Kitchener (CA), July 2021 - D2L, the developer of the cloud-based learning platform Brightspace, has released a report on the perspectives of students on remote learning amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The study provides insights on the challenges students face with remote learning, scope for improvement, and recommendations for blended learning in the future.
Titled "Remote learning and the future of post-pandemic education," the report surveyed 802 students across Australia, India, the Philippines and Singapore to understand the challenges they faced as online learners.
Following the shift to online learning amid the pandemic, student satisfaction has dropped across all countries, for all types of educational institutions, it said. Likewise, countries face different challenges with remote learning, according to the paper.
For example, students in Singapore and Australia are more likely to face issues with adjusting to online pedagogy - such as being unable to focus without the presence of a teacher or having teachers that struggle with using technology effectively.
Meanwhile, students in the Philippines and India predominantly faced issues with access to the technology needed for remote learning.
In the Philippines and India, almost half the students in each country (51 percent and 47 percent, respectively) would consider dropping out or postponing their education until the pandemic is over and they can return to their institutions.
Students using eLearning platforms reported a higher diversity of teaching techniques used in their studies and higher student satisfaction.
On the other hand, students would like to receive more one-to-one feedback and personalized advice on how to improve, as well as the ability to self-pace their studies with structured course content that allows them to progress from one course to the next at their own pace.
It was discovered that students would prefer to have classes in a blended format - classes that are neither fully online or offline.
"As digital adoption around the world accelerates, the way we learn has to transform to keep pace. We need education systems that are flexible enough to accommodate both offline and online learning," shared Nick Hutton, regional director of Asia at D2L.
"This new mode of remote learning is not just a survival tactic for the short haul, but essential for the future of education. With this study, we hope to provide some recommendations on how institutions can begin rethinking where, when, and how education can happen, with students and their learning at the center," he added.
