INTRODUCTION:

LITERATURE REVIEW:

Harish Tyagi and Seema Malik conducted a study on the topic ‘Online teaching in Delhi-NCR schools in India during Covid-19 pandemic’ in October 2020. The objective of the study was to understand the major challenges faced by both the teachers and students, the opportunities oﬀered by the online teaching platform, the attributes of online classes that can enhance the learning process and the lessons to be learnt about the eﬃcacy of virtual classes. A survey was conducted for more than 500 teachers and approximately 1700 students of ten schools in Delhi National Capital Region in India.

The major findings of the study were that the Online teaching in Indian schools were still in its infancy stage and was gradually getting more popular since it was now the need of the hour. Technical issues were the biggest challenge for teachers and students and connectivity causes major problems. The pedagogy required for online teaching needed to be reﬁned. Both teachers and students had expressed that they have faced health issues with greater exposure to screen time. Absence of face-to-face interaction of teachers and students aﬀected the teaching learning experience.

Dr. Pravat Kumar Jena conducted a study on the topic ‘Impact of pandemic Covid-19 on education in India’ in 2020. The paper highlighted some measures taken by Govt of India to provide seamless education in the country. Both positive and negative impacts of Covid-19 on education sector were discussed and some fruitful suggestions were also pointed to carry out the educational activities in the pandemic times.

Temitayo Deborah Oyedotun conducted a study on ‘Sudden change of pedagogy in education driven by COVID-19: Perspectives and evaluation from a developing country’ in December 2020.The main purpose of the article was to provide a rapid assessment of the benefits of the online mode and the challenges that accompany the dynamics of this pedagogy. The paper also seeked to provide suggestions to improve teaching and learning using online facilities in times of pandemics and unrest, especially in the developing and least developed countries.

A study was conducted on the topic ‘Post Covid19 Education and Education Technology ‘Solutionism’: a Seller’s Market’ in 2020. This paper employed a critical lens to reflect on the possible problems arising from hasty adoption of commercial digital learning solutions whose design might not always be driven by best pedagogical practices but their business model that leverages user data for profit-making. The paper also challenged the narrative that claims, ‘education is broken, and it should and can be fixed with technology’.

A study was conducted on the topic ‘The changes we need: Education post COVID-19’. In this paper, the researcher argued that the pandemic has created a unique opportunity for educational changes that have been proposed before COVID-19 but were never fully realized. They identified three big changes that education should make post COVID: curriculum that is developmental, personalized, and evolving; pedagogy that is student-centered, inquiry-based, authentic, and purposeful; and delivery of instruction that capitalizes on the strengths of both synchronous and asynchronous learning.

Mukesh Rawal conducted a study on the topic ‘An analysis of COVID-19 Impacts on Indian Education System’ in January 2021. This paper aimed to analyze the Impact of COVID-19 on Indian Education System, focusing on education during online teaching and assessment of students getting online classes in this pandemic from settings at home.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK:

RISE OF THE DIGITAL LEARNING:

Since the coronavirus eruption, the digital learning has become the inspiration of the education sector. Before the mandatory transition, the digital learning was frequently used in the teaching pedagogy unitedly with offline mode in the forms of merged learning and flipped classroom. During the lockdown period, digital learning has completely modified the insight of education.

There are many reasons for the expansion of eLearning market in India. Some of the driving factors are as follows:

· Continuous improvements in Internet connectivity

· Growth in smartphone diffusion

· Digital learning is more economical than the traditional modes

· Favourable e-learning government policies and campaigns such as e-Basta, SWAYAM, Digital India, Bharat Padhe Online Campaign etc.

· More convenient due to flexible timings

· Greater accessibility

BENEFITS OF DIGITAL LEARNING:

Although online education has its limitations, there are numerous benefits of online learning that specify why eLearning may be the greatest revolution in today’s education. Here are few of them:

· It provides a greater flexibility in terms of courses, content, schedules and timelines

· It provides an opportunity to learn at our own pace

· It is more cost effective and affordable

· It provides an opportunity to create our own learning environment

· Greater accessibility and ease of storage of the learning material

· Improved virtual communication and collaboration

· Greater access to the experts in the fields

· Advantages of better networking

· Better time management

· Demonstrated self-motivation’

CHALLENGES OF DIGITAL LEARNING:

eLearning’s time and place flexibility attracts more and more learners towards digital learning. However, many of them encounter serious challenge. Some of the common issues related to digital learning are as follows:

· Adaptability Struggle: Switching from traditional classroom and face to face instructor-based training to computer-based training in a virtual classroom makes the learning experience entirely different for students. Their resistance to change doesn’t permit them to adapt to the online learning environment, whereas it takes time for them to get accustomed to the methods of computer-based education.

· Technical Issues: Many students are not provided with the high bandwidth or the strong internet connection that online courses require, and thus fail to catch up with their virtual classmates.

· Computer Illiteracy: Although students are generally tech savvy, and thus are able to manage computers well, lack of computer literacy is a major issue among students today. Many of them cannot operate basic programs such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint and therefore are not able to handle their files. Furthermore, many students find fixing basic computer problems troublesome, as they have no knowledge in this area. Thus, technological proficiency is a must for following online courses, as it enables students to manage their assignments and courseware in an organized manner without struggling.

