{"id":16246,"date":"2021-02-11T09:09:23","date_gmt":"2021-02-11T09:09:23","guid":{"rendered":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/?p=16246"},"modified":"2021-03-12T14:13:10","modified_gmt":"2021-03-12T14:13:10","slug":"virtual-public-service-pupils-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/virtual-public-service-pupils-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Virtual Public Service: Pupils of a Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"

What we\u2019ve learned from online learning<\/span><\/h2>\n

The education<\/a> sector was among the most hard-hit industries during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. With exams cancelled and students and teachers in limbo, a nationwide closing of school doors took place for the first time.<\/span><\/p>\n

The official lockdown brought about physical distancing measures that meant educators had to find a way to migrate the bricks-and-mortar classroom into an easily accessible, collaborative online environment. <\/span><\/p>\n

The rise of the virtual classroom\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Early on, the eLearning industry predicted that predominant use of virtual classrooms would increase by a <\/span>16.2%<\/span><\/a> compounded annual growth rate by 2023. With many schools having embraced the technologies to enable virtual learning, that number is likely to increase.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read<\/b> RingCentral\u2019s Remote classrooms white paper<\/span><\/a><\/h2>\n

While school closures initially caused much controversy among parents, educators, and industry leaders, teachers and guardians had to form a united front to continue the education process from pupils\u2019 homes. Teachers and school IT managers looked to video meeting technologies to help them pivot their teaching strategy and continue with the syllabus until the end of the school year.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The pitfalls and roadblocks of online learning\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

In April 2020 the United Nations Education Agency (UNESCO) estimated that <\/span>91%<\/span><\/a> of the world\u2019s students had been affected by school closures.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Historically, roadblocks included security concerns and fears that the socioeconomic gap may be widened, with some families unable to provide the necessary devices for their children to learn online.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pupil engagement was also a key factor<\/span><\/a> that teachers had to work around during the initial stages of the lockdown. Home-schooling proved difficult for many parents as they juggled family life, working from home, and their children\u2019s learning schedules. As a result, <\/span>expectations had to be lowered in terms of the hours of online learning feasible in the space of a day<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The advantages of online learning<\/span><\/h2>\n

The experience has demonstrated how <\/span>virtual classrooms offer an alternative platform<\/span><\/a> for teaching that can both supplement and complement traditional classroom learning. Those with the best results have taken advantage of the interactive elements of virtual classroom tools, creating an immersive experience as opposed to the passive reception of a prerecorded lesson.<\/span><\/p>\n

Physical restrictions meant learning resources had to be made easily accessible for pupils in an online format, with teachers and educators learning from well-established distance learning institutions such as the Open University.<\/span><\/p>\n

Headteacher Mark Johns from <\/span>St. Bartholomew\u2019s Church of England Primary School in Bolton<\/span><\/a> instantly became an ambassador, embracing online learning<\/a> not just for pupils, but for the entire school community.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to have our teachers make regular check-in calls from home to students and their families,\u201d says Mark. \u201cWe also wanted to have virtual staff meetings\u2014not only strictly for work but also to keep each other\u2019s morale up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The morale-boosting activities included a virtual quiz night for staff over the school\u2019s cloud communications system. The staff quiz night proved such a success that it was also rolled out to pupils\u2019 families as well, helping to bring the entire school community closer as a result.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

St. Bartholomew\u2019s key focus was on the <\/span>mental health and well-being<\/span><\/a> of their pupils during lockdown, and Mark found that online learning gave his teachers the tools to monitor their pupils. With features such as instant messaging, file sharing, and phone functionality as well as video technology<\/a> for delivering live and recorded classrooms, pupils and teachers were able to continue to connect and collaborate throughout lockdown.<\/span><\/p>\n\t

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\r\n\t\t\tVideo conferencing ebook<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t

Revolutionising communications in the UK public sector<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t

How the rise of video meetings is pivotal to public service delivery in the UK.<\/p>\r\n\t\t\tDownload your copy<\/a>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\t\n

A higher level of syllabus delivery<\/span><\/h2>\n

The virtual learning environment has played a growing role in higher education programmes and offers a viable alternative to in-person education. The primary benefits of adopting digital learning platforms revolve around flexibility and connectivity.<\/span><\/p>\n

The lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic force institutions to adapt accordingly. Campuses need reliable tools, with a low adoption threshold, that facilitate flexible curriculum delivery while keeping students connected and engaged. That\u2019s an ideal use case for cloud-based communications platforms.<\/span><\/p>\n

The adoption of video tools could prove invaluable to higher education institutions offering tuition to overseas students, allowing curricula to be delivered beyond borders.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fears of overseas students deferring entry were relieved somewhat by a <\/span>Times Higher Education article<\/span><\/a>. The article points out, however, that \u201capplicants from outside the European Union did appear to be more likely to defer, with the cohort of international deferrers increasing from 940 to 1,140 (21.3 per cent).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video conferencing capabilities enhance the offer of higher education institutions to keep students safe, deliver a full-quality curriculum, and even save families money on potential relocation costs. The prospect of online learning is a preferable option particularly during this time of transition.<\/span><\/p>\n

An appropriate platform<\/span><\/h2>\n

Virtual classrooms must include vital functions such as live interactive elements, learner-centred instruction, and the ability to record and review. Teachers have also found useful functions such as \u201cmute all,\u201d screen sharing, and calendar integrations\u2014simple elements that provide greater control over the virtual experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

The best virtual learning platforms include the following features:<\/span><\/p>\n