The COVID pandemic brought many unwanted side effects to education as well. The shift to online education made educators distrustful and students too comfortable. But even this statement is not entirely accurate. What is the key to online education? Can the online space replace in-person education?
It can be stated without a doubt that there is still no relevant or correct answer to these questions. However, there are a few interesting aspects worth exploring for those who are curious about the evolution of online education.
Firstly, let’s look at the forms of online education. During the COVID period, both teachers and students became familiar with several platforms designed for educational or conference purposes, such as Zoom, Google Classroom, or Microsoft Teams, which allowed for live teaching without physical presence. Many educators chose to create videos, allowing students to watch pre-recorded learning materials. In this format, the possibility of interaction was even more limited, but the videos, accessible anytime and rewatchable, provided even greater convenience for students. The most passive form of online education for both educators and students was the pre-written material in document form, which students read. The nature of assessments also changed significantly. Oral exams could still be conducted live online, using the platforms mentioned above, but a simpler form of testing gained prominence during online education: the pre-constructed online test by the educator.
These observations clearly show that the biggest drawback of online education is the lack of interaction. Platforms that offer real-time online education try to facilitate smooth communication between participants. For example, Microsoft Teams allows students to raise their hands, but the unavoidable gap created by the online space reduced the motivation of both teachers and students. One might think that the online environment is much more stimulating, but in fact, in terms of lessons, it is a much less stimulating environment than a classroom. The loss of motivation could also stem from the fact that teachers had to switch very suddenly to a largely unfamiliar form of education, while students discovered more convenient and roundabout ways within the online space.
Based on this, online education so far seems to give a more negative impression than a positive, forward-looking development. Therefore, it’s worth examining the opportunities provided by different forms and platforms as a second point. For instance, video-based learning materials offer a lot of “playful” possibilities, ranging from the most extreme options to the simplest ones. For Generation Z, the online space has already become a part of everyday life, so by leveraging their familiarity with it, they might be even more motivated to learn compared to in-person, offline education. The key to this largely lies in how interactive teachers can make the videos and tasks. For example, at the EDTI Studio of Óbuda University, an educational video was created using the theme of escape rooms. But even simpler tools, such as animation, which is also used by EDTI, focus on visual stimulation rather than interactivity and try to motivate students in this way.
The motivation of teachers should not be overlooked either, as they face challenges in online education that are at least as significant, if not greater, than those faced by students. Comfortable students, who often seek to avoid learning or classroom activities and may exploit the negative, even cheating opportunities provided by the online space, pose a major challenge and demotivating force for educators. The third point to examine in online education: the number of work hours invested by educators, the quality of the materials, and their effectiveness on students. Knowledge transfer is a vocation that requires constant renewal, as it must continually find new forms and frameworks to keep pace with the changes in society and generations. In recent decades, however, education has also had to keep up with technological advancements, and the current generation is greatly shaped by the development of the digital space. The COVID pandemic demanded rapid adaptation from educators, which in many cases led to failures rather than successes, turning survival into a goal instead of achievement. There should be a strong emphasis on helping, developing, and training educators so that they can leverage the positive opportunities of the idea-rich, modern online space to motivate students.
What does the future hold for online education? It’s a good question with no certain answer. In my personal opinion, online education will not be able to replace in-person education, but a hybrid form that combines the two could be ideal for both students and educators. One thing is certain: with the emergence of artificial intelligence, education and knowledge transfer are on increasingly uncertain ground. A vision is needed, and all forms—whether in-person, online, or hybrid—must be supported and nurtured.
