Google meets, zoom calls, Google classrooms. This is the new normal for students. When the pandemic started in the early 2020 and the government decided to impose lockdowns as preventive measures , along with many other industries, colleges, schools and universities were also closed down. With developed technological skills at hand, the educational sector quickly moved on to online platforms. Students were given special schedules and the classes were held online through portals like Google meet, Google Classroom and Zoom.
At first this method seemed very innovative as well as easy for the students because online classes offered a lot of flexibility regarding time and recording lectures. And the students were able to attend the classes with the luxury of not moving and simply participate in the lectures from their rooms.
But now that it had been almost 10 months these online classes had started, the student are gradually loosing their interest in online education and are longing to get back to the classes. Students are missing the comfort of personal interactions and being physically present in a classroom.
“Online classes are pretty hectic, you have to have a good connection or a network for a better lecture. Sometimes even our teachers don’t have good connectivity. So the lectures keep on getting interrupted or lagging making it very difficult to concentrate on a lecture for a long period of time. “ says Priyanka Seth, a class XI student.
Jeremy Fernandez, a journalism student from a college in Mapusa explained about another drawback of online classes. “As journalism students, in addition to theory subjects, we have many practical subjects that can’t be done through Google meets or zoom calls. For example TV Anchoring is a practical subject where we are supposed to be inside a studio and learn things. So how are we to learn those things through online classes? Teachers send us videos and presentations for those subjects, but it is useless without getting a proper practice”
Rahul Seth, another college student from Panjim also had a similar idea about the online classes. “ I’m pursuing my BA in Mass Communication and for my second year, I selected photography as an additional subject. Through online classes teachers lectured us about basics of photography like camera parts, techniques but without even touching a camera or shooting with a camera in a studio we don’t get the experience and the practical knowledge. “
Another factor that has made the students to get bored of online classes is the lack of personal interactions. In colleges or schools, students have the opportunity to mingle with the others, talk and share ideas and stories with others. Even though the students get to speak to their friends frequently, the vibe feels different to them.
While the students are longing to get back to their classrooms, some teachers also find physical classes more advantageous than the online classes. A teacher from a college in Vasco shared her thoughts regarding this matter. “ For us, teachers, it seemed very relaxing at the beginning, but with the time passing we found it not relaxing but rather challenging . We had to face technical issues and even poor connectivity issues. So sometimes we fail to finish the portion we intend to finish that day. And sometimes it’s very chaotic when we explain and students talk or ask questions in the meantime. “
With these concerns, both students and teachers have become hopeful of colleges and schools opening for in- college education.
If proper health measures are taken and the students are trained to wear masks, sanitize and be careful about their own health ,the starting of offline classes would not be a major problem. For the moment, students can only hope for the best to happen.
