The Future of Education

This paper addresses the challenges faced by the author in preparing for a fully online learning environment for her students. Making its first case in December 2019, COVID-19 has not only change how people work, it has also changed the way businesses are run and education is conducted. Labelled as the new norm, 100 percent online learning requires a different level of commitment from educators and students alike. Given that the author has not had the experience of 100 percent online teaching, it is interesting to investigate the reflections that come with the experience. A mixed method approach is adopted for this paper, where qualitative data come from the author’s observations and documentations of her online activities and materials whilst conducting online teaching. The quantitative data come from a short survey completed by the author’s students on their new norm in learning. Preliminary findings show that the duration for online learning is slightly shorter than the face-to-face sessions, and that students are learning mostly asynchronously. What can be discerned from the experience and reflection is that the new norm of learning has certainly challenged educators around the world; the author is pushed to learn, relearn and unlearn her pedagogical skills.

Keywords: COVID-19, critical reflection, new norm of learning, online learning, online teaching.

References:
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