Covid-19 Anniversary
TIME FOR MORE DECISIONS AND LESS DENIALS
Hello All, from a bright, sunny day in Dublin Ireland. Spring has finally arrived and daffodils are blossoming and the evenings are getting a little longer thank God. The first lockdown was a lot easier with long summer evenings where kids could tire themselves out in the garden.
January and February, winter cold, rain, and even snow have not made the Level 5 lockdown easy. Really can’t believe we are entering into March, feeling like Ground Hog Day with our 5km restrictions, working from home, the endless amount of virtual calls, the same office/household walls especially on dark wet days feels like cabin fever.
Now we are in March, still in Level 5 lockdown and this month will mark 1 year since our Government declared the first lockdown following several positive cases in Ireland. The British variant of the virus has been rampant in Ireland since December and our numbers have only started to plateau. Being in lockdown for Christmas and restricting our visits to family and friends during the festive period for a better 2021, it all sounded too good to be true.
Although there is light at the end of the tunnel. There are plans for the Irish Government to begin reopening Primary and Secondary Schools on a phased basis. 3rd Level, higher education is still being taught online as much as possible.
Where does the pandemic leave Higher Education?
In the 3rd week of February, the Irish Government announced that The Leaving Certificate, our state exam which defines entrance into University, based on a point system will be a mix of calculated grades with the option of students to sit written exams should they wish to do so. Students will then be graded on whichever points are higher. There were mixed feelings on calculated grades by both students and teachers of Secondary education after two coding errors were identified in the calculated grades system last September. Over 7,000 students were affected, receiving a higher grade than they should have while some students received a much lower grade.
The grading system has and will have a knock-on effect for Universities in Ireland who need to define how many points are needed for a student to enter a course in a University via the Central Applications Office (CAO).
One thing is for certain. Decisive action will need to be taken on a Leaving Certificate reform.
Rise of Technology
With Universities now delivering more and more online material, is there an ability for students to partake in courses, even short certificates or diplomas if the content is delivered on a learning management system and available on-demand to students? Surely this can only be a positive stepping stone for the future of Higher Education?
We would hope!
It’s very difficult to change the mindset of faculty and lecturers who have always taught in large lecture halls or physically to a group of students to be told “Your course has to go online, deal with it!”
Imagine the number of Irish students who entered 3rd Level education in September of 2020 and will finish off their first year of Higher Education and may never have set foot on campus. Not only is this mind-boggling they may begin their 2nd year in September knowing that their course may continue to be delivered online until there is a large enough quota of Irish citizens vaccinated.
The pandemic and rise of technology continue to change the way education is delivered, not just in our virtual world, with zoom, Microsoft Teams, Blackboard Collaborate, or other learning management systems. It also raises the question: Do students need to fork out hundreds of euro on books which should be available digitally?
The big challenge all educational levels have is adapting teaching practice and developing resources that can make learning come alive.
Working in Audio Visual in a Higher Education vertical it is easier to install the equipment however finding out our end-user requirements to allow them to teach in the “new norm” and make online or blended learning fun and interactive is a completely new skill set for both faculty and AV professionals.
So let’s find the new AV toys to deliver education
Oh, trade shows! Remember when we could actually physically meet and discuss our issues with a salesperson and physically hold, look and demo a piece of AV hardware or software? We were able to try and test the product at the stall, swap business cards, and then compare one product against a competitor’s product without attempting to do this virtually? Those were great days!
Are we close to those days returning 1 year on? Maybe!
ISE has begun collecting registrations for Barcelona to take place in June. Whether they will have the interest of all vendors having a presence along with the numbers of attendees from previous years in Amsterdam is anyone’s guess. I do believe if it is to go ahead in June, that attendees will be a majority online than physically attending the event.
Will there be a large number of new products and solutions at trade shows to suit the higher education vertical? I think so. We all know the rise in delivering education through video and video platforms. Should we be allowed back to campus this year there will be a much larger push on BYOD and less physical touching of products for hygiene purposes.
I remember in the first lockdown faculty stating we can’t become the next “Open University”, yes, I agree, to an extent. There is a need for a balance. Education, to every level, requires a hybrid approach to learning both for mental health and social wellness for faculty, staff, and students.
The roadmap on how to get to that point, however, will change, and change, and change again throughout the weeks, months, and maybe years ahead.
Meet the Author
Justin Dawson CTS® is an Award Winning AV Professional employed in Higher Education in Ireland. He produces the All Things TechIE podcast available at www.AllThingsTech.IE . You can contact Justin on LinkedIn, Twitter and his official website.