Reflection on Returning to Education During COVID-19 Pandemic

You Are Asked To Write a 1000-Word Reflection Based On Your Experience Of Returning To Education Using a Recognised Reflective Theory To Structure Your Work (i.e., Kolb Or Gibbs). Within Your Reflection, Please Consider Your Experience Of The Following.

The purpose of the essay is to highlight the experience of returning to education during the COVID-19 pandemic. I have used Gibb’s reflective model to describe my experience. During the lockdown, conditions were serious and all markets, companies, and other institutions were shut including educational institutes. It impacted education as there was no way for students to have access to it. So, when online courses were introduced, students were eager to get back on track using this education model. The model showed a good involvement rate and overall good results. Here, I will share my personal experience, online education model helped me to start my studies again and get back on track.

The online education model was initiated by educational institutions during the lockdown. I also started taking my classes online from my house. During the online classes, we had to use various new applications such as Microsoft Teams, Moodle, Zoom, and others. We were connected through online sources for sharing information and learning new topics. Our professors were taking online attendance and we were asked to submit our assignments online. We were also sharing files through instant messaging applications with our friends. This was a new learning experience because it changed the way we used to interact with peers. There are various obstacles in distance learning such as lack of high-speed internet connectivity, the difference in time zones, inability to clear my doubts, social pressure, and others (Lassoued, Alhendawi and Bashitialshaaer, 2020).

Online classes were a new experience for me. I felt enthusiastic about taking the classes online. Half of my excitement was due to the chance of communication I was getting after many months. Although, I was talking to my friends over the calls, seeing my other classmates and professors gave a new sense of togetherness in those pandemic times. After two weeks, it started to wear me down. I always discuss the ongoing topic with my batchmate in the physical classroom before or after the class. But online classes did not give me that opportunity. It also made it hard to ask doubts to the professor as whenever the professor asked us to proceed with doubts, there was chaos since everyone wanted to go first. Sometimes, the lack of internet connectivity made me feel irritated with the model of online education. I missed some of my classes because of it. I also saw many of my classmates not attending the sessions due to the time zone difference of their hometown. It was a setback of the online education model. But, overall, everyone was putting efforts to keep the education and flow of knowledge going and that is what mattered. Online classes kept people connected with their education (Code, Ralph and Forde, 2020). During those tough times, no one could have access to education but online lectures made it possible. In my view, it was a creative way of maintaining the continuity of education.

Feelings

In my view, online education is a creative way of providing education and new opportunities to explore. It utilizes many resources to transfer the required information and its standards are matching to the requirements of this tech-based era (Basilaia, and Kvavadze, 2020). Various educators and teachers can easily access this model and utilize its resources to serve their purpose. In the time of the pandemic, when it is hard to earn a living, feed themselves and their family, it is a great opportunity for them to use this medium and transfer their experience and knowledge to others (Husebø, O'Regan and Nestel, 2015).

Coming to my evaluation, although, internet connectivity was an issue sometimes, overall, it was a good experience. It reconnected me with my studies and my peers. It also made me value my education more. Another benefit of online education is that it enhanced people’s listening skills as they required effective listening to perceive the information shared by the educator (Markkanen, et al., 2020). In my physical classroom, I always kept more concentration on taking down the notes as I had the liberty to trouble my professor anytime to clarify a doubt if I missed something said by him. But, in my online class, I concentrated more and tried to listen more carefully while simultaneously jotting down the notes.

I learned a lot from these online classes and I was also able to get more knowledge as it gave me the benefit of simultaneously checking a word or phrase online in case of confusion. I also got more time to think about the information learned and develop new insights about it. As online classes provide more time for students to perceive the information and have a good grasp of it, it helps them in confidence-building (Paulson and Laverty, 2018).

Conclusion

The positive thing about online learning was its efficient way to deliver knowledge. It uses many technologies to deliver lessons to the students such as Microsoft teams and Moodle. Moodle, which is frequently used for online classes, enables the educators and tutors to learn and make feedbacks while the session goes (Ford, 2012). It also allows interaction with peers during the class which can help them develop a good understanding of the topic by sharing their view on it. The growing demand for new technology in this sector is prompting for latest development in this sector. This technology offers various tools to make life more meaningful and exciting in innovative ways. New tech also promotes more effective active learning that could be difficult to accomplish by conventional teaching methods (Potter, 2015).

To take online classes in the future, I will strengthen my internet connection to avoid any interruptions during the classes. Initially, my lack of active listening made me suffer boredom and gain fewer insights about the topic. Next time, I will make sure to utilize the effective listening skills that I developed in the later classes. I will also keep myself up to date and ready to take the lecture. Distance education through the online platform has both negative and positive impacts and certain changes are required to eliminate those negative impacts. Educators should use multiple tools or trustworthy online platforms to engage learners more effectively. Technological evaluation with a digital class schedule and online reviewing of assignments can save a lot of time for educators that can be used to assist students having troubles with the subjects. Overall, online programs strengthen the cooperation and exchange of information with students (Zhu and Liu, 2020).

References

Basilaia, G. and Kvavadze, D., 2020. Transition to online education in schools during a SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Georgia. Pedagogical Research, 5(4).

Code, J., Ralph, R. and Forde, K., 2020. Pandemic designs for the future: perspectives of technology education teachers during COVID-19. Information and Learning Sciences

Husebø, S.E., O'Regan, S. and Nestel, D., 2015. Reflective practice and its role in simulation. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 11(8), pp.368-375

Lassoued, Z., Alhendawi, M. and Bashitialshaaer, R., 2020. An exploratory study of the obstacles for achieving quality in distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Education Sciences, 10(9), p.232.

Markkanen, P., Välimäki, M., Anttila, M. and Kuuskorpi, M., 2020. A reflective cycle: Understanding challenging situations in a school setting. Educational Research, 62(1), pp.46-62.

Paulson, E. and Laverty, C., 2018. Leveraging learning outcomes to build an online information literacy tool. Journal of Library & Information Services in Distance Learning, 12(1-2), pp.35-48.

Potter, C., 2015. Leadership development: an applied comparison of Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle and Scharmer’s Theory U. Industrial and Commercial Training.

Zhu, X. and Liu, J., 2020. Education in and after Covid-19: Immediate responses and long-term visions. Postdigital Science and Education, 2(3), pp.695-699.