eLearning and Virtual Classrooms: How They Are Helping Through the Coronavirus Pandemic
Starting earlier this year, the coronavirus pandemic has engulfed the entire globe, practically bringing the world to its knees in a matter of weeks. And as we continue to endure this complicated reality, it goes without saying that the virus had taken a toll on pretty much every aspect of life before COVID-19 came knocking. The effect it has had in the context of education has been particularly overwhelming, with schools, colleges, and other educational institutions in more than 100 countries being forced to close their gates temporarily. Of course, as this previously unimaginable situation continues to maintain its chokehold on the global education system, humanity’s perseverance has found a solution: Online learning.
Going by the current state of things, it may be a while till countries across the globe get a handle on the situation and even longer till it becomes safe to reopen educational institutions. And it is the acceptance of this reality that has driven the curiosity and eagerness to embrace e-learning because even if some may have managed to stay away from it thus far, they too will need to adopt online learning sooner than later. So, as more and more educational organizations seek to take such solutions, it is imperative to not dive into the decision head-first. And to help ensure that you make the right decision, we have listed some of the most critical features of any e-learning solution.
1. Performance monitoring: Since the goals of education remain the same, so do some of its most basic requirements, including the ability to monitor students’ performance. Hence, make sure that the tool that you choose enables teachers to track performance based on pre-decided criteria. It would also help to have the ability to transform these insights into graphs and charts that can be easily understood by anyone.
2. Ability to adapt and tailor lessons: One of the critical goals of monitoring students’ performance is to ensure they receive assistance in precisely the domains that they appear to be struggling in. These insights can then be brought together with artificial intelligence to customize the course, teaching material, and make use of other agile resources to help students master problem areas. It should allow teachers to integrate various third-party tools as well as third content to ease the learning process for students.
3. Video conferencing: If this one makes you go “Duh!”, all we can say is we understand. It seems pretty obvious at this point that the only tool must include video conferencing abilities. But besides that, it should also provide access to devices such as virtual whiteboards, the ability to share files in real-time, and more to make sure that the class is as close to in-person courses as possible.
The way coronavirus has upended education across the world may make education seem like a daunting task at the moment. But with the right kind of solution, the transition doesn’t have to be as challenging. So, make sure that you find a trusted name in custom virtual classroom software development that can deliver a quality solution.
