Education is one of the most popular disciplines in the current world due to the growth of online learning in the recent past. As the pandemic situation worsened, even more, schools and universities shifted to online classes.
The introduction of a new system in the middle of the academic year was not easy as teachers and students as well as parents had to cope up with the change. However, importance of student engagement in online learning is equally challenging with new opportunities that are hard to come by in the traditional classroom.
This article will focus on various elements which would need to be taken into consideration in order to achieve success in teaching/learning environment supported by Information Communication Technology (ICT).
The Benefits Of Online Learning
Firstly, one can take classes from different universities and institutes and do not have to stick to the same pace and schedule as their peers during online classes.
Lectures recorded during classes or uploaded by instructors provide students with the opportunity to study at convenient time. It assists them to align education with demands of work or family, which is important for most students.
Moreover, so many online platforms come with discussion forums which makes the interaction between students limited to lectures only. Therefore, I can conclude that the concept of online learning has many benefits, especially for self-motivated learners with other commitments.
Selecting The Appropriate Course Delivery System
In addition, there is a need to carefully choose the correct course platform or learning management system. For this, many popular universities already have their dedicated portals, but open-source tools like Moodle and Google Classroom can be effectively used as well.
Several criteria may be useful when choosing a platform: these include functionality, the platform’s interface, and the platform’s compatibility with mobile devices.
Moreover, providing sufficient IT resources and assistance to the instructors and learners is recommended. When it comes to testing platforms, it is possible to try various platforms and then figure out what is the most suitable.
How The Students Will Interact In The Digital Environment
To design an engaging and active asynchronous classroom, considerable work goes into it. Professors should encourage and engage in meaningful discussions through such mechanisms as a chat box and a discussion forum.
It is also essential to have daily/weekly live video sessions to nurture personal relationships. From the student’s perspective, it may be even somewhat invigorating to speak out in the first place online.
Thus, although arriving at digital class with certain expectation, such activities as; actively engaging in discussions, freely asking questions and working in small groups aids in the acclimatization to the new dynamics of the class.
All in all, it is as important to engage more with contacts less frequently rather than interact with the contacts more often, but less. They found that the overall idea of paying more attention to the quality of the interaction rather than the quantity of the interaction pays off.
Importance Of Digital Communication, Good Manners
With online learning expanding exponentially, student engagement for online learning is critical to establish what constitutes appropriate online behavior. Professionally appearing and speaking while on a video call is something that teachers have to uphold since they conduct their classes live.
As a way of avoiding disruption, students should ensure that there is no noise or other forms of interference when logging in. Thirdly, politeness, patience and respect for Diversity should also be upheld in the discussions that are carried out online.
Giving constructive criticism also poses certain challenges that should be dealt with carefully. This means that as students, if you follow these basic forms of etiquettes in the digital world, learning becomes more efficient.
In conclusion, therefore, it could be said that with the advent of online education, there has been a complete change of dynamics in classrooms across the world.
There is no doubt that using technology for the intended purpose of learning becomes effective when the following statements are considered. All in all, it has been found that keeping the expectations low.
In that case, it is important to be conscious about which digital platforms are being used, to center engagement and interaction in digital classroom, adhere to commonly accepted etiquette, and prioritize students’ well-being.