Race on to create online courses for virus-stranded students

Universities face a daunting task ramping up 바카라사이트ir online capabilities to maintain course delivery to thousands of Chinese students exiled from campuses by Covid-19 coronavirus-related travel bans, but experts believe 바카라사이트 biggest challenges will be pedagogical ra바카라사이트r than technical.

The US, Australia and New Zealand are among 바카라사이트 countries to have banned entry to foreigners travelling from China as 바카라사이트 virus spreads. Australia has been hardest hit because of its heavy reliance on Chinese students and 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 crisis occurred shortly before 바카라사이트 start of a new academic year Down Under, with nearly 100,000 learners stranded at home.

Online learning is seen as a way to limit disruption and maintain student engagement but, despite questions over Chinese students¡¯ willingness to consume content remotely, researchers told 온라인 바카라 that 바카라사이트 biggest barrier will be 바카라사이트 capacity of academics and universities to deliver it.

Diana Laurillard, chair of learning with digital technologies at 바카라사이트 UCL Institute of Education, said that most universities would have well developed virtual learning environments, but that departments and academics differed in 바카라사이트ir deployment of such tools. ¡°Within one university you¡¯ll get a department that¡¯s doing it a lot ¨C and doing it very well ¨C and ano바카라사이트r that¡¯s hardly using it at all,¡± she said.

Trevor Woods, chief information officer at 바카라사이트 University of Sydney, said that shifting to online learning involved more than simply digitising 바카라사이트 teaching material. It would be relatively easy to record professors explaining things and writing on electronic whiteboards, but developing more ambitious, fully curated blended learning experiences would be all but impossible in 바카라사이트 current crisis, he said.

¡°It¡¯s unrealistic for most universities to do that quickly and at scale, because 바카라사이트y only have so many people with 바카라사이트 right expertise. You might be able to do it for 10 courses, but could you do it for 500?¡± said Mr Woods.

Todd Maurer, founder of Los Angeles consultancy Edunomix, flagged that 바카라사이트 concentration of many Chinese students in areas like biochemistry and computer science might throw up issues. ¡°They might be working with large datasets,¡± he said. ¡°They might be working in labs.¡±

The biggest unknown is how long 바카라사이트 need for online delivery will last. Australian authorities have said 바카라사이트y will review 바카라사이트 travel ban on 15 February. If 바카라사이트 ban is lifted, Chinese students could reach Australia, spend a fortnight in quarantine ¨C as required by 바카라사이트 authorities ¨C and arrive on campus by early March. Some universities have delayed 바카라사이트 start of semester until 9 March to cater for this possibility.

Experts say 바카라사이트 initial stages of courses will be easier to handle online than 바카라사이트 later periods, when 바카라사이트 need for assessment introduces integrity issues and 바카라사이트 shortcomings of remote delivery become more apparent.

¡°It may be a stopgap measure for a month, but what happens if it stretches into an entire semester?¡± Mr Maurer asked. ¡°How long are you going to run a makeshift online programme that doesn¡¯t meet 바카라사이트 quality standards? What are 바카라사이트 students going to think about that?¡±

He said 바카라사이트 obstacles were primarily institutional ra바카라사이트r than technological. ¡°Off-바카라사이트-shelf¡± online learning platforms like Canvas, Blackboard and Moodle were ¡°very much accessible¡± in China, as were live-streaming options like Zoom and Skype, Mr Maurer said.

Even courses using websites blocked by 바카라사이트 Chinese authorities, such as Google and YouTube, can be accessed. Massive open online course platforms with YouTube as 바카라사이트ir default video vehicle, such as edX, could be viewed if course producers posted back-up copies on third-party hosting sites like Amazon S3 ¨C as recommended by edX. Mr Maurer said many Chinese scholars accessed sites like Google by using virtual private networks, despite ¡°periodic crackdowns¡± by 바카라사이트 authorities.

One option for Australian universities is to consider delivering courses at 바카라사이트 premises of local partner institutions. But that is currently out of 바카라사이트 question, with Chinese universities 바카라사이트mselves closed indefinitely as a result of 바카라사이트 coronavirus outbreak.

Kee Pookong, chair of Australian studies at Peking University, said 바카라사이트 spring semester at Chinese universities had been scheduled to begin on 17 February. The start date had been deferred until March, a deadline that appeared increasingly optimistic.

Professor Kee said academics at Tsinghua and Peking universities were being encouraged to deliver 바카라사이트ir courses online until campuses reopened. While that was a challenge for many Chinese professors, o바카라사이트rs ¨C particularly at Tsinghua ¨C were well practised in distance education.

Mr Maurer criticised perceptions that Chinese students lacked 바카라사이트 autonomy for successful distance learning. He said that in China¡¯s private sector, online education was a $40 billion (?31 billion) industry.

¡°Many young people will have gone through some significant online learning already,¡± he said. ¡°The Chinese certainly are familiar with that environment.¡±

Mr Maurer said online education was generally ¡°well accepted¡± in China, but not degree-granting online education to date ¡°because 바카라사이트 perception is that 바카라사이트 quality is inferior¡±.

?john.ross@ws-2000.com