Life is surreal at the moment. No one could have predicted COVID-19, yet it is causing all sorts of changes, like for those in the educational sector. Many departments had to evolve because of the pandemic that continues to sweep the world, and one of those departments is web design.
Switch to Digital
Some online classes were available for students, but most people relied on regular schools. Students went to regular universities for everything including things like web design.
You might imagine that something like web design would only be taught online, but that’s not true. Educational institutes like Italy’s Istituto Europeo di Design or Austria’s University of Innsbruck can no longer offer regular web design classes. Like many other educational institutions around the world, these universities had to close their doors.
The reality is students lived in some of these schools, interacted with fellow students, and sat right next to them. The new living conditions that must be followed to contain the virus couldn’t be practiced at a regular school or university.
These truths forced education institutions to switch to digital learning materials. This hasn’t been a simple thing for schools to do. Many schools offer a few online classes but more is needed now. They’ve had to evolve rapidly to meet the moment.
Today, educational institutions are starting to offer the following:
– Streamed Lessons
– Video or chat tutoring
– Video hangouts for students and professors
– Digital materials
Many universities are trying to figure out how all of this is going to work. Universities are paid a significant amount of cash, so they must provide a top tier education. Students cannot feel like their education is no better than subpar online universities (when, in reality, there are lots of really good online courses for design and animation).
This transition hasn’t been easy for anyone, but it’s happening anyway. One thing educators and students have to do on their own is to keep up with their schedules.
When attending school, keeping up with a schedule was relatively easy, but digital learning makes things a bit more difficult. Perhaps this is one reason why full year or mid year diaries are becoming essential during these strange times.
Thankfully, web design was sort of built for this moment. A computer is required for these types of lessons, which is one reason this area of education has been able to adapt relatively quickly.
This doesn’t mean students are happy with this transition. The following are some of the complaints linked to this new type of education:
Inability to Connect With Students
People go to a university to experience life on their own for the first time. A big part of that involves interacting with other college students, making friends, networking, and all that good stuff.
The problem is things must be done differently. Colleges are attempting to meet the moment by offering digital hangouts, but it’s definitely not the same. Some colleges are experimenting with VR or virtual reality, which could offer a temporary solution.
Poor Quality Connection
It is clear that the internet is vital, and it needs to be widespread. Several places in the UK still need service. This means students from those areas will not be able to connect to the internet easily.
There’s no way a student can get a quality education if they have to deal with poor connection issues. This could mean they miss lessons or are unable to submit assignments when they are due.
These students worked hard to get into these universities. Now, some may not be able to access the education they need. This is a problem that needs to be solved. Many colleges are pushing for more web access for students who live in rural communities. There’s no telling when this will be improved, but now is the time to invest in broadband access.
The future is a blank page now for colleges, but hopefully, these institutions can meet today’s needs.
