Why Hybrid Learning is a better solution post-COVID-19?
If someone told us two years ago that schooling would move to remote platforms, we would not believe it! Nevertheless, it has been rather remarkable to see how educational institutes pivoted to new teaching methods overnight at the onset of the pandemic. This gave Edtech a new direction and better integration opportunities with schools. Probably the pandemic led schools to embrace technology and see the sunny side of it fully.
There has been a long-standing gap between synchronous and non-synchronous learning within the education system, and COVID-19 has helped all stakeholders explore new possibilities with technology.
Hybrid or blended learning, as some may call it, is now the talk of the town. As a result, many educators and school leaders seem to be mulling over this idea.
Our take on online learning
Given the current circumstances, both students and teachers across schools have adapted to the remote learning norms. There are both positives and negatives to it. While everyone remains under pressure with online teaching and learning and struggles to manage multiple digital platforms, there is an upside. Remote learning has opened a plethora of opportunities for everyone.
Research shows that between 2019–2020, India’s number of internet users increased by a whopping 128 million. Moreover, for the first time, rural India outnumbered internet users as compared to urban India.
Students reported higher engagement, improved grasp over topics taught in an online class (approximately 40%-60% lesser time required to understand a new topic), better retention of study material and resources etc.
Teachers also gave positive feedback on using digital tools during remote sessions. Most teachers build their capacities to use MS Office, Office 365, Zoom, Google meet, and other digital platforms for everyday routines. In addition, we received continuous input about the ease of sharing audio/video files, images, PDF’s and PPt’s with students and the ability to retain digital resource material vis a vis stocking physical files and books at school.
At the same time, the schools that engaged with us conveyed smooth virtual operations, reduction in overheads and lesser staffing requirements on the ground.
Cons of remote learning
As we discussed in great detail in our earlier articles, it is evident that remote learning has equally impacted teachers and students’ mental well-being. What perplexed many parents was that their children were dealing with emotional chaos throughout the two years of the pandemic. Little could be done to change the situation caused due to the crisis, and there were repercussions. Parents and teachers reported stress, anxiety, isolation and mood fluctuations among students in higher numbers than previous years of routine school life.
Does Hybrid Learning look like a balanced solution for the future?
Just like us, educators are also of the opinion that Hybrid Learning may be the future of education. This method will help integrate asynchronous learning with in-classroom experiences and ensure students make the most of their learning time productively.
While physical classroom sessions provide face-to-face interactions, physical activities and motivation, online sessions will allow them to plan a focused study routine.
By balancing the week with few days of classroom learning and few days of online sessions, teachers and students can streamline projects and assignments while maintaining their mental and physical health.
Hybrid learning is advantageous for teachers and schools likewise. Instead of allocating long hours to administrative chores, teachers and staff can now use a digital tool like Myelin that automates all administrative tasks and helps manage their time effectively.
Myelin can engage all stakeholders together — right from school owners, the principal, teachers, staff and parents via one channel and streamline academic, administrative, operational and financial communication smoothly.
Here are a few unique features that Myelin offers teachers for a well-planned school calendar -
Paperless operations — Myelin’s technology completely digitalises administrative school tasks such as assigning homework, marking attendance, generating reports, lesson planning and much more
Lesson planning and real-time communication — Myelin enables teachers to plan their lessons, track objectives, post notes, remarks, generate a teaching catalogue, share audio/video resources and instantly communicate with parents through one single platform.
Data-driven insights — Myelin tracks learning and engagement patterns through AI and Ml. It provides insights into a student’s performance. This feature enables better student profiling, academic predictions, learning outcomes and helps teachers make remedial suggestions.
Furthermore, this is how Myelin can help students better their productivity –
Receiving homework and online submissions — Students can receive assignments in audio/video/image or text files. They can then upload their homework in any of these formats via simple chat functions.
Receiving assignments and reports — Teachers can share both projects and exam reports through this unique digital tool, and students can access all of it in one place. This helps avoid messy paperwork and physical reporting.
AI/ML-based insights — Submitting assignments through Myelin lets the tool track a student’s interest through AI & ML. Thus providing intelligent insights to the teachers and parents about the student’s preferences, likes and dislikes about various topics and helps the teacher make guided recommendations.
Now that Indian schools are fully utilising technology, we see significant benefits in continuing this integration. So, if you are an educator or a school owner, we would like to hear your thoughts on Hybrid Learning.
Read more from Myelin:
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly of Anxiety in Children | Mental illness in children. How can we help?
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If you are interested to know more about how myelin is helping schools to become more efficient, visit: www.myelin.co.in or write to us at info@myelin.co.in
