The past six months have been a rollercoaster of perspectives on online learning. In March 2020, global lockdowns put close to 90% of learners worldwide out of school, with many countries intending to keep physical classrooms closed for the rest of the year.
Tan Lin Nah, Chief Executive Officer, INTI International University & Colleges
To enable learning continuity during this time, online learning has been the inevitable go to for educators from all levels. But with differing views on its effectiveness, educators are not only having to navigate a new method of delivery but are being challenged to re-evaluate what they teach.
“Online learning is not about switching on a webcam and delivering a 45-minute lecture. This unidirectional form of teaching was barely effective in classrooms, and even less so in online learning where interpersonal cues are easily lost. Educators now have to evolve towards learner-centric education, becoming facilitators and curating content that engages students through active learning,” explained Tan Lin Nah, Chief Executive Officer of INTI International University & Colleges.
For close to a decade, academic teams at INTI have tried and tested what works in cyber classrooms. Videos, blogs, journals, virtual collaborations, and even augmented reality have found a foothold in INTI’s day to day lessons and assessments, with students experiencing at least one out of three hours of online learning for every subject.
These experiences, along with the integration of customised, secure online learning management systems and industry designed software, were invaluable when educators were forced to move lessons fully online within a day during the MCO. This agile response was especially important for students who were in the midst of final exams during that time, and who were able to complete their studies through alternative online assessments – mitigating potential delays to graduations and progression into new semesters.
These concerted efforts recently led to INTI International University being awarded a 5 Stars Rating for Online Learning in the 2020 QS Stars Ratings.
“Assessing areas such as student faculty engagement, student interaction, student services and technology, and commitment to online learning, the QS Stars Ratings for Online Learning covers a wide range of indicators to measure the success of a university in delivering quality online learning experiences to students. The award is especially significant as it is measured from the perspective of an online student,” said Chong E Way, Regional Director (South East Asia), QS Quacquarelli Symonds.
“Having achieved high scores in a number of these areas, we are pleased to recognise INTI as one of a handful of universities globally to have received a 5-Star Rating for Online Learning within the last three years,” Chong added.
Expanding on the future of online learning due to the pandemic, Lee Blakemore, Chief Client Officer & President, Global Markets for Blackboard, INTI’s long term, global learning management systems partner shared:
(from left) Dr Joseph Lee, Vice Chancellor, INTI International University; Dr Michal Tsur, Kaltura’s Co-Founder and President; Lee Blakemore, Chief Client Officer & President, Global Markets, Blackboard; Chong E Way, Regional Director (South East Asia), QS Quacquarelli Symonds
“None of us in the global education community could have anticipated the seismic shift and massive digital transformation we had to undertake as schools and institutions moved to remote instruction. We applaud the education community for all that’s been accomplished in such a short period of time to transition to remote instruction. We’re proud to be working side-by-side with INTI to help them work through today’s challenges. And while we continue to support their needs today, our thinking has also shifted toward preparing for tomorrow.
Lee further elaborated, “While day-to-day life will return to “normal” at some point, we believe that for education there will be a new ‘normal’. Students will expect institutions to be able to seamlessly switch between face-to-face and virtual formats. And they will continue to expect the quality education they’ve paid for – one that will prepare them for the next stage of their lives. Online learning will never be the same as it was before COVID-19. It will be an even more important element of every institution’s strategy, and our goal is to support institutions through this crisis.”
Another long term partner and global leader in cloud-based video solutions for education and beyond, Kaltura emphasised the role of technology in this new world of learning.
Dr Michal Tsur, Kaltura’s Co-Founder and President advised, “Technology and specifically video technology has gone from nice to have, to mission critical. Online and blended learning are powered by video technology that enables educators to personally reach their students wherever they are. This will continue to expand in the new normal, and will be enhanced by various advanced technologies that add layers of interactivity, collaboration and data.
“The aspects of student support and counselling have also moved from face-to-face to digital models, and finding appropriate technologies to meet these needs will be important as well. To address this, education technology will become much broader than learning technology and will also address elements of community and network, which are critical elements to mirror those offered at a physical campus,” she explained.
Dr Tsur also addressed how students and lecturers would need to adapt in the new normal of virtual education.
“Students today are digital and video natives, they are very comfortable using video communication and creation tools across every aspect of their lives, so adjusting to a virtual learning environment should come quite naturally to most. They will mainly need to adjust to maintaining a schedule of classes from home, and staying engaged and focused. This can be helped by using collaborative and interactive virtual learning tools that drive further interaction with the instructors and content.
“Lecturers, on the other hand, are facing a bigger adjustment. They have already begun to evolve, some faster than others, by embracing remote learning technology, and finding the advantages of virtual learning and video communication, and collaboration tools that can be used to create more personalized e-learning experiences for each and every student that are even more engaging than physically standing in front of a class,” Dr Tsur said.
Blakemore added, “Today we stand at a pivotal moment in education as we as a community collectively grapple with the best path forward to ensure that learners continue to have access to a robust, quality education in the midst of this global pandemic. Now more than ever, it’s important for us to come together to share, to learn from one another, and to leverage technology and data to make informed decisions.”
Vice Chancellor of INTI International University, Dr Joseph Lee said, “Achieving the QS 5-Star Rating in Online Learning would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of faculty, students, and our partners. Each group played a part in the development, feedback and improvements to our online learning offerings, which were critical to INTI’s ability to respond to the shift to fully online learning during the crisis.
“As we advance into a new world of virtual learning, INTI’s close to a decade of experiences and the technologies we have put in place is paving the way for us to meet evolving learner needs and to ensure that the quality and depth of learning remains uncompromised, even when we are unable to leverage physical spaces,” Dr Lee concludes.