Covid 19 and education doesn’t seem something we would be discussing on a normal day. However, special circumstances, call for special discussions. Novel Coronavirus or Covid 19 has been declared as a Pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) due to the nature of its geographic spread. Its effect is not limited to a country or a region but has spread to the entire world bringing life to a standstill.

Various governments have ordered nationwide lockdowns to contain the spread of Covid 19 leading to a long-term impact on the economy, education, healthcare, etc. Education traditionally has been primarily limited to classroom teaching and as educational institutes including schools, colleges and universities have been shut for a long period of time this would result in the loss of a major portion of the academic year for the teachers and the students. Covid 19 and education, thus, share a close relationship as even incremental rise in the former, will backtrack traditional education exponentially. 

Covid 19 and Education with E-Learning

As the discussion on Covid 19 and education gathers momentum, it is important to understand that remote learning can save the day. Students can access online educational material, attend remote lectures, and complete online assignments via edtech platforms. On the face of it, in times of Covid 19, there are several technologies that can aid the education sector in getting back on its legs and reach a situation of complete productivity. Firstly, owing to cloud computing, students can easily access notes and other study material to ensure that there is no break in their learning.

Additionally, there are a plethora of edtech platforms that are offering e-learning services and courses which students can attend virtually. Finally, several apps are coming to the forefront which are enabling students and teachers to connect seamlessly, whether it be in the form of giving homework or writing tests. Thus, Covid 19 and education is a discussion to stay.

The objective of e-learning in the present situation is to create a balancing relationship between Covid 19 and education, to facilitate remote learning. While students cannot step out of their homes, remote learning.

can take education to them. As a student, we would love to hear from you the challenges you are facing as you #stayathome, do comment below.

If you look closely, technology is enabling two major ways in which Covid 19 and education can share a cordial relation without the former disrupting the latter. On the one hand, there are specific edtech platforms that are all set to bridge the gap via virtual learning, courses, assignment help, and the like.

On the other hand, there are tech tools that are further facilitating virtual learning by augmenting access. So, if you are a student, struggling in this Covid 19 crisis, worried about where your education is headed, take a quick look at what you can leverage in these times.  E-learning solutions and edtech platforms are here to bridge the gap between Covid 19 and education.

Top E-learning Platforms: Edtech

As the e-learning industry is all set to reach $325 billion by 2025, millions of students stand to gain from it. With the pandemic of Covid 19 on everyone’s heads, it will be e-learning and various edtech platforms that will guide the future of education. On the face of it, Covid 19 and education may not be an ideal pair to think about. However, if you look closely, it is a match made in heaven. Why don’t you look at some of the top edtech platforms that are soaring high? And you know, what’s the best part? Many of them are offering special discounts and promotions for students!

Coursera

As an e-learning platform and edtech solution, Coursera is coming to the rescue of students stuck between Covid 19 and education.  Here, students can access free course content as well as get certificates or degrees from over 190 prestigious universities and companies such as Yale, Stanford, Michigan, Google, and IBM. 

As these courses are accredited by top universities they are recognized by many employers. Students have an option of exploring more than 3900 courses and specializations in the field of business, language learning, data science, computer science, social science, arts & humanities etc. Coursera, as an edtech platform, focuses on providing in-depth learning by on-demand videos, self-paced assignments, quizzes, and hands-on projects. Coursera also provides a Coursera community where learners across borders can discuss ideas, look for solutions.

DataCamp

DataCamp is an edtech platform bridging the gap between Covid 19 and education by helping students understand the language of data. It provides short expert videos followed by hands-on projects based on real-world problems. DataCamp offers more than 300 courses in the field of data. Students can learn various technologies such as python, R, SQL, Git, Scala, etc.

Apart from courses in these technologies, DataCamp offers courses in Data Engineering, Data Manipulation,  Data Visualisation, Machine Learning, Applied Finance to list a few. They offer a robust resource center with white papers and webinars for understanding and implementation Data strategies for different industries.

Udemy

With over 100,000 video courses, Udemy is striving hard to ensure educational continuity in times of Covid 19. It offers courses in the fields of Development, Business, Finance & Accounting, Marketing, IT & Software, Teaching & Academics. One of the greatest selling points of Udemy is its affordable pricing. At the same time, it also gives lifetime access to its users on Udemy’s edtech website and App so that the users can learn at their own pace.

TutorBin

As an online homework and assignment help platform, TutorBin offers 24X7 assistance in completing homework assignments, lab work, project work, essay writing, CPM homework for over 120 subjects including engineering homework help. TutorBin has over 1500 expert tutors on its panel having extensive subject knowledge who are able to provide assistance instantly.

TutorBin offers live sessions where a student can interact with the tutor in real-time and can get instant solutions to their problems. These life lessons can also help students in remote locations have cost-effective access to quality learning. Taking the help of online tutors helps students learn better, clarify their concepts and lead to better grades. In these times of crisis, the tutors and everyone at TutorBin are going a step further to ensure that all educational needs of students are taken care of. 

Tools Facilitating E-learning & Edtech

With a fair understanding of the top edtech platforms that are helping Covid 19 and education maintain a cordial relationship, you may also want to explore other tools which are not directly contributing to e-learning, but their indirect contribution deserves due recognition.

Video Conferencing Tools

With educational institutes being shut in a large number of countries, teachers are moving towards video conferencing tools to provide live video lectures to their students. Thus, Covid 19 and education are no longer mutually exclusive. A few of the popular tools for group video conferencing are Zoom which can host up to 100 participants and allows screen sharing as well, Google Hangouts for up to 25 participants, and allows video meeting recordings. Any meeting offers free and low-cost video conferencing and webinar services for up to 200 participants depending upon the plan and gives the option of screen sharing and recording meetings. This facilitates edtech platforms to serve the needs of the students.

Cloud Storage Tools

Educators can make use of cloud storage tools for providing power-point presentations; resource files assignments with the students.  This makes it easier for the students to access the data as it is in one place and many cloud storage companies provide free storage up to 50 GB of data. Some of the free cloud storage services are Google Drive which provides free storage of up to 15 GB data and using the Google Drive offline service the users can access the files even if they have bad internet connection.

Media fire allows users to upload multiple files in one go and offers free storage of upto 50 GB. Mega Cloud storage provides free storage of upto 50 GB, allows users to download multiple files as a zip file and also allows uploading of files via mobile app. Covid- 19 and education is a fight in which cloud storage tools are coming as brave warriors.

Project Management Tools

Generally, these tools are more for corporate settings to ensure productivity. However, they can also be used by students to collaborate on group projects. Some of these tools are Redbooth where students can be assigned tasks, discuss the project progress, set deadlines so that the tasks can be completed timely, and share files. Trello is another good tool for organizing a group project with its boards, cards, and lists. Trello is extremely flexible and easy to use and even the free version of Trello doesn’t restrict the number of collaborators.

Covid- 19 and Education: An impact on the Future

The way edtech platforms and other technology tools are helping drive learning in the whole Covid 19 and education discussion definitely raises a ray of hope. While the tough times shall pass, this will leave us with great opportunities to disrupt the traditional educational system and make it more accessible and affordable. While at present, remote learning via edtech platforms is limited in its reach, the future of education is all set to see new avenues.

Read more about the trends that will redefine the future of education, here

Thus, one thing Covid- 19 and education has made very clear is that come what may, learning has the power to continue, against all odds! If you are struggling to continue learning because of the crisis, comment below and we will reach out to you!