Online classes: Why teaching and learning remotely is a learning experience for all

One of the biggest casualties of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown has been
institutionalised education. Schools have been shut to prevent the spread of the virus and this
has given way to online classrooms, a very new concept in India even for the most
sophisticated schools.

One of the biggest casualties of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown has been
institutionalised education. Schools have been shut to prevent the spread of the virus and this
has given way to online classrooms, a very new concept in India even for the most
sophisticated schools. It is commendable how easily some educational institutions have
moved to virtual classrooms, all thanks to tools such as Zoom, Google Hangouts
and Microsoft Teams. But there are some still struggling to get online.

There are teachers and schools putting extra effort to engage students in classes by revamping
timetables, shifting discussions online, taking feedback from parents and monitoring students
constantly. While there are some who are doing the bare minimum and using WhatsApp to
stay connected with students. Some schools are trying out tools like SeeSaw, Google Suite
and YouTube videos to make online classes as engaging as offline ones. But there are also
those that are failing miserably at this shift.

Parents are divided

Vikas Garg, a professional in the energy sector and a parent of a preschooler, living in
Gurugram says, “Online class is a fairly new concept and my daughter was pretty excited
initially to be part of it. The virtual classes via Zoom are being conducted smoothly. There are
some drawbacks such as the lack of a platform to submit assignments. Students are required
to write the assignments, take a picture of it and email, which gets tough for the child as well
as the teacher. Otherwise, the school has moved into online teaching very smoothly.”

Barna Chowdhury, a banker and mother of an 8-year-old living in Jharkhand, has a very
different story to share. “The concept of online class is rubbish,” she is categorical. “The
schools in Telco area are one of the best in the state and they are failing miserably at this. The
teachers send photos, often unclear ones, of notes in a WhatsApp group and expect the parents
to note then down on behalf of the children. In today’s time, when both parents are working, it
is difficult to do the tasks given by the schools,” she explains, adding how the school has
shown no initiative to connect with the child. “My daughter isn’t learning anything.”

Chanchal Roy, a Kolkata businessman, too has similar frustrations about the classes of his
two sons. “Class teachers send assignments every day, we need to take printouts, finish them
and send a photo of the assignment to the teachers via WhatsApp. I feel the school is just
rushing to finish the syllabus and this isn’t helping the child in any way.”

The right platform

Schools (some) are using video conferencing platforms like Zoom and Google Hangouts to
conduct classes. Some others have moved classes to Microsoft Teams. Many teachers find
these tools extremely helpful to make classes even more engaging than regular classroom
while others are struggling.

“Considering that theirs is a generation heavily dependent on gadgets, getting them to use the
devices is not an issue. Getting them to use it judiciously and in a manner that doesn’t drain
them completely, requires a lot of planning and monitoring both by parents and teachers,”
says Iewa Shukla, an English teacher at a reputed school in New Delhi.

How to use Zoom?

Aarti Sarin, another English teacher of a Delhi school, feels virtual classes can never be her
“cup of tea” because a lot goes into making them productive and interactive. “It’s easy to
know and understand a student’s response in a physical classroom, but in Zoom classes there
are a lot of drawbacks apart from the simple ones of being devoid of experiencing those
“wow” moments in the class.” She explains: “I am trying to create an interactive environment
in the online classes by randomly asking questions to students by taking their names as
mentioned in chat. Most of them do answer but there are few who do not even respond.”

“Teaching students using Zoom is different, not difficult, in the sense that you miss the
physical presence of the students in the class,” says another teacher from Delhi. She thinks the
process is easy as the job roles largely remain the same and no such extra efforts are required.
“Zoom schedules help manage everything and most classes seem to run as per a timetable
usually followed in school.”

Choosing the video platform hasn’t been easy for all. “We started with Zoom, but switched to
Google Hangouts. Zoom had more features: raising hands, whiteboard, etc. but for some
reason it didn’t work out for the larger group. We switched to Google Hangouts then. It is
smoother, it feels more discursive. I don’t feel shortchanged,” says Shukla.

Of late, Zoom has been under scrutiny over several security issues and due to which some
schools are moving away from the platform.

Rajesh Padmanabhan, COO, NFN Labs says his son’s school has moved from Zoom to a TCL
product which isn’t very interactive or easy to use. “It only allows the teachers to record
videos and upload them on the platform, the students can connect with the teachers only via
chat. There’s no one-on-one communication happening.”

Advantages, disadvantages of online classrooms

The online classes, whatever the enabling technology, is only as good as the teachers and the
ability of the students to grasp the new teaching technique. One of the teachers felt students
are actually more responsive and active in online classrooms, compared to when they are in
physical ones. “This could be because this is a new concept and they are excited to explore it
with the teachers. They also don’t get distracted by their classmates, which frequently
happens in a regular class.”
Teachers do find the absence of a blackboard a disadvantage and network connectivity a
constant problem. “We miss the clarity that a blackboard gives us, we are kind of making do
with the virtual whiteboard on Zoom.”

There are other concerns too. “Our education system still expects children to write exams. It’s
difficult to monitor actual writing in a virtual mode: they might get good at typing, but getting
them to readjust to offline mode might be a challenge too,” explains Shukla.

Shweta Kawatra, a parent who teaches in a New Delhi school, highlights that many students
have not been able to take advantage of the virtual platform because they do not have a
suitable device at home or lack a good internet connection. “But essentially, it does solve the
purpose of engaging with students,” she says, adding that it also helps then continue learning
despite the lockdown.

“It has its own share of disadvantages too. Too much screen time can be perilous for health.
Prolonged online sessions can be overwhelming and may lead to problems related to vision,
body posture and sleep disorder,” Kawatra adds.

Figuring out the new normal

Most schools are sorting out the timetable according to subject weightage, spread across the
entire week. They are also ensuring that everything starting from attendance to giving
assignments to students is done in a similar manner as their regular classroom so students
don’t have to struggle to cope up.

Students who miss classes are contacted instantly through WhatsApp and proper reasons are
taken. “We have time-tables, breaks, prayer, afternoon good-byes etc: most of such practices
have been kept intact. They are with us from morning till afternoon, however, we’re taking
feedback from parents and children consistently, and we’ll review the same if needed,” says
Shukla.

Schools are constantly sending out circulars and SMSes, conducting parent orientation and
checking mechanisms where the senior teachers are reviewing classes and gathering feedback
to improve them in the future. But there is no denying that for now this is e-learning
experience is for all.