Charade of Virtual Teaching

Progressively released Unlock guidelines show that the expression being repeatedly used is “Schools, colleges, educational and coaching institutions will remain closed till .... Online /Distance learning shall continue to be permitted and shall be encouraged.”

An examination of these guidelines show the use of the expression ‘will’ once and the expression ‘shall’ twice. A careful attention needs to be paid to the expression ‘Online /Distance learning.’  Yet a more careful attention needs to be paid to the MISSING expression ‘Online /Distance TEACHING’ or ‘REMOTE TEACHING’ or ‘Online /Distance EDUCATION.’

The Government has thus kept silent about online teaching; and this silence cannot be construed as an oversight or unconscious omission.

Teaching or schooling and educators are not the only source of learning. While teaching seems to be a more visible part of access to learning, teaching may not always be the most important source of learning for an individual.

Starting from kindergarten to higher education, the objective and purpose of teaching keeps changing – from teaching ‘how to learn’ to teaching ‘how to become aware’ to teaching ‘how to comprehend and understand’ to teaching ‘how to access knowledge’ to ‘how to create knowledge.’ But what the learner learns is a matter of individual effort, motivation, choice and differences. The onus of learning is always on the learner and not on the teacher. Inefficient-teaching can mar the learning-process but efficient-teaching may not be a sufficient condition for learning.

It is unfortunate that most of the Institutions of Higher Education, in their short-sighted concern for saving their ‘today’ even at the cost of harming the ‘tomorrow’ of the learners, have placed undue focus on  ‘Online/remote TEACHING’ with no preparation or prognosis for the same.

All this emphasis on ‘online’ has placed an untenable burden on teachers, tutors and students, none of whom have received any proper training in online methods. Such remote teaching has cheated students out of quality instruction, and has raised alarming issues over privacy, security, and academic freedom. If institutions have learners’ desks, writing boards, projectors, screens, and other paraphernalia including library, computer-labs, printing and xerographic facilities, all considered essential for the teachers and learners, what are the essential teacher’s premises equipment and learners’ premises equipment for remote teaching? As much as the absence of reliable and accessible online connectivity and equipment for the learners, no one seems to focus on the absence of reliable and accessible online connectivity and equipment for the teachers or the pedagogy suited for remote teaching.

Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits. While Pedagogy most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, refers more broadly to the theory and practice of education and how this influences the growth of learners. Constructive, Collaborative, Integrative, Reflective and Inquisitive Learning for the learners are some of the constructs of mechanics of learning and remote lecturing is very inefficient in delivery of learning. 

It seems that these schools and institutions care only about their profits or wish to serve wealthy donors or corporate interests rather than people. Does anyone care if the learner or the educator refuses to turn their cameras on in zoom meetings? Does anyone care if the online instruction disenfranchises both the students and the teachers from having a say in the teaching and learning process. Does anyone care if the online instruction robs the instructor of his proprietary style of intellectual instruction and the freedom of honest expression in the closed confines of a classroom?  Does anyone care if the online interaction between the educator and learners is placed in public domain and plagiarised for commercial gains without any royalties or acknowledgment.

 

The teachers have to rise and refuse in big and small ways, for doing things which they are being called upon to do, in the name of education and interest of learners, which as a matter of fact, stands to harm the campus workers - from graduate students to adjuncts to tenured faculty and turn the purpose of education into a sham. This is their opportunity to rethink higher education. This is their chance to deconstruct and then reshape the higher education system.

(First published on 02 Sep 2020)

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