The year 2020 seems to have culminated into an endless havoc impacting the entire world due to the spread of COVID -19 and sparing the education system can’t be an exception to it. Education in a formal set up, can best be imparted through proper interaction between the teacher and the student in a classroom.
In 2020 due to continuous uprising of the COVID-19 cases, the government had to shut down the educational institutions to ensure safety of the students. Students of school, college, university, technical institute, vocational institute etc were confined to their home.
This resulted in creating a gulf of differences between the teacher and the learner, which subsequently hampered both. Teachers especially working in the private sector suffered financially and students also suffered by getting detached from the regular routine of an educational set up which eventually resulted in a lowered pace of learning.
However technology has been a great boon. It has enabled both the parties to connect and bridge the gap to a large extent. After a few months of onset of corona, gradually classes started to begin through online mode. Both the teacher and student got an opportunity to regain the lost momentum of learning to a large extent.
With the help of gadgets like cell phones, laptops, PC etc., the teacher/ trainer is happy to connect with a large number of learners at a time for a specific period as scheduled by the teacher/ institution as per their feasibility. As a teacher, I too had the privilege of connecting with my students in an online mode to impart the learning. I have listed below a few benefits related to this particular mode of teaching and learning which are as follows:-
i) Easy accessibility towards the students:-
Usage of mobile phones are quite common nowadays and students have a great affinity towards the device. Judicious usage of mobile phones needs grit . So, as a teacher at first, I have to notify my students through various apps like Google Meet, Webex etc about the commencement of the online class along with coverage of the programme so that they can prepare themselves for the upcoming class with better focus and attention.
ii) Online mode of learning served as an innovative tool for learners:- As a teacher, I found that students were quite overjoyed while attending classes through virtual mode. Because they were quite habituated with the formal training in classroom, this new way of learning provided a new zeal to learn new things
iii) Feasibility for a teacher while learning doubts in individual manner or as a whole:-
As a teacher, it is our duty to know whether the students are able to grasp the subject matter/ topic of discussion or not. While doing so on an online mode, a teacher can clear doubts of students individually and not as a whole . This depends on the maturity and experience level of the teacher.
iv) Online mode of education helped in continuation of education process:-
Due to COVID-19, education system got a big blow. Many months went by without proper assessment of the students however online mode of education helped teachers to access the learners and subsequently provide adequate feedback to them for betterment.
v) Online mode of education helped teachers to furnish their adequate skills:-
For a teacher, it is essential to continuously update himself / herself with new knowledge and skills which will subsequently lead to his/ her professional development. Though covid-19 provided a huge setback initially however Online mode of imparting education provided a new scope to expand horizons to the teachers.
vi) Friendly interaction between learners and teachers:-
Through online mode of education, learners of different levels seem to have benefitted. As many new learners are quite shy by nature, they hesitate to share their views in front of others in a classroom. However due to online mode, many have come out of their shell to express their views and the teacher / trainer have been able to provide individual attention .
Limitations
However there were a lot of hurdles faced by the teacher / trainer to conduct online classes in the initial days. The teacher had to take classes sitting in their home where the teacher could not find the appropriate device which was best suited for effective learning.
In the present scenario of education, the theoretical knowledge of subjects like physics, chemistry, biology have to be complemented with practical knowledge as well. This scope of providing practical knowledge through online class is not possible.
The present aim of education which is to make the students more active through the teaching learning process is also limited through online medium.
Another area of ‘online teaching’ is to get the right assessment. To accept the right answer of the student on its face value can be a challenge. Whether the student has adopted malpractices is difficult to judge. This can adversely affect the moral value of the student in the long run.
Summary
As Online training is a new methodology of imparting education its limitations can gradually be overcome with passage of time. Online teaching can also be a good option for imparting education in the remote areas where setting up classroom training is not feasible. ‘Online teaching’ can be a quick, anytime, anywhere teaching- learning process. Thus, Online and offline teaching can go- hand- in- hand to make the teaching learning process effective in the days to come.
Author: Debanjana Ganguly
Email: contact@bridgeacademyoman.com
A very relevant question asked by graduates and one would not know whether to do a PGDBM or MBA or whether they are same or how different are they. Let me explain this to you.
