Coronavirus: The Collapse of Higher Education — or its Revolution?

Higher education is specialised learning. It is a stage at which a student selects the field he/she wants to master. The education is provided in a college or a university. This makes it a crucial stage in the lives of students. The collapse of higher education is unlikely because of the need it has in the lives of students and because of the economic benefit it brings to a nation. However, we see a big revolution in the impartation of higher studies. Colleges and universities are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that cancelled classes are resumed as soon as possible.

Online learning is being maximised in these situations. Online courses are being developed, revised to meet the current need to the students. Virtual classes seem to be the only situation to cope with the pandemic that has hit the world so suddenly. Colleges and universities are looking at making their online systems as robust as they can. Classes that were ongoing had to be cancelled, resuming those will be a priority for most colleges and universities.

Virtual classes have many advantages and if utilized well can be a huge benefit to colleges and universities. The flexibility that the online option offers is the main reason it will garner a lot of popularity amongst the youth.  While transitioning from classroom to online sessions technology will play a major role and hence that will have to be robust. The course material will have to be developed in a manner that inspires and intrigues participants to attend the course. The sessions will be more effective if they are more engaging and collaborative than theoretical. Engaging them through updates, online discussions, video uploads, grading their work from time to time and conducting one on one online discussions will enhance the online sessions.

There are different styles of learning, visual, auditory, verbal and kin-aesthetic and it will be helpful if they can be included in the online sessions.  Understanding these styles briefly and incorporating ways to include them will further enhance the sessions. This can be done by including activities, videos, exercises, etc. Online classes were used by many only not extensively. In times like these, a complete transition to online classes is what colleges and universities need to prepare for. Innovation is the key to succeeding in online teaching. Trying different methods and revising the course content from time to time will enhance these sessions. Educating the students and staff on the best practices of online learning and teaching will be imperative.

While this is a new medium of teaching it is also a very flexible one and will be a preferred way going forward. Students will experience a fresh wave of innovation in this area. With most universities and colleges exploring various ways to reach out to students we can only see a revolution in higher education. This will carve the path for a new way of learning. The future of higher education will take a different turn for the better.