Blended education here to stay, says expert

Mariecar Jara-Puyod, Senior Reporter

An official of a global company that provides innovative learning solutions has claimed that blended education, with the need to ramp up the digital requirements, is yet the most appropriate approach to sustain continuous learning, in this Novel Coronavirus (COVID19) Era.

Pearson Middle East/North Africa/Turkey-School Qualifications director Kathryn Booth also told Gulf Today on Wednesday: “When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world in early 2020, the UAE was one of the fastest education systems in the world to respond and move schools to online distance learning.”

“Whilst schools in the UAE have been highly successful in adapting to online learning and there was initial enthusiasm for this mode of teaching, the disadvantages of not being physically in school have become apparent. It is clear that physical schools cannot be totally replaced by online schools,” she added.

Booth referred to the “Pearson Global Learner Survey 2020” wherein out of 7,000 respondents with ages 16 to 70 from seven countries, 6,160 had perceived online learning becoming a staple or “will be a permanent part of primary, secondary, and higher education.”

She pointed out: “As we await a gradual transition back to normal with the worldwide vaccination drive in full gear, there is one thing we all need to realise. Not everything will be back to normal as before.”

The Dubai-based Booth was interviewed for 2021 is the second COVID19 academic year. Some countries alteady began their school-year. Classes roll out in the UAE on Aug. 29 (Sunday) for a total of 186 days.

Booth was asked for her opinion whether digital education is good or bad. The e-student.org portal had outlined  disadvantages: inaccessibility to the computer-illiterate and the impoverished; limited student feedback, communication skills development, and face-to-face communication; social isolation trigger; high demand for strong self-motivation and time management skills; cheating prevention during online assessments is complicated; online instructors tend to focus on theory than practice; and lacking in some disciplines.

Saying that digital education “got its moment” from the global crisis and describing blended education as “the real effective method of delivering education, Booth replied: “The positives of digital appear to outweigh any perceived negatives. For example, social media is viewed as helping students connect with others and helping to improve learning experiences.”

Booth said blended education is here to stay and no longer a supplementary to the “traditional education infrastructure.”