A survey conducted among 5,000 respondents, including parents, students and around 70 academicians from 30 major cities across the country, suggests that around 93% parents strongly believe that traditional methods of learnings like in-person interactions, writing and learning and practical learning are best suited for their children and that they were worried about the physical and mental well-being of their children.
Feedback Insights, a B2B2C research-based consulting firm, in association with the Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) at the Indian School of Business (ISB), carried out the survey- ‘Schooling in the time of pandemic,’ in order to determine how online classrooms impacted various aspects of learning and student development.
As per the survey, around 33% parents expressed concern over the effectiveness of online learning and how a virtual learning environment might be hampering their child’s ability to be competitive in the future. Also 36% parents were worried about the long-term psychological impact of online learning on their children. On an average, students spend three hours a day on online sessions.
S. Arunachalam, Academic Director - Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, ISB says, “The ability of faculty and teachers to monitor student activities has significantly gone down and so has participative learning. It has a socio-psychological impact on both the faculty as well as the students."
Common deterrents
Connectivity issues, both for the teachers and the students and lack of a dedicated study space at home were seen as some of the most common deterrents to online learning and retention. Sixty-seven per cent of the students said they found it difficult to study due to Internet connectivity issues.
Better educated parents were more capable of supporting their children’s education through direct assistance, having higher expectations, and providing more resources. This shift was definitely not a boon for this stratum of society. Hence, as lacunae was seen in online education, a hybrid model that was being mulled over by educational institutes seemed more effective and productive, observed the report.
S. Chandramouli, Managing Director, Feedback Insights India said, "Mobile first adoption of online education is a blessing as well as a bane. Though it will drive the scale of adoption, it's not a healthy alternative. The Education Ministry, academicians and opinion- makers in this space should come together to create a better infrastructure for this to sustain.”