What Challenges Universities Face In Virtual Classrooms?

The outbreak of the coronavirus has forced people to stay in their homes, which is why a lot of businesses and industries have suffered. However, the most prevalent thing that has still faced a lot of challenges in education. No matter what happens, education cannot be compromised. While schools, colleges, and universities are to stay closed until further notice, virtual classes are the only way to continue. Teachers are working hard to make sure that students continue their studies without becoming dull at home. Nonetheless, there are a lot of challenges that different universities and schools are facing alike. Some of the major concerns of universities are as follows:

Investing in The Right Technology

One of the major challenges faced by universities in investing in the right type of educational technology. There is considerable pressure because not every online platform is safe and efficient enough to provide for the needs of students and teachers. There is a lot of stuff to handle while you are teaching a university class. Assignment submissions, online tests, exams, quizzes, and inculcating on-screen notes while teaching are some of the main aspects of university lectures. Zoom and Skype are widely used for online classes, but some teachers have difficulty in understanding the structure and usage of their features.

Keeping Students Safe

While there are only a few universities that have decided to provide every student’s devices such as laptops and Chromebooks, student safety becomes more crucial. Some universities have limited this distribution to only the needy students, but that doesn’t change the situation. They need to be in constant collaboration with IT consultant in London to make sure that students are not using these devices to access inappropriate and harmful sites. They are under constant pressure to do everything to keep these devices secure from any online criminal threat.

Creating A Learning Environment at Home

This one is a challenge for both the universities and the students. There is a clear difference between the concentration level while taking a lecture in a physical class and doing it on a screen. Students with bustling households with little to no privacy have a hard time trying to concentrate. The continuous distractions are not only disturbing for the individual student but all the other students attending the lecture as well. Noise cancellation headphones seem to be a nice option, but not every student can afford to buy one.

Computer Literacy 

Most of the teachers have shown their concern about the lack of training they receive for understanding the new technology. Technology and technical knowledge aren’t easy to understand for everyone, which is why teachers require proper training on using the platform on which they are required to teach their students. Not only teachers but some students also get overwhelmed by the idea of going digital. It is the need of the hour to provide complete training to teachers as students so that virtual classes wouldn’t be as intimidating and challenging as they are now.