My final version before the edits is published here.
Social
distancing implemented by countries across the world to combat the spread of coronavirus
has caused unprecedented changes in our daily lives. The situation posed a
great challenge to educational institutions across the world, causing them to
cancel lectures and graduation ceremonies, and, where applicable, ask students
to vacate their halls and accommodation.
In adapting
to the situation, most institutions have adopted online learning. For many traditional
institutions this is the first time that they are trying to use technology on
such a large scale. In their hurry to adopt technology to overcome the immediate threat of not being able
to continue, there is always the danger of institutions rushing into using
technologies without proper appraisal (accessibility, security and privacy
concerns, for example) or adequate user training.
There is
also the possibility of excluding groups of users who are not able to engage
with the technologies for various reasons. Some may not possess the required
level of digital literacy while there could also be issues of accessibility
both for people with disabilities and people who do not have the luxury of
broadband connectivity. Therefore, it is important that decision makers address
these issues. For example, if a student with a hearing disability had a
note-taker in class how could we support them now with online lectures? Or now
that most overseas students are in their home countries, can we conduct online
classes and expect them to be present despite the time differences? What if the
technology we adopt is barred in some countries where our students reside?
Living or
visiting a developing country, you may have experienced the difficulties in accessing
the internet away from city centres. The unreliable connectivity often cannot
support high-definition videos while in some rural places you would be lucky to
get electricity!
I hope
these points are considered by leaders at institutions currently going digital.
In my role
as a Learning Technology Researcher and Chair of the Online Learning Research
Centre at University College of Estate Management (UCEM), I scan the horizon,
assess educational technology and consider how we can use it to enhance our
students’ experience. We are always thinking about the practical aspects and
accessibility of the technology we appraise.
As the leading provider of supported online education for the Built Environment, UCEM is better placed than most to face this difficult situation. Sharing our experiences of online learning will hopefully help other organisations learn from us.
