Was virtual education in India effective? Some say it was much worthy and some others say it was not that effective. Well, a survey by IPSOS says that six in ten Indians opined that Virtual Education was ineffective.
In the IndiaBus Virtual Education Survey, IPSOS says that people aged 45 and more (probably with children in schools or colleges) were most disillusioned (63 per cent) with virtual education and its effectiveness. It said that a greater number of women (60%) said that Virtual Education was ineffective.
Group Service Line Leader, Ipsos Public Affairs & Corporate Reputation Parijat Chakraborty, said “While the students did not lose their crucial years of studies, the learning per se was nowhere close to physically attending of classes. Attention span was low in virtual classes and tech glitches, problem solving, it was a lot to deal with. For women it magnified their workload, whether homemakers or working women and mothers, with daily chores, office work, no domestic help and online classes and assignments to deal with. This phenomenon is also laudatory that education continued despite the strained macro forces.”
VIRTUAL EDUCATION ; REGION WISE
When 67 per cent of the respondents in East India said that virtual education was ineffective, 65 per cent in South India opined so. Fully employed (62%) were unhappy and those from tier 2 towns (65%) found the online model of education ineffective.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION; POSITIVE IMPACT
At least 1 in 2 (50%) of respondents polled said the ability to manage technology improved, virtual connecting skills improved (42%), interaction with co-students/ friends improved (41%), interaction with teacher improved (40%) and social skills improved (38%).
VIRTUAL EDUCATION; NEGATIVE IMPACT
At least 36% of the respondents polled felt, the biggest downside was that the ability to concentrate on studies deteriorated during online classes.
; ONLINE EDUCATION AND EXAMS
The survey showed polarized views on the quality output of the online education model. So, while 34% felt it worked, 32% gave it a thumbs down.
IPSOS INDIABUS
Ipsos IndiaBus is a monthly pan India omnibus quantitative survey, that uses a structured questionnaire and is conducted by Ipsos India on diverse topics among 2800+ respondents from SEC A, B and C households, covering all adults of both genders in a representative way. The survey is conducted in metros, tier1, tier 2 and tier 3 towns, providing a more robust and realistic view of Indians. The respondents were polled face to face and online. The margin of error is +/-3% with 97% accuracy levels.
VIRTUAL; EDUCATION; STRENGTHS
Students can participate in classes from anywhere in the world, provided they have a computer and Internet connection. Iit allows students to participate in high quality learning situations when distance and schedule make on-ground learning difficult-to-impossible. It also helps physically challenged students (and teachers) more freedom to participate in class.
The Virtual Classroom is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Time efficiency is another strength brought by the online learning format. Students can access their courses at any time of day or night. Further, they have continuous access to lectures, course materials, and class discussions. This is particularly convenient for those who may need to reread a lecture or take more time to reflect on some material before moving on.
It allows a dynamic interaction between the instructor and students and among the students themselves. Resources and ideas are shared, and continuous synergy will be generated through the learning process. Each individual can contribute to the course discussions and comments on the work of others.
It helps students time to articulate responses with much more depth and forethought than in a traditional face-to-face discussion situation where the participant must analyze the comment of another on the spot and formulate a response or otherwise lose the chance to contribute to the discussion.
learners have a certain measure of anonymity. Discriminating factors such as age, dress, physical appearance, disabilities, race, and gender are largely absent. Instead, the focus of attention is clearly on the content of the discussion and the individual’s ability to respond and contribute thoughtfully and intelligently to the material at hand.
VIRTUAL EDUCTION; WEAKNESSES
Lack of access, whether it be for economic or logistic reasons, will exclude otherwise eligible students from the course. This comes mainly in rural and lower socioeconomic neighborhoods.
Both students and facilitators must possess a minimum level of computer knowledge in order to function successfully in an online environment.
User friendly and reliable technology is critical to a successful online program. However, even the most sophisticated technology is not 100% reliable.
an online method of education can be a highly effective alternative medium of education for the mature, self-disciplined student, it is an inappropriate learning environment for more dependent learners. Online asynchronous education gives students control over their learning experience and allows for flexibility of study schedules for non-traditional students; however, this places a greater responsibility on the student.
