital wheel guide by Edvantic. They are:
1.Support from Institution
A strong online presence in education demands strong support from the institution. From department chairs to the deans and principals in schools. Bringing the executives and leaders on board is crucial.
Levers one can pull to strengthen institutional support are elaborated on by the Edvantic article. They involve integrating an online education strategy with overall goals, and mission. Running an informational campaign, and more.
2.Creating a special unit for online learning
This spoke of the wheel is focused on architecting a department or unit responsible for devising clear and comprehensive digital strategies.
Such a unit will take care of doing market research on the courses most popular and in-demand; building technological infrastructure; outsourcing certain functions, hiring of staff, zeroing in on the right and interactive pedagogy, etc.
3.Creating a support system for faculty and students
Establishing a robust support system that can immediately solve problems, and guide the stakeholders toward online learning and teaching is important for success.
This component involves giving training to teachers in behavioral science, communication, collaboration, among other things, technological guide, creating executive education programs for leaders, etc.
For students, the support system should ensure the presence of counselors and tech support staff, availability of financial aid for those in need, online access to libraries and bookstores, etc.
4.Budget and Finances
This aspect is about ensuring appropriate finances for the online learning initiatives of an institution. This involves carving a productive reinvestment strategy, sticking to market-driven rates, incentivizing stakeholders, and more. The right approach to the financial model of online education can vary as per the needs.
5.Marketing and Promotion
This component, though neglected, is very crucial for scaling. It focuses on promoting the institution’s efforts for online education and drive more student enrolments.
The two levers involved in this are – outreach programs and expansion plans. It can be achieved through affinity marketing, regional partnerships, campaigns, etc.
COVID-19 has surprisingly worked toward bridging the gap between education and new-age career requirements by renewing the focus on remote education. A detailed overview of the digital wheel for scaling education is available at Edvantic’s Insights.
As people fit learning in their work lives, it will become necessary for individuals to adopt flexible and lifelong learning, and for institutions to shift to online education management.
