Who would have thought that we will be forced to spend our entire 2020 locked within our homes? Certainly nobody!!!!! But guess what God had different plans in store for us. The interesting part here is that this time his plans brought havoc on humanity known by the name of Coronavirus. The pandemic started in Wuhan, China and in no time spread like a wildfire across the globe. In order to halt the outspread of infection, governments closed schools, entertainment spots, work places, etc. for an indefinite period of time. This uncertain lockdown period posed a dire challenge on the education sector that struggled to continue the learning process for students at different levels of education.
For months students lost connection with their teachers and curriculum. There were no scheduled classes, lectures, and interactions as schools were shut. It was very challenging for authorities to resume the teaching-learning process while ensuring safety of teachers and students. At this critical point, technology came as a rescue for the global education system. Teachers can teach online and students can continue their education without any hindrance.
Learning from home through online teaching portals became a one-stop solution for all. In online teaching, students and teachers interact with each other using Internet tools on their mobile phones, desktops, and laptops. These e-portals allow teachers and students to interact at the comfort of their homes.
During the initial stages, the resources were limited as service providers offering e-learning environments were few. As the need for such portals expanded various firms introduced their online teaching platforms in the market. Each project tried to solve the issue present in its predecessor. But as we say, change is an inevitable process and we need to keep pace with the changing environment to survive in this competitive world. E-learning platforms take advantage of the latest technological developments in the education field and try to revamp their ecosystems for better results.
Where we have seen some tremendous upgradations in teaching-learning mobile apps in recent times, the future is looking even more promising in this regard. In the points given below we are highlighting some potent upgrades that are likely to benefit our education pattern by transforming it into a student-friendly space for learners. ‘Education for all’ is the core objective of online teaching platforms as they strive to provide seamless access to education for students living in the remotest area of the world.
Unlock new opportunities with new Teaching-learning Tools
- Enhanced Interaction
The upcoming advancements will allow students to interact with their teachers effortlessly. They will be able to hold small yet engrossing group discussions. Teachers will get a plethora of ed-tech features for designing intuitive Q&A sessions, quizzes, and pools alongside teaching in the class. This will help them to keep a track of what each student has learned from a particular concept. Student’s last activity status, date of submission of assignment, response in classroom quizzes, etc. will all be available for access for teachers.
- Roster management
It becomes quite problematic for teachers to maintain a roster when teaching on an online platform. With the upcoming set of tools, they will be able to automatically set up classes and keep rosters connected to the registered student details corner. This will reduce the burden on teachers and help them to focus more on their lectures.
- Easy Integration
Teachers and students will be able to make their content more immersive by exporting content from outside channels. The add-ons help students to complete their assigned activities without hopping from one medium to another. Teachers choose the tools they require through add-ons. This not only a time saver but also helps to enhance the overall learning experience for students as well as their teachers.
- Quick Scheduling
The e-learning portals are working on tools that will help teachers to sync their work with other staff people. Teachers can schedule their classes and assignments to different classes easily. This solves the problem of overlapping schedules and ensures timely assignment of tasks to students. Also, teachers will be able to track student’s activities on the portal.
- Offline access
Soon, students will be able to kickstart their work in an offline mode. They will be allowed to review their projects and write the content in Google docs without Internet. This feature will reduce the burden on students struggling because of poor Internet connection.
- Encourage worthy work
The e-learning platforms are looking forward to introducing systems that can identify plagiarism in work easily. This will help to avoid the habit of assignment copying amongst students. Students will become more responsible towards their work.
