Much light has been shed upon the challenges that are existing due to technological transformation in the field of education, ever since the pandemic has cast its rage upon the world. Seamless focus has been on the student and their career prospects. To disseminate knowledge and remain connected with students, is the prime goal of the Education Industry. But what about the teachers? Has attention been paid to the opinion of those teachers who are awestruck with the overflow of technology and grappling to keep pace with the rapid changes? A survey that was conducted to get an insight into the reaction of teachers on this regard highlighted,that teachers face several challenges. Did the findings reflect a positive attitude of the teaching fraternity? Take a look!
It is true that e-learning has become a crucial aspect of the educational system, and is constantly gaining momentum, nevertheless, the challenges faced by the teachers in being acquainted to the e-learning, pedagogy, cannot be overlooked. Teachers’ plight if shadowed, may affect the effective dissemination of knowledge and result in a learning loss.
A survey through a questionnaire accentuated the opinion of teachers handling students at the tertiary level. According to the teachers, the shift is seen not only from board to screen, but also in the assessment process, the attendance updates, and above all, the human connectivity. In such a scenario, where there is an information bloom and knowledge explosion, teachers have to supplement their teaching methodology with technology and equip themselves with advanced Information and Communication Technology Tools (ICT). Most of the respondents mentioned that they faced a challenge in familiarising themselves with a different software after every three months for grading, assessment, and attendance. Furthermore, imparting practical knowledge to students in an online teaching mode is limited. When the teachers acquaint themselves with a particular software, it is time for a change of software. The software by Start-up companies, which intelligently collect feedback from clients to improvise their product, gives little respite to the users. This leads to excessive dependency on the unprofessional platform for professional correspondence, like WhatsApp groups. Miscommunication and insecurity become inevitable in these circumstances. As the students have access to teachers’ numbers, teachers are flooded with messages and calls by students even during the weekends. Though we call it technology and refer to it as a rather comfortable platform, the manual procedure is not reduced, and it requires much more involvement as compared to the documentations.
The present generation is enamoured and adept at handling technology. However, a generation of teachers may not be as well acquainted with technology as the present generation of students. The outcome of the study revealed that despite the struggle with embracing new technology, teachers are willing to adapt to the demands of communication technology. The pandemic has not lowered their work ethics and mental well-being.
Conjuring the fact that technology is here to stay, teachers have diligently chosen the path of acquiring excellence through the integration of technology in teaching and learning. The teaching fraternity has developed a positive attitude towards the implementation of ICT tools, and they have begun to explore innovative ways of imparting knowledge. The interest and the effort of the educators when amalgamated with well-tested and licensed software can increase productivity of the faculty. The need of the hour is a platform that carters to the need of the Institution from the administrative level to the classroom activity. Software that provides a thorough training to support teachers in digital teaching and learning would connect the Institution more than the islands of software, which fails to integrate all the requirements. Moreover, by adopting the set norms for the flow of information through technology, Institutions can mitigate the risk of hacker’s intervention.
A popular quote by Henry Adams, “Teachers affect eternity; they can never tell where their influence stops,” is apt for the current situation where teachers have gathered momentum and surpassed the expectations of teaching online. Since technology is here to endure, it is important to groom teachers to make use of innovative tools for imparting practical knowledge with the help of a licensed and well-tested platform that comprehensively caters to the needs of the Institution.