The first case of novel corona virus (2019-nCoV) also called COVID 19 was reported on December 31 and the source of the outbreak has been linked to a wet market in Wuhan (Hubei province, China). On Friday, January 24, officials in Nepal announced that a Nepali student had tested positive for a COVID 19, which originated in Wuhan (Hubei province, China) in December 2019. To date, there has been 42 confirmed including of 5 are recovered and 37 are in hospital for treatment) case of COVID-19 in Nepal. With COVID-19 spreading to more state, Nepal Government closed schools, colleges, educational institutions as a precautionary measuring against the disease. COVID-19 has been declared as Pandemic by World Health Organization (WHO) and there is a sense of fear and panic all around the globe. Since the first case of COVID-19 has emerged in Nepal, Nepal Government is taking all the possible precautionary steps to curb the spread of the disease and that include shutting down educational institutes, vacating hostels, postponing entrance examinations, convocation ceremonies, and more.
According to UNESCO, since the outbreak of COVID-19 began, some 1.37 billion students in 138 countries worldwide have been affected by school and university closures. Nearly 60.2 million school teachers and university lecturers are no longer in the classroom. Since, in the wake of this emergency situation, educational institutes around the globe are shifting their operations to online learning. Top educational institutions around the global have stopped their offline an operation has shifted to their teaching-learning procedure online. In Nepal, online classes are being conducted on campus and affiliated campuses of various universities. Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu University, and numerous private colleges have conducted online courses at multiple faculties. At the present most of the classes are run with the help of Zoom, Google Meet, Hangouts, and others. In fact, there is a 100% participation of both Bachelors-level and Masters-level students in some online classes. This is the same technology other universities around the world are using to educate their students.
Due to maintaining WHO guideline to conduct and fight against COVID-19, social distancing and physical distancing is most important since online classes are most important. Studying online gives more flexibility to students and teachers. By studying online, students and teachers can choose their own learning environment that works best their needs: be it your home, your study.
During the nationwide lockdown a portion of the syllabus could be completed by conducting online classes. This will help teachers cover the syllabus after the educational institutions reopen. Consequently, conducting exams on time will help maintain the flow of study for students. In addition, students will be engaged in studies during this lockdown.
Online classes are most convenient then regular classes. During nationwide lockdown nation have to keep safe and online classes help to schedule their course hours as per mutual understanding of teachers and students. Other than certain due dates, it helps to make a own schedule for completing the requirements of the course. Students have a direct pipeline to the instructor via e-mail, and can get questions answered directly. Many students aren’t comfortable asking questions in class for fear of feeling stupid. The Internet (hopefully) eliminates that fear (as long as you feel comfortable with the instructor). Many times you think of a question after class or while you are studying. Rather than trying to remember to ask it or forgetting it, you can send an e-mail to the instructor.
Most of the time, most of what student learn in a class is forgotten within a week or two of the end of classes. Having that spark of interest and knowing how to find information online insures that learning is always available to students. If students become interested in a certain topic, perhaps because of something they see, read or hear about relevant topic. Students will have developed the skills to find information, digest it, synthesize it and formulate an answer to any question that comes.
Perhaps the greatest foe of online classes is procrastination. Most of them, instructors included, put off the things they need to do until the very last moment. When it comes to education, the last moment is the worst possible moment to learn. Sometimes that lesson is learned the hard way in the form of poor performance on an exam or assignment. But ultimately, they succeed because they realize the importance of doing things on time or even ahead of time. That self-realization propels their success in online classes. The motivation to study in online classes comes from them self. It’s something student-centered or active learning. The students take responsibility for their course of studies and mature into an individual for whom learning and accomplishment are highly valued.
Somehow students will spend more time studying and completing assignments in the online environment than on-campus course. How can that be? The online environment is text-based. To communicate with instructor and students, Participants must type messages, post responses and otherwise communicate using your fingers (i.e., through typing). In the same sense, reading lecture materials can take more time than listening to an instructor deliver them, although spoken lectures have a distinct disadvantage. If sitting in a classroom, it’s likely that participants miss a good percentage of what the instructor says, no matter how focused. It’s human nature to zone out for brief periods of time. Participants will have a tendency to go back over the notes if they miss something and that takes more time. They will likely learn more in an online environment, but you will have to make a greater effort to accomplish that learning.
Online classes demands that Participants develop personal time-management skills. As with most things, if they don’t manage their time properly, they will find them self buried beneath a seeming insurmountable mountain of coursework. Online classes require the self-discipline to set aside chunks of time to complete classes. Sometimes, it means making difficult choices.
It’s a sink or swim proposition and participants can’t have it both ways. If they desire to become a responsible, self-sufficient, independently minded citizen of this planet, then now’s the time to start. Life is not a dress rehearsal. Get busy with it.
In a philosophical sort of way, the real disadvantage to an Internet-based course is that students might not own up to it. They might not take responsibility for their studies and their goals. They might get way behind and never catch up
Similarly online classes help a lot to continue relevant theoretical courses to all level of academic students.
