Humanizing virtual classrooms may be the future of learning

Photo credit: Wokandapix.

Disclaimer: The author writes for Innolat.

In an age where technology is growing exponentially, classroom training has failed to remain in sync with rapidly evolving industry trends. It’s a system where education doesn’t offer much in areas like personalized learning and linkage to the job market.

In response to that, online learning has emerged as a promising alternative. It has liberated the learner from the physical bounds of a classroom and transferred the control back to him. This has triggered big socio-cultural changes in the 21st century, especially in constrained societies like India. A large number of students can now access courses in rural parts and young professionals can upgrade their skills to be more competitive in their respective careers.

2 features of classroom training that are still relevant in the digital age

Even though more learners are using digital content for learning, there are two things from the four corners of a physical classroom that should stay in virtual classrooms.

Mentorship

Direct interaction between the tutor and the learner is one of the biggest advantages of learning in a classroom environment. It forges a strong mentor-mentee relationship. The personal attention of the tutor to specific queries of the learner helps in their instant resolution through such one-to-one discussions. This significantly enhances the learning experience by humanizing it.

Besides course-related interactions, classrooms are also platforms for career counseling and guidance. A learner can also seek help from fellow students through peer-to-peer learning.

Competitiveness

Competing with one another is the hallmark of classroom learning. It is based on the innate instincts of humans to perform under pressure. Benchmarking a student’s knowledge against others propels them to excel. Healthy competition is the cornerstone of an effective education system and thus needs to be preserved.

Humanizing virtual classrooms

Today, virtual classrooms are penetrating areas traditionally seen as the forte of classroom education. This is reflected in the rise of massive online open courses (MOOCs) in our country. The e-learning market in India is estimated to be worth more than US$3 billion, which makes it the third largest market in the world. Back in 2014, the Central Government allocated nearly US$15 million for the growth of virtual classrooms, which signals the future direction of education in India.

Online education is the harbinger of virtual classrooms. Any learner can access educational content of his choice and complete it as per his pace and comfort. International companies like Khan Academy, Udacity, and Coursera, to name a few, have taken the lead in this space. They have revolutionized learning by making it democratic and releasing it from the control of varsities and established curriculum. In India, players like Xamcheck and Upgrad are driving the online education market.

However, mentorship and competitiveness are not adequately addressed in many online courses available in the market today. One of the major concerns of a student is determining skills that he has to possess to get the kind of job that he wants. But holistic skills assessments are not offered by many online learning platforms. The lack of continuous performance tracking with respect to standard yardsticks is another aspect that leads to an abysmal rate of online course completion.

Blended learning can optimize virtual classrooms

In a recent research by Microsoft, it was observed that blended learning led to small but significant learning outcomes in MOOCs. Blended learning combines the best of physical classroom training and the flexibility of an online platform. Its biggest advantage is that it automates the delivery of educational content while retaining the mentor-mentee relationship.

Conclusion