COVID-19 and the transition to online learning – SP Jain’s Dr Nawazish Mirza writes in Edarabia

Written by SP Jain News Desk | 13-Apr-2020 04:42:29

The COVID-19 outbreak has provided a unique opportunity for business schools to test their readiness for online teaching. In these dynamic times, a good online pedagogy provides much-needed flexibility to the students while not compromising on their skill development. How can institutions ensure students get the same learning experience online as they would in a conventional classroom? Dr Nawazish Mirza (Associate Professor and Area Head – Finance, SP Jain School of Global Management) shares his insights in an article published in Edarabia, a leading education portal in the Middle East.

SP Jain’s new Engaged Learning Online (ELO) technology offers students a classroom-like learning experience in the safety and comfort of their home

“Given that virtual teaching is part of the blended learning offered by top institutions, the professors should be conscious that online teaching is not "panic teaching". Like all other pedagogies, online sessions need to be carefully crafted. It should not be merely replicating face-to-face lectures in front of a webcam,” says Dr Mirza.

He shares six practices instructors can adopt to help them teach online and keep the students engaged. Here’s an extract from the article:

Make an assessment of the technology that is available.
Explain the class agenda at the beginning of the session and highlight the learning objectives. Also, specify how the students would communicate and participate in the discussion.
Engaging students in an online session is very challenging. Hence, attempt to blend your session with multiple activities like videos, quizzes, polls and simulations.
Online teaching is an optimal way to promote peer learning. You can split students into virtual groups and stimulate students using Socratic questioning.
The assessment of online courses is not similar to that of the conventional classroom. Therefore, instructors need to be very conscious of this and design their assessments accordingly.
The follow-up and out of classroom assistance are very critical for online courses.

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