(Continued from Feb. 4, 2021)
IN THEORY, all learning could now be done online, except that the students would supposedly lose the so-called “classroom experience” or “campus experience”. Even if all learning could now be done online, it may still be better to have some onsite components, even if these are done only at the end of each semester or year.
This is already a popular practice in some countries, and we should really look into this hybrid approach sooner or later. From an economic standpoint, there is a big potential in offering online courses to foreign students, but on top of that, more money could be made by requiring them to come and visit for their hands-on modules. That way, we could earn more revenues from “educational tourism”.
Aside from learning how to become good employees and good businessmen, all students also have to learn how to become good citizens. It seems that the entire educational system is lacking in this regard, because we could observe the negative effects of this vacuum all over us.
To name a few examples, good citizenship learning should include taxpayer education, voter education, driver education and environmental education. As a matter of fact, good citizenship learning should be considered as part of continuing education, because everyone should continue to behave as good citizens for as long as they are residents of this country. We all talk about good governance, but the other side of good governance should be good citizenship.
For all intents and purposes, students could now read or view lessons on their smartphones no matter where they are, and they may never ever meet the teachers at the other end. What that means is that there may no longer be a need for “classrooms” (not always) because they could learn from everywhere, no matter where they are.
What that also means is that their smartphones could now function as their “books” and they may never ever need paper to complete their learning. One advantage of online learning is that the students need not be bound by “time” and “space”. In other words, the students could take their time in learning at their own pace, and they need not be limited by the space inside the classroom.
There was a time when it was not even possible to put a computer in every classroom. Fast forward to the present times, it is now possible to provide for several smartphones in every classroom, for the use of those who do not have their own devices.
I know for a fact that physical books would still be needed one way or the other, but the demand for these books will surely decline in which case the budgets for these could be shifted to the smartphones.
In this overall equation, content would still be king, and that includes the knowledge that will be personally imparted by the teachers inside the classrooms. In due time however, the roles of teachers could shift towards becoming tutors or proctors/PN