· Time Management: Time management is a difficult task for eLearners, as online courses require a lot of time and intensive work. Furthermore, whereas it is mostly adults who prefer web-based learning programs for their place and time flexibility, they rarely have the time to take the courses due to their various everyday commitments.

· Lack of Self-Motivation: Online learning requires motivation to complete tasks, stay engaged, and make progress. When learners are not surrounded by classmates and instructors in a physical setting, it may be tempting to procrastinate.

HOW WILL COVID-19 IMPACT THE FUTURE OF LEARNING?

The year 2020 has witnessed the emergence of innovative eLearning solutions to satisfy the challenging requirement of the educational sector. These smart learning technologies have transformed the learning methodology altogether. Digital learning is the new normal. Covid-19 has impacted the future of learning in the following ways:

· Open-Source eLearning Solutions: Governments across the globe are trying to devise open-source eLearning solutions to provide education to all students regardless of their technical barriers. Mobile-friendly solutions and highly accessible online portals for teacher-student interaction are intended so that even the marginalized and impoverished students can continue their education.

· Blended Learning Methodologies: Many of us must be wondering: “What changes will be made to classroom structure or attendance during and after the COVID-19 pandemic?” It is believed that post-COIVID-19, a strategy of blended learning will be incorporated in the education industry. Blended learning refers to a combination of eLearning tools and face-to-face learning to reap the benefits of both worlds. The online mode of homework submission and lighter school bags are the expected outcomes of this approach. Moreover, blended learning will zero in on the existing limitations in the traditional educational system and act as a promising alternative if such crisis situations arise in the coming years.

· Personalized Learning Powered by AI: Artificial Intelligence has gifted digital learning with innovative strategies that are way more interesting and engaging as compared to the traditional ones. The reason is AI enables the creation of personalized learning experiences that are tailored to suit specific needs. This kind of learning is a boon in the realm of higher education wherein the one-size-fits-all technique fails to succeed. Adoption of a personalized learning approach will help colleges and universities resolve common issues like high dropout rates, lack of tools to engage students, etc. This approach will also enable the educators to track every student’s learning outcome, thereby making way for more effective teaching techniques.

· Redefined Role of Educators: The trend of online education has brought about a change in the role of educators as well. Now teachers, who were considered to be “knowledge-givers,” are gradually becoming “facilitators” in the realm of pedagogy. Teachers these days are expected to assist students to utilize the online learning tools effectively so that they become experts in self-learning. The year 2020 has witnessed that most teachers were not well equipped and prepared for the sudden shift to online teaching. So, educators must be provided with the necessary training so that they are well versed in the technology and can switch between offline and online teaching modes as per the need.

· Convenient Methodologies to Ease Teacher’s Tasks: eLearning solutions powered by smart technologies will ease out assessment-related tasks like evaluation, designing question papers, preparing grade sheets, and many more. This will save time and teachers will be able to concentrate on tasks like improvement in teaching quality, self-skill enhancement, and designing more innovative course material.

· Rising Demand for Skill-Based, Short-Duration Courses: The COVID-19 crisis has ushered in uncertainty in the job market as well. Therefore, to maintain agility and stay up to date with the latest skills like AI, data analytics, machine learning, deep learning, etc., professionals as well as freshers are opting for industry-ready courses to scale up their skills and hence remain resourceful for a long period. Quality online learning programs and online training sessions are being preferred the most. As a result, the user intent query investments in EdTech products are on the rise.

CAN DIGITAL LEARNING REPLACE THE CLASSROOM TEACHINGS?

The increased usage of digital learning however has led to widespread speculation that the pandemic has sparked a transformative change, especially in higher education – with many claiming that the future of college education is online. In my opinion, the truth is that the future is not so black and white anymore – there’s a lot of grey in between. What we seem to be moving towards, is a hybrid model of learning – a mix of online and offline.

But, will one take precedence over the other? Not really – because both have their unique characteristics that make them worthwhile. People will learn to use the two together.

REFERENCES:

1. Temitayo Deborah Oyedotun, Sudden change of pedagogy in education driven by COVID-19: Perspectives and evaluation from a developing country, Research in Globalization, Volume 2, 2020, 100029, ISSN 2590-051X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resglo.2020.100029.

2. https://feedbackfruits.com/blog/the-rise-of-online-classes-after-covid-19-best-practices-based-on-literature

3. https://www.netscribes.com/online-education-market-in-india-growth-drivers-challenges-and-key-trends/

4. https://tcglobal.com/insights/can-online-learning-replace-traditional-education/

5. https://www.highereducationdigest.com/the-future-of-learning-how-has-covid-19-changed-the-education-forever/

6. https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/featurephilia/story/covid-19-lockdown-how-the-pandemic-brining-change-in-indian-education-system-1674322-2020-05-04

7. https://www.euractiv.com/section/economy-jobs/news/changes-in-education-as-a-result-of-covid-19-crisis-are-here-to-stay-experts-say/

Received on 17.06.2021 Modified on 02.07.2021

Res. J. Humanities and Social Sciences. 2021; 12(3):182-185.

DOI: 10.52711/2321-5828.2021.00030