I watched as the class group chat almost went up in flames when a lecturer announced that since she couldn't make it to class during the day, we would be having an online lecture by 7pm in a bid to cover up. “Why must it be a virtual class?”, “Why didn't this lecturer make it to the physical class?”, “How am I supposed to concentrate in a virtual class?”, “Which application are we even using for this class? Zoom or Google meet?” “How are these applications used”, etc were a few of the questions that were asked.
Clearly, many people were uncomfortable with the idea of having a virtual class because they haven't had any before and embracing change, especially an impromptu type of change, can be a hard pill to swallow. Due to their incessant nagging and complaints, the lecturer cancelled the online class. To a degree, I felt bad because the lecturer had just cancelled my opportunity to learn from the comfort of my bed.
If I remember clearly, the idea of having virtual classes was also brought up during the COVID-19 pandemic period and not many students went through with it. Now, the question is why? Why do people get terrified of anything that has to do with communicating and listening virtually for a period of time?
The first response to this would be “wastage”. Many people feel virtual classes are a waste of time, a waste of resources(mobile data to be specific) and generally a waste of their brain power especially if the tutor frequently makes mention of terms that the students are not very familiar with. I, who is on the other end of this spectrum, believe that these are all excuses that stem from a place of ignorance.
Taking the mobile data issue for instance, the amount of mobile data these same people spend on social media daily, cannot be compared to that which they would spend on a sixty minute virtual lecture. Yet, they still make complaints about virtual classes being a waste of mobile data.
The next challenge would be “distractions”. Many people do not give their full attention to a virtual class because of the distractions that their devices harbour. Of course, it's hard to give undivided attention when notifications from WhatsApp, Tik Tok and the likes keep popping up.
But, this is where discipline comes to play. It takes a level of discipline for one to turn on their “do not disturb” feature and put their phone in silent mode. This level of discipline is carried out by people who know exactly what they want and by doing so, put in the effort to achieve it.
Personally, if I have a lively and demonstrative virtual lecture, I'm sold! A major part of my personal studies outside the lecture hall are done virtually and more often than not, these virtual class tutors know their onions. Using the YouTube app, I get access to a variety of videos and even lecture materials for free. And if I'm in the mood to gather lots of techniques and views on the same topic, I can watch countless videos without breaking the bank.
Another very essential application when it comes to virtual learning is the Alison application. I was introduced to Alison by my best friend over six years ago and ever since then, I've been harnessing this application whenever I have free time. The Alison app is one of the best virtual learning apps I've used.
The lessons are broken down into different modules making it easy for students to digest each module and consequently, the entire lesson.
Next, there are quizzes and tests given intermittently to test one's knowledge on what they have learnt. If one passes this test, they can continue with the rest of the modules.
At the end of the lesson, the student writes something similar to an examination and once they pass, they are issued a certificate.
The only downside to this app is that one has to pay a token for their certificate and these certificates are very valid when it comes to writing a resume or applying for jobs.
Another resource I've harnessed for online learning is the Global Health eLearning center website. Here, there are provisions for a range of free medical and health related courses in video form. The website takes a form similar to the Alison application but the only difference is that certificates are totally free and one can grab as many certifications as possible. Personally, I've grabbed a few and I hope to lay my hands on many more.
With this, I'd like to state that in comparison to the state and conditions of the physical lecture halls, the hassles of transporting oneself to lectures, the intermittent negligence of duties by some lecturers and the overall stress that physical lectures entail, I'd pick virtual classes. This is because, in a virtual class, one gets to learn optimally with reduced cost and in the absence of all the stress that comes with virtual classes. This is my take in response to the digi-prompt for the week.
Images are mine.