Telecom Business Review

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

In-Class to On-Screen: The Not-So-Easy Shift to Online Education in Tier II and Tier III Cities


Affiliations
1 Assistant Professor, Dayanand Postgraduate College, Hisar, Haryana, India
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


The education set up in the country was adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic, almost immediately halting classroom teaching or face-to-face teaching activities. This meant that the system was caught unprepared and infrastructurally lacking. This was even more of a problem in tier II and tier III cities, as compared to metro cities. This paper aims to examine all the issues relating to infrastructure, technological know-how, digital literacy, financial repercussions, etc. faced by students as well as tutors in these areas. The paper is a qualitative analysis, consisting of interviews of students and staff members in the context of the study. A set of 15 students and 15 tutors from several colleges in the city of Hisar, Haryana were interviewed. Alongside that, Focused Group Discussions of a group of 10 tutors and learners was conducted. The paper also examines the unwillingness/ inability of those at the twilight of their careers to delve into the online mode, something which isn’t usual or habitual for them. The findings of the paper would prove to be useful in highlighting the digital divide that exists within our society, putting an emphasis on those who are served by the media and do not have the technological means and knowledge to cope with the advancing society. This can also greatly help the academic institutions and tutors to better plan and execute their education modules.

Keywords

Online Teaching, Coronavirus, Digital Literacy, Digital Divide, Education
Subscription Login to verify subscription
User
Notifications
Font Size


  • Ali, W. (2020). Online and remote learning in higher education institutes: A necessity in light of COVID-19 pandemic. Higher Education, 10(3).

  • Crawford, J., Butler-Henderson, K., Rudolph, J., & Glowatz, M. (2020). COVID-19: 20 countries’ higher education intra-period digital pedagogy responses.Journal of Applied Teaching and Learning (JALT), 3(1). 10.37074/jalt.2020.3.1.7

  • Dhawan, S. (2020). Online learning: A panacea in the time of COVID-19 crisis. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 49(1), 5-22. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0047239520934018

  • EDTECH in India. (2019). Omidyar network India – RedSeer. Retrieved from https://www.omidyarnetwork. in/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/20200527-EdTechReport-Omidyar-V6.pdf

  • Huang, R. H., Liu, D. J., Guo, J., Yang, J. F., Zhao, J.H., & Wei, X. F. (2020). Guidance on flexible learning during campus closures: Ensuring course quality of higher education in COVID-19 outbreak. Beijing: Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University.

  • Krishnan, L. R. K. (2020). Pandemic: A case study of online teaching across various participant groups in the indian context. Journal of the International Academy for Case Studies, 26, 1-13.

  • Mishra, L., Gupta, T., & Shree, A. (2020). Online teaching-learning in higher education during lockdown period of COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 1, 100012. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2020.100012

  • Muthuprasad, T., Aiswarya, S., Aditya, K. S., & Jha, G.J. (2021). Students’ perception and preference for online education in India during COVID-19 pandemic. Social Sciences & Humanities Open. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2020.100101

  • Patricia, A., & Hermida, A. (2020). College students’ use and acceptance of emergency online learning due to COVID-19. International Journal of EducationalResearch Open. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2020.100011

  • The World Bank. (2020). How countries are using edtech (including online learning, radio, television, texting) to support access to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Retrieved from https://www.

  • worldbank.org/en/topic/edutech/brief/how-countriesare-using-edtech-to-support-remote-learning-duringthe-covid-19-pandemic

  • UNESCO. (2020). COVID-19 Educational disruption and response. Retrieved from https://en.unesco.org/ themes/ education emergencies/coronavirus-school-closures


Abstract Views: 185

PDF Views: 0




  • In-Class to On-Screen: The Not-So-Easy Shift to Online Education in Tier II and Tier III Cities

Abstract Views: 185  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

Amandeep
Assistant Professor, Dayanand Postgraduate College, Hisar, Haryana, India

Abstract


The education set up in the country was adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic, almost immediately halting classroom teaching or face-to-face teaching activities. This meant that the system was caught unprepared and infrastructurally lacking. This was even more of a problem in tier II and tier III cities, as compared to metro cities. This paper aims to examine all the issues relating to infrastructure, technological know-how, digital literacy, financial repercussions, etc. faced by students as well as tutors in these areas. The paper is a qualitative analysis, consisting of interviews of students and staff members in the context of the study. A set of 15 students and 15 tutors from several colleges in the city of Hisar, Haryana were interviewed. Alongside that, Focused Group Discussions of a group of 10 tutors and learners was conducted. The paper also examines the unwillingness/ inability of those at the twilight of their careers to delve into the online mode, something which isn’t usual or habitual for them. The findings of the paper would prove to be useful in highlighting the digital divide that exists within our society, putting an emphasis on those who are served by the media and do not have the technological means and knowledge to cope with the advancing society. This can also greatly help the academic institutions and tutors to better plan and execute their education modules.

Keywords


Online Teaching, Coronavirus, Digital Literacy, Digital Divide, Education

References