(UN)EXPECTED BENEFITS OF ONLINE EDUCATION
Assistant Professor Hatidža Jahić
The announcement of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 has, among other things, led to the closing of schools in 195 countries, thus making the process of education more difficult for more than 1,7 billion children and young people all over the world. The fastest, but also the only solution at that moment for the process of education to continue, was a shift to different forms of online platforms for teaching. According to the analyses by McKinsley from 2020, the pandemic actually made companies acquire business digital solutions in the period of only 8 weeks instead of 5 years which would otherwise normally take. Thus, the pandemic has actually accelerated the already started process of digital transformation in both private and public sectors. Education in this case is not an exception, because a significant growth of online education market is also foreseen.
However, for the process of digital transformation, it is important to continually invest in this system of education and not to treat it as a temporary solution in the period of crisis, but as a new reality for both private and public sectors. Even before the pandemic, education system faced numerous challenges. Among others, on the basis of the PISA test results achieved by students in B&H, one can conclude that the current education system does not provide the necessary knowledge and skills. This testing shows that every second student is functionally non-literate (58% in mathematics, 54% in reading and 57% in natural sciences). This is why it is necessary to significantly enhance education policies in B&H, and to revise the content that is to be taught and methods that are to be applied through a comprehensive reform. In this way, the education system which is currently based on the facts learning system, would be directed toward the problem solving bases, which would help the acquirement of the necessary knowledge and skills in future.
Online education today
By entering the second year of online teaching at all levels of education, in the world and in our country, most of the countries in the world, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, have implemented, in certain shorter periods, combined models of online and classic (in class) teaching. At the same time, different opinions appeared in regard to online education, due to at least three reasons. Firstly, it is in human nature to seek interaction, connection and work in an environment where personal contact is predominant. One of the challenges of this form of education is a lack of social contact among students in schools and faculties. Secondly, online education, that is, virtual classrooms as we call them today, pose significant burdens to the parents and guardians whose work habits have also changed due to the pandemic COVID-19 (working from home), but equally to those whose work requires going to work. In this context, parents/guardians have taken a major part in the role of teachers. Newer research shows that employed people all over the USA, Canada and Europe, by working from home actually work 2 hours more on average in comparison to the period of working from the office. And, thirdly, online education has also deepened inequalities in the society because students from marginalized communities, without the necessary technology, remained deprived of the access to education. In this way, digital transformation and the pandemic have digitally connected one part of the world even more than before, while other parts remained unconnected and socially excluded. This is undoubtedly true, also for students with disabilities. Finally, it is difficult to provide arguments for the benefits of online education for students in lower grades of primary education, because those years ask for much more personal contact and teachers' engagement in the process of studying.
New knowledge and skills
If we insist that we are living the new normal and that we are witnesses to digital transformation of the world around us, then we have to continuously prepare for that. Every crisis is a cause for innovation and innovations set new trends! Therefore, online education is undoubtedly one of them, keeping in mind that this form of education enables students in schools and faculties a better acquirement of new skills that are necessary for the success at a labour market. Online education also requires a countinuous enhancement of digital literacy as one of the basic skills in the 21st century. Team work and cooperation with geographically distant, virtual teams is a special feature of working in future. Working in such an environment requires specific knowledge and skills. The study by IBM shows that members of these teams will have to know to cooperate, conduct network research and analyses, use resources such as artificial intelligence, ask for a continuous education, practice emotional intelligence and become more motivated and proactive. Flexibility and adjustment to changes are now considered to be the most important skills, followed by time management and the ability to efficiently work in a team environment. Online education is also shown as a test of maturity, focus and self-discipline! Apart from that, studying and working in online environment enables students in schools and faculties to acquire organizational skills needed for work from home that will certainly be dominant in future. Of course, studying from home is also a big challenge. This is why, apart from formal online education, it is necessary to use and check the contents of different open source platforms for online studying. Currently, the biggest number of them are related to the STEM area, which implies work that does not require a classic workplace and working time. In that context, we cannot forget that long life learning is one of the characteristics of the societies that are based on knowledge.
If we accept the fact that the crisis is a chance for education in B&H, it is necessary to use the process of digital transformation and to keep up with trends in education in the world. Undoubtedly, skills acquired during the pandemic will certainly help today's students in schools and faculties at the labour market in the years that follow. And, finally, let us not forget, the future is digital!
Regards,
Sarajevo, April 26, 2021