PGDBM is NOT MBA. A diploma is a diploma, and a degree is a degree. PGDBM is a diploma whereas MBA is a degree. There is a gulf of difference between a diploma certificate and a degree certificate. A diploma certificate can be issued by a college which is not affiliated to any university and they can design and run the course based on their internal decision. However, a degree course needs to be necessarily validated by the University. This means there are certain requirements that they need to fulfil in order to be able to award degrees.
Well some colleges do provide PGDBM and claim it to be equivalent to MBA.
PGDBM and MBA are not equivalent in all respects, it could be equivalent in terms of course content or knowledge gained. However, it will not be equivalent when it comes to various other aspects and some of those at times become critical aspects to consider. Many large institutes like IIM and XLRI offer diploma not a degree as once you are affiliated to a university you will have to follow certain few guidelines which at times becomes difficult for autonomous colleges like XLRI and IIM to abide by. At times, these regulations impede on the ability of the college to remain autonomous and flexible to the changing needs of the industry. MBA being an industry and business-oriented course, it needs to be fully aligned to the needs and requirements of the industry. Since the industry scenarios have been changing rapidly, the course needs to be updated frequently. The case studies & examples have to be the most relevant ones in the recent times. Hence these colleges prefer to remain confined with a diploma degree and since their degrees are well sought after, quite relevant, and the students are also happy to have a diploma instead of a degree as that could fetch them better jobs than a degree from a recognised university. This is the reason it works well with these colleges. The value of these PGDBM’s in the 90’s was quite high when there was the MBA boom. But now the trend is changing and the value of these diplomas have reduced along with it the salary that the students command after passing from these colleges. Although these colleges continue to provide diploma that is commercially viable, but you would also have to see if this is what you want according your career. Doing a diploma from any other institute than IIM and XLRI would not provide you the necessary results since there are some areas that will be missed out, so this implies that you have more to lose than to gain in this process. I will tell you the impact of PGDBM or MBA on your job opportunities and also in further stages of your career.
Say let us discuss about a job opportunity in a private company. A private company / corporate may give as much importance to PGDBM as much as they give to MBA. For a private company what matters is that the employee should have the skill, experience and the knowledge required for the position. However, this is limited to small or insignificant companies. The recruitment criteria of large corporations state that an individual will obtain the position on the company only if he or she has a Master’s degree and PGDBM does not come under that category. Since, the large corporates and also the education sector have a clear laid down system, like the employers require employees with a bachelors or a masters and there is no scope for a diploma in between. Therefore, you might lose out on certain positions or salary packages that you were expecting.
With a diploma you might lose out on jobs in government sector since there is a clear distinction between bachelors and master’s degree holders. There is no scope of PGDBM trying to prove its equivalence with MBA. In the education sector as well, the employers expect their employees to have a complete bachelors or a master ‘s degree and not a diploma or PGDBM. In another situation in case you want to continue your higher studies in course like M.Phil. and PhD then the diploma would not be sufficient and definitely you will require a bachelors or a master’s degree. Higher studies may not be a priority now but in later stages you might decide and may have to do one. That time you will have to do masters at such an advanced stage of career and that can cause great distress.
Immigration is another sector that highlights the importance of a master’s degree, whether it is a short term or a long term plan in the immigration forms educational qualification is an important aspect and the only options available are either bachelors or master, there is no place for PGDBM there. In that case you will have to opt for the bachelor’s degree, that means that you completed 2 years of PGDBM, and you are not able to call yourself a master’s degree holder. Even after doing a PGDBM you are still considered as a bachelor’s degree holder and it will be difficult in times of dire need. There will be many situations where a bachelors or master’s degree will be needed, and diploma will be of no use. In case you need to apply for loan from a bank, there is different weightage that they give to a bachelor’s degree holder than to a master’s degree holder since the more educated person will have a higher stability and they will be able to repay the loan relatively more smoothly. A bachelor degree holder will not be given that weightage. So why would anyone want to waste their time and energy doing a PGDBM that will be categorised as bachelors and not get the advantages that you would have otherwise got. Hence, we would suggest that there is not point doing a PGDBM since the effort is almost same, the time spent is same, and the money spent is same if not more in PGDBM. Given all these facts why anyone would want to go for PGDBM and limit their opportunities in life. We would always suggest go for an MBA from a recognised university offering a proper degree.
There are lots of international universities like IGNOU and Amity degrees which are both valid and recognised that is brought to Oman by offered by institutes like Bridge Academy. It may be worthwhile to get a counselling session scheduled to get your doubts clarified.
