How did the professors adapt to online lectures?

How did the professors adapt to online lectures?

Now that most of the colleges have started conducting lectures online, our monotonous lives have become even more monotonous. Waking up, attending lectures, completing the work assigned to us by the professors, and having some time for ourselves at the end of the day has become the new normal. The online education platforms have been a challenge for all of us that we have adapted to quite successfully. But we’re Gen Z!

Most of us touch their phone first even before they touch their toothbrush in the morning. We have made technology a vital part of our lives. What about the ones who haven’t? What about the professors?

Well, the online lectures were started right after the lockdown in the last academic year. It was like the resort to completing the syllabus and not the exact substitute for classroom lectures. But as it wasn’t safe to reopen the institutes while students’ academic year was seemingly going to waste, the online lectures were resumed. The professors in our engineering college are used to blackboard teaching. They needed to figure out ways to conduct lectures online without affecting their teaching style. There are a lot of platforms for video conferencing and each has its pros and cons. Furthermore, most professors weren’t adapted to these platforms.

So teachers along with the students took time to adjust to this new teaching system. And I’m sure that you must have struggled initially as well. Moreover, these platforms created problems while handling a large number of students. Some students complained about getting automatically removed from the class because of low network connectivity while some complained of the unclear voice from the other side. Students who may not have a system to attend the online lectures use their smartphones for that purpose. Apparently, online classrooms can’t match the real classrooms. All these platforms may be great for video conferencing, but they still need a lot of work to be a good substitute for the classrooms. Of course, it’s better than going out of the house in these times though.

There is no perfect platform for conducting lectures for professors. Every platform has its drawbacks. One platform has a time constraint for free lectures, the other has issues regarding inconvenience when used at a weak network and so on.

Before the lockdown, many students who belong to a town returned to their homes to live with their parents. These places may face network problems due to bad weather these days. To talk about the professors, the work from home concept was all about adaptability. During the initial days, most professors struggled with getting familiar with the online platforms. Trying and testing different apps, they found the platform they’re most convenient with. Plus, we students get distracted by any notification we get on our screen. It is difficult to resist your will to not reply to your best friend’s text who always has something interesting to tell. At the same time, the situation is worsening everywhere and many parents have resumed going to work. It’s natural for students to be worried about them.

One thing that I must address is the support from the families. Even when I’m sitting in front of the computer for 2-3 hours straight and I feel like I can’t do it anymore, my dad does everything he can to make me comfortable.

I’m sure you must have experienced this immense support from your loved ones as well.

Obviously, the professors had to take more effort than us, students. And every student who attends an online lecture must know how much their families have supported them during this transition. The lockdown at first had everyone to stay in their homes and spend time with their families. But the professors had to detach from the routine and get back to work just like the students. The professor can be someone’s spouse or a parent and in all these days, their family members have supported making online lectures possible in various ways.

Whether it’s the husband who’s trying his best to entertain their kid so that he doesn’t cause much disturbance in the lecture, the family members who keep the volume low throughout the lecture or the family member who’d arranged for the whiteboard and the camera stand; it is evident that making online lectures normal wasn’t as easy as it appears to be.

What every school/college lecture focuses on is imparting knowledge to the students. The online lecture wouldn’t have been complete without the active participation of students. More students are present for online lectures than in the real classes.

I know, many of them might just be logging in and doing their own work, but at least they get to know what is being taught in the class.

Getting students’ feedback is difficult during online lectures but many students actively participate in that process. Many students assist professors in marking the attendance for all the students. These all are combined efforts of the students and the professors.

The online lectures may have changed the teaching style of some professors but most of them have maintained it. The blackboard teaching, the frequent interaction with students, the assignments, and homework are still a part of the professor’s lectures. Professors are always ready to clear the doubts of students as learning online can still be difficult for many. Even if there’s any technical problem like a network or any issue due to which the lecture couldn’t be conducted, the professors have assured us that they will compensate for that by taking extra hours.

If colleges stay closed for a longer period, the course which is mainly dependant on practical knowledge will lose its purpose. Hopefully, they’ll be taking the practicals online using one of the conference platforms. It’s better than nothing.

The online lectures may not as good as the classroom lectures but the collective effort of y’all students and all the professors. The conferencing platforms need to be more customized for conducting lectures for educational institutes. But I guess they’re working on it so that they can minimize the bugs in their apps for a better user. Looking at the situation of increasing patients in India, it’s better to bear some issues and attend lectures online. I hope you guys are staying home safe!

If I’ve failed to mention any effort taken by your professor, I’d like to hear about that in the comment section below. 😀