By Hajira Khota                                                                                                                                                        20.10.2021

The COVID-19 dilemma has compelled educational systems across the world to seek out alternatives to face-to-face instruction. As a result, teachers and students have been using online teaching and learning on an unprecedented scale.

With the abrupt shift away from the classroom in many parts of the world, some are wondering if online learning adoption would continue post-pandemic, and how such a shift might affect the global education industry.

Academics were able to begin to rethink several long-held beliefs about in-person teaching and learning as a result of the emergency change. It highlighted questions about the classroom’s role, the lecturer’s profession, and how students learn. This could lead to better practices in the industry.

COVID-19 required academics and students to rapidly up skill in order to teach and study remotely in ways that were unknown to most. Authentic online or blended teaching and learning is not the same as emergency remote teaching and learning.

Danie De Klerk from Wits University spoke to Radio Islam International; he says that online teaching and learning needs to be embraced and the potential that is has, needs to be seen in order to move forward.

“We’ve learnt such valuable lessons and we need to take them forward- they are forming part of our strategic plan over the next five years”.

Emergency and distant teaching and learning have brought new means of engaging with pupils. This improves academics’ ability to respond to students’ needs, this is the time to have difficult dialogues, deal with the facts exposed by unusual times, and envision new possibilities.

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