Phygital education can prove transformative for the country 

News: Government’s vision of a digital university to reach all students across the country is a landmark step.

However, there are many challenges associated with these digital only courses.

What are the challenges of teaching students in a digital only mode? 

Students hardly complete their ‘digital only’ courses. This has been the case with many top global universities.

Students struggle in their transition to online learning, feel demotivated in the absence of a mentor or peer group, and also struggle with tests and assignments. 

Teachers, on the other hand, struggle with producing online content and find it difficult to keep children engaged. 

Are there any better alternatives? 

Phygital model of learning that combines online course instruction with weekly or fortnightly in-person educational sessions can be a better alternative. 

It makes it easier for students to transition to learning online and also helps teachers keep students engaged, read behaviour patterns among them that may be of relevance, and tailor their delivery accordingly. 

What is the way forward? 

Apart from the Phygital approach, there is need for some foundational steps. 

– Making Learning more accessible: Language barriers are a key challenge to online learning in our country, as videos and frequently asked questions (FAQs) are primarily in English. 

– Content for digital learning need to be made available in prominent regional languages. There is also the need for making these courses accessible for people with disabilities. 

– Helping in adapting to e-learning: Students should be helped to build their digital literacy. This can be done through simple, concise learning modules on how to operate a device or by providing on-call support with minimum wait time via call centres. 

– Create engaging, immersive learning experiences: Teaching-learning experiences that have dipped because of the use of a virtual interface can be rebuilt by promoting a spirit of competition. This can be done by holding periodic contests and weekly in person interaction between teachers and students. 

Peer Network: One of the big challenges in digital education is the absence of a peer network. Students cope with the difficulty of studying alone, coupled with the boredom of online education, which can lead to discontinuity and drop-outs. This can be overcome by creating peer learning communities which will lead to healthy competition and cross-learning. 

Improve the quality of instruction on digital platforms: Teachers face unique challenges with infrastructure required to teach online. There is need to support educators to create quality content. 

Source: This post is based on the article “Phygital education can prove transformative for the country” published in Live Mint on 7th March 2022.