By Pinar Masat
Your commercial awareness dose
The Covid-19 pandemic is not only a global health problem but also has severe impacts on human and social life, including employment, education, agriculture and the other spheres of the world economy. Businesses of all different sizes and industries of all different sorts have been significantly impacted. Nearly every aspect of normal life has been affected and the lives of masses of people around the world have radically transformed by the spread of coronavirus. As the situation continues to develop, legislators are taking an active role in addressing both the immediate and long-term challenges related to the outbreak. The outbreak of the coronavirus has become a major disruption to colleges and universities across the country, with most institutions cancelling in-person classes and moving to online-only instruction.
The most effective tool in keeping student retention and maintaining access to learning has been online classes. Schools have been forced to close their campuses, move classes online, and protecting students. Thus, several universities in different countries worldwide have shifted to online learning to limit the spread of the virus, and we can say that Covid-19 has considerably redefined education worldwide.
Some colleges announce plans to help students who might lack access to an internet connection, including opening university libraries on a limited basis and distributing mobile hotspots to students. Many schools also shifted to pass/fail grading system instead of standard letter grades. The move to online-only classes for instruction prompted concerns about the quality of educational instruction provided remotely. Some say that more cheating happens in the virtual model because of anonymity and distance between the students and the teachers.
According to the Institute for International Education, more than 1 million international students were studying in the US in 2019, International students make up about 6% of the total higher education student population and research finds these students bring engagement benefits for domestic students while providing a key source of revenue for institutions. Due to varying time zone differences, many international students may not be able to participate in remotely offered classes in real-time and also, there is a massive economic hit to higher education caused by the coronavirus. Dorm rooms are unoccupied, sports stadiums remain empty, and students push back against paying full tuition fees.
While the majority of colleges and universities around the world have succeeded to integrate a form of online education into their coursework, moving all programs into an online version can be challenging. While some universities may have strong online systems, smaller universities may struggle under the weight of the demand. The pandemic has a devastating impact on global education, too. While higher education institutions in developed countries have managed well to implement digital learning, universities in African and South Asian countries have to overcome many challenges before shifting completely to digital learning. According to the International Association of Universities, developing African universities are still attempting to transform and improve their higher education system and the Covid-19 pandemic. The technology might simply fail due to non-availability of electricity across in all the places at the same time.
Online classes which created the digital divide between rich and poor, require long hours of internet service, peaceful space and one device dedicated to the student, which might not be affordable for everyone.
Students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds have felt discomfort or shame while managing with limited space in the house and a limited budget and poor connectivity in rural areas. The digital divide has not only led to exclusion of students from poor and marginalized backgrounds from digital learning but also pushed many underprivileged students towards depression. For example, a 16-year-old boy, from a very poor family, took his life because he didn’t have a smartphone to attend online classes and examinations in the Chirang district of Assam in India (The Hindustan Times, June 24, 2020).
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