Improving the quality of online education is the priority now

While many universities in Bangladesh planned to return to an in-person fall, this dream is crumbling. If they do it, students will be at high risk as the Covid-19 pandemic is still far from over. Given the situation, improving the quality of online education is more important than hastily opening up in-person classes.

When it comes to making remote learning effective, two factors play a crucial role: how well-equipped teachers are, and how proactive students are.

Many teachers are very successful in on-campus classes but not so much in online classes. This is because of their inexperience in remote teaching. Around 95 percent of the universities were not familiar or associated with online teaching in Bangladesh prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus. As a result, they have had little training on teaching online, resulting in often frustrating performances. However, if the authorities arrange mandatory online training on how to make e-learning more effective, interactive and productive, learning will be more interesting for the students. Besides, the quality of teaching will also improve to a large extent.

Imagine a teacher who incorporates short questions, MCQs, games and quizzes on the chat box of Zoom in between classes. How interesting learning would be for their students! But it requires proper training for the teachers to employ such methods and strategies to make classes more engaging. Unless they are well-equipped and well-trained for conducting online classes, the time spent as well as hard work of both teachers and learners will be in vein.

Once university authorities ensure quality teaching by offering teachers adequate training, the challenge is for the students to be proactive and stay focused. However, when a student has to stay before a laptop screen for a quarter of a day, they are unlikely to perform well or show the same level of concentration. So it is important to ensure that students feel less stressed and exhausted.

The first thing to consider is the duration of a class. Students have little room for relaxation as long as online classes continue for 50-90 minutes like their offline versions. It seems that this longer period of class not only impacts learners physically, but also mentally. For instance, if a student takes three courses, the minimum required credits, he or she needs to attend classes for two-three hours per day except for weekends.

What is more, as the coronavirus outbreak is yet to contained in our country and staying indoors is still the best option for staying safe, around 70 percent of the students find studying e-books comfortable. In that case, if a student spends one hour daily, for example, for each course, he or she has to dedicate an additional three hours a day to self-studying. As a result, a tertiary-level student is required to stay in front of the screen for an average of nearly six hours per day.

Study shows that spending more than four hours a day in front of a computer or TV doubles the likelihood of dying or being hospitalised for heart disease, and exercise will not reduce the risk. Harvard Medical School researchers have shown that excessive use of computer or smartphone that emits blue light can disrupt sleep patterns by suppressing secretion of the hormone melatonin. Once sleep patterns are interrupted, students are prone to physical illness easily. According to a study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, US, spending six hours or more a day using computers is associated with a higher risk for depression. Apart from that, excessive screen time results in obesity, blurred vision, chronic neck and back pain coupled with the loss of cognitive ability.

Time reports that more screen time is linked to poorer progress on key developmental measures such as communication skills, problem-solving and social interactions among young generations. It is undeniable that the fewer soft skills a student has, the less likely they are to be hired by the employers of prestigious organisations, potentially resulting in failures in their professional life.

I have conducted a survey involving over 100 participants from 11 universities. Out of them, 96 agreed that a long period of online class can be taxing, both physically and mentally. Mohammad Nabeel Iqbal, a lecturer at North South University, stated, "Long-time classes cause fatigue and eyestrain so the duration of online class needs to be shortened." Samara Yasmin Aurpa, a student of the department of English at East West University, said, "After participating in classes for a long period, I become so tired that I feel lost and can't concentrate on self-studying."

Embracing online learning does not entail overlooking the demerits of this system. We cannot encourage an abrupt return to on-campus class, nor can we remain blind to the pitfalls of online classes. We need to be practical, innovative and open to changes in whatever we do. Students are evidently struggling to pay thorough attention to their study because of our traditional approach to class duration. The health and safety of the students should be prioritised. What about the learners who will have to go out to attend in-person classes? Will the government, the university authorities or the UGC be willing to take responsibility if they catch Covid-19? Hastily opening the universities, along with all other educational institutes, could have a disastrous consequence for our next generation of leaders.

So it is high time the government, the Ministry of Education and the UGC paid attention to raising the standard of online education, by taking the students' wellbeing into account, instead of opening the educational institutions immediately.  

Mahde Hassan works as an invigilator for British Council Bangladesh and is a student at East West University.

Email: reached at mhassanbd95@gmail.com