10 Strategies for Online Learning during Covid-19 Outbreak

Covid-19 has spread all over the world like a massive wildfire. It has impacted every sector, every business in some way. Many small businesses have failed to sustain the huge losses, thus shutting down forever. Schools and other educational institutions are no exceptions. While many schools and colleges have closed forever, many institutions are trying to fight back by adapting to new methods. The education faculties understand that the students are in dire need of study help. If they cannot start resuming education soon, thousands of students will perish in the abyss due to lack of education.

So, educational institutions have resorted to online learning methods to provide education to the students once again. The best educators in the world have put their minds together to come up with solutions to make the best use of digital learning methods. Keep the following points in mind before you start online education –

1. Ensure Digital Equity

Equity is the biggest roadblock to online learning. If you need to adapt to online education methods, you need to check if all the students and teachers have the right equities. For example, you need the right devices and internet bandwidth. If someone is missing those, make arrangements to provide the necessary equipment.

You also need to check if the apps you are using are compatible with every kind of device. They must run on both mobiles and tablets, even on computers. Some may suffer from faulty hardware. The app must run on all the platforms to counter such instances.

If your students or teachers do not have adequate internet or Wi-Fi, the whole process will come to a standstill despite having a mobile or computer. Many internet service providers provide internet on a monthly rental basis. You can either buy or rent from such internet providers so that the education process doesn’t face any glitches.

You need to remember that students with individual education plans need to access videos, audio aids, and other logins for the apps. So, making a necessary arrangement is crucial.

2. Practice

You need to understand that this teaching method is new to both students and teachers. So, there is a chance that both may face problems. So, the only way to overcome this issue is through practice. So, take some time before the official timing commences to familiarize yourself with the system.

Go through the software that you need to use, work on the functionalities, and get back to the technical team if you need any guidance. Remember that during covid, this is the only medium to provide homework help to the students. So, you must remain confident about using the system. The students must also do the same to avoid any future hindrances.

3. Set clear expectations to the parents and the teachers

School and colleges will remain closed entirely during the coronavirus outbreak. Since you will not be meeting anyone anytime soon, the communication system mustn’t break down. Keeping the staff, administrators, students, and parents updated about any development is not more important than ever.

The schools and colleges must arrange to shoot community texts to inform all about any information. Bulk e-mails are also can be used. Make tutorial videos of how to use the new software, how to take screengrabs, and do screen-casting. Make sure that the young learners know their login ids and passwords. Teachers must know how to take attendance and show presentations.

If someone faces any kind of issues, try to resolve those at the earliest by assuring prompt technical support to both teachers and the students.

4. Take time to plan

Lockdown can happen anytime, depending on the severity of the virus spread. If teachers need to return home before they learn how to use the online facilities, do not wait for them to come back. Instead, focus on the students and help them be equipped with the facilities. Allow the teachers to take some time and settle down. This may cause a brief delay, but that will help you in the long run. Use that time to plan how to ensure a seamless online education process.

Set up Zoom, Teams, or any app you feel best, handle the logistical issues, prepare the instructional videos in the meantime. In that way, when everyone settles down, they can directly start using the system without further delay.

5. Pack your Bag

Ensure that you have access to all the things you may need to conduct or attend a class from home. If you see something that you may need, but there is no option of taking the school computer home, take a backup of everything. Upload all the digital files to a pen drive or cloud if internet availability is there. That way, you do not have to return to school once again for anything once the session commences.

6. Establish daily schedules

Establish clear rules about the time the teachers and students need to log in. When you are studying online, you are expected to spend long hours in front of the computer. Spending so much time in front of a screen takes its toll on both students and teachers. It’s an even bigger problem, especially if they belong to a family where multiple persons need to share one device.

This is the reason most schools have introduced two check-in times – one in the morning and one in the afternoon. This gives the families a lot of flexibility to organize their schedules. Many schools also have been innovative in organising their class schedules. For example, they have divided the long class hours into two different days. That way, they can spend specific time in the mornings only keeping the device free during office hours.

7. Provide robust learning

In adverse situations where the classes need to close abruptly, many teachers feel the urge to upload a worksheet and ask the students to solve it. That will provide a temporary solution to the problem. However, when there are no physical classes, the teachers must make the teaching experience as engaging as possible. Without proper engagement, the students will become disinterested and aloof from the classroom.

The teachers must try to provide a robust learning experience to the students instead of letting them be busy with homework. There are a few tips that teachers can follow to make the learning experience more enjoyable for the students. –

1. Break larger chapters into small chunks
2. Set your expectation from the students clearly right in the beginning.
3. Provide frequent and prompt feedback to the students. Use tools like collaborative documents, online knowledge checks, and chat boxes to keep the students motivated and alert about the courses.
4. Take virtual meetings, video tutorials, and live chats to connect with the students regularly.
5. Encourage independent learning

Most of the parents are both working nowadays. Even if they are home, there is a small chance that either of the parents will get time to sit with the students all the time to oversee their education. The teachers also spend a few hours with the students since there is no school.

So, schools must design their courses in such ways so that students do not need the assistance of parents or teachers. They must be made simple and in lucid languages to make them easier for students to understand. Teach the students to be self-dependent as well. Educate them on how they can get help from the internet in case no one is there to assist them.

9. Check-in for the emotional toll

Elongated periods of home isolation and not meeting their friends can make the students get depressed. Address those mental issues and keep a check to ensure that students remain happy during this period.

Ask the students to follow a few tips to remain jovial like –

1. Take breaks
2. Exercise
3. Sleep in time
4. Set daily and weekly goals
5. Socialise with friends virtually
6. Choose a tool and stick to it

There are countless apps and software that allow you to take online classes. If you keep jumping from one app to another, everyone will be confused. Instead, select one software you feel best and communicate everyone to follow that.

Parting Thoughts

Covid has affected our world in multiple ways. The education sector also suffered a lot from the pandemic. Resorting to online classes is the only way to rejuvenate the education sector. Follow these ten strategies to make your online learning sessions more effective.

Author Bio:

Sam Root is an assignment writer working for Assignmenthelp.us for the last five years. He loves to go for hikes in his free time.