How The Pandemic Could Forever Change
Higher Education
POST
WRITTEN BY Tal Frankfurt | Forbes Technology Council
The
historic havoc COVID-19 has wreaked on modern society has been, and continues
to be, well documented. It's time for
some good news. These moments of global emergency have the invariable ability
to progress technology and the wide-scale implementation of technology, in ways
previously not thought possible. With a positive outlook, this crisis can be
viewed as a sort of "bypass" button for the application of
technological processes and thought patterns that would have taken many more
years to adopt in a time of relative peace. One could say that a positive
takeaway from disaster is its recurring ability to turn something once viewed
as impossible into an accepted aspect of a new reality.
Discussions
debating the viability of higher education institutions moving to virtual
teaching environments have been taking place for well over a decade. Once
COVID-19 was brought stateside and steadily increased its spread, those years'
worth of deliberations, evaluations and concerns were all addressed in a matter
of hours. With swift intention, educational institutions nationwide were forced
to reevaluate their delivery methods across all aspects of teaching, campus
life, extracurricular activities and so much more. There has simply been no
time to delay. The steps being taken by nations worldwide are proving just how
viable the online learning experience is and can be.
The
Rise Of Remote Teaching
In
a mere matter of days, educational institutions were forced to make major
strategical shifts that had been in the works for years. China established a
national cloud learning platform providing study materials for all students at
the junior and senior high school levels. They've also incorporated public
broadcast learning into their domestic education strategy with dedicated public
TV channels airing primary school class material.
While
these implementations aren't seen as a 1-to-1 replacement of the physical
classroom learning experience, the Chinese government has invested considerable
resources into the short-term viability of these supplemental programs: 169
lessons covering 12 subjects were introduced in the e-learning platform within
its first week. Major Chinese
telecommunications companies, like China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom,
combined efforts with tech giants Baidu, Alibaba and Huawei to bolster the
digital learning network with 7,000 dedicated servers and 90 terabytes of
bandwidth.
What
we've seen in the short amount of time since this pandemic first arrived is how
impactful the virus has been in forcing widespread innovation across the higher
education sector. For example, Common Sense Media (once a client of ours) is
combating COVID-19-related complacency through the establishment of their Wide
Open School: a free online resource powered by the support of over 25
organizations. Wide Open School's collection of learning experiences covers all
major scholastic subjects for teachers and students alike while connecting
families with programs offering affordable internet and low-cost technology
assistance.
PROMOTED
The
mindset and motivation inherent to this experience and others have the
potential to cause wide-ranging effects on the higher education world. Like
China's cloud learning platform, building a deep well of educational material
that is freely accessible to students provides another knowledge base for their
continued success and furthers the viability of the online learning experience.
Empowering
The Virtual Learning Experience
Traditional
in-person classroom learning is likely not going away entirely, but the
opportunity for heightened virtual solutions complementing that in-class
experience will be furthered with the arrival of 5G technology. By the year
2035, 5G networks are projected to generate $13.2 trillion in global sales. The
increased, improved stability and revolutionizing of our devices as a result of
widespread 5G implementation will likely allow our instructors, students and
technology providers to take "anytime, anywhere learning" even
further. Tools like our partner
Salesforce Advisor Link provide a unified network for advisors and students
within their respective higher education communities. It's no longer sufficient
to simply offer online courses. Modern students require greater virtual support,
whether it be through advising or communication. Public health events like
COVID-19 serve as catalysts of change, showcasing the importance versatile
virtual technologies have on our ability to maintain educational standards.
Bridging
The Digital Divide
More
than 4.5 billion people currently use the internet, but that is still only 60%
of the world's population. This gap between countries and socioeconomic equity
must change if we are to broaden the viability of virtual learning. The
negative effects of the divide are exacerbated in times of crisis, leading to a
lack of information, education and opportunity for those offline. Now, more
than ever, we must collectively strive for more readily available technology
and move past physical limitations in favor of virtual solutions.
Those
like California's Calbright College (a former client) understand that online
teaching requires the right tools and for the playing field to be leveled for
all students when it comes to access to technology. To that effect, Calbright
launched a loaner library comprising over 500 Chromebooks and MiFi hotspots for
students without economic stability or to those negatively affected by the
novel coronavirus. The college's willingness to provide tools and reduce the
digital divide speaks to their understanding that online teaching is about far
more than just technology; it's about offering support to those who teach and
to those who learn. This assistive mindset is so critical to both our short and
long-term recovery from COVID's negative effects. The essence of online
learning should be focused on providing flexibility and accessibility to all
within higher education institutions, enabling students to reach greater
heights and not be limited by a predetermined set of circumstances.
If
this global pandemic has taught us anything, it's that the importance of online
flexibility is absolutely critical for the sustainment of education and overall
well-being. We should all take this time to assess our institutions, our
organizations and our online habits in an effort to better prepare for such
historic upheaval. Opening our minds while our doors remain closed just might
put us all in a better position to succeed and educate once normalcy returns.
(Tal
Frankfurt is the Founder and CEO of Cloud for Good, a Salesforce partner that
creates transformational value with technology.)
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