“We need technology in every classroom and in every student and teacher’s hand, because it

is the pen and paper of our time, and it is the lens through which we experience much of our
world.”

– David Warlick, Educator, author, programmer

The outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic caused Indian schools to close the operations and
forced them to approach alternate ways of teaching via. online classes, mid March, 2020.
This case focuses on how technology is aiding ABC school in conducting online education
and associated academic operations. The study also highlights the numerous challenges
teachers and students are facing. It also points out what steps to be taken, for seamless
transformation to online schooling in coming days.

Is this the way forward? Will technology be a major factor in determining the school’s
success during the lockdown period, and even after that? How to strike a right balance of
technology and traditional methods of schooling. And most importantly, will these affect the
students or equip them better? All these questions were running in his mind. The case study is
based on observations of online teaching.

Introduction
By March 15th, 2020, as per Governments’ rule against gatherings in response to the
widespread of COVID-19 pandemic, ABC School of Delhi had to suspend its classes
suddenly, like all other institutions across the country. The school is facing a tough situation,
such as this, for the 1st time since its inception in 1983. Government’s directive was to keep
the learning going on, the future of the nation, students should not face the hardships and
disruptions in their learning.

In India, early modes of schooling were modelled after Gurukul siksha, and the same mode of
education continued for ages. It covered the holistic learnings imparted by the teacher to the
students. It was more than formal education, and more of a way to lead life. With
Urbanisation and Globalisation, there were several changes in schooling. From school
education for all, to privatisation, to internationalisation of primary and secondary education,
everything took place in the last few decades.

Wholesome usage of technology in school education was limited to 1% of schools in India. It

was not widespread, given the fact that more than 70% of India is under rural coverage,
where technological advancements are limited.

ABC school is one such school, which preferred traditional modes of learning and minimal
use of technology. Quality education was thus far provided, at minimal cost. The School
present in South Delhi, is one of the most sought-after schools in the district, owing to its
superior results and successful network of alumni.
However, the problem comes to hit the school in 2020, much like most schools in the county.
With the outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic all over the world, the country faces lockdown,
as thousands of people are diagnosed with COVID (coronavirus) positive. The outspread
accelerated as the communicable disease, took hundreds of lives in the country, and
thousands of victims all over the world.

ABC School reacted to occasion fast and arranged online classes. This paper deals with how
technology supported the school proceedings, lists out the challenges and provides a case for
schools in future, for seamless integration of school education with technology.

Overview of Indian School Education Industry

India has the world’s largest population of about 500 million in the age bracket of 5-24 years
and this provides a great opportunity for the education sector. The education sector in India is
estimated at US$ 91.7 billion in FY18 and is expected to reach US$ 101.1 billion in FY19.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) data says, there are more than 1.5
million schools in India. The National Council of Educational Research and Training
(NCERT) provides support, guidance and technical assistance to a number of schools in India
and oversees many aspects of enforcement of education policies.

Case Context: Technology in Schools in India

Use of modern technology in school education has started in the last decade. However, only a
few schools have adopted technology in their day-to-day operations.

At the starting of the millennium, there were a variety of schools that have Computer-based
learning (CBL) systems. They are frequently based on constructivist and cognitivist learning
theories, these environments focused on teaching both abstract and domain-specific problem-
solving learning.

The 2000s emergence of multiple media and ubiquitous technologies which gave a new
impulse to situated learning theories. Students are now growing up in a digital age where they
have constant exposure to a variety of media.For the starters, schools began using projectors
and started focussing on presentations, in addition to the presence of green boards.

During this lockdown, for the first-time schools have started using video conferencing
platforms, such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google hangout, etc. in order to commence their
operation through online virtual classes. Social media is also utilised at this time of disparity.
Lessons provided through Whatsapp platform and use of Google drive medium. Assignment
and test structures have also changed during this time. These are the list of firsts for an Indian
school.
Case Focus
The shift from traditional to 100% online sessions overnight, required a lot of efforts from the
administrators in the background, to ensure seamless transition. It required preparation of
video content and presentations, ensuring platform subscription, wholesome IT team support.
The school moreover lacks any previous experience of conducting any online courses, neither
the teachers nor the IT team had a head start with changes. Coming to the students at school,
they need extra guidance and care, in addition to communicating the academic lessons to
them. Schools had to make sure that the online classes are not only for the sake of teaching
the lessons, but to make sure that the students are attentive and having holistic learning.

The case study will focus on those problems presented above, and discuss how faculty can
implement effective instructional strategies to enhance positive learning attitudes of college
students and ensure the effectiveness of online education.

Research Method
The research approach is based on a literature review and qualitative interview with
teachers of the school, respectively from primary, secondary, and higher-secondary levels.
Approaches to all the levels are different. In addition to teachers, insights from students are
also taken in this study.
The questionnaire for teachers, are as follows: -
1. How are the classes going on, like which platform is used, at this time?
2. How is the admission process going on?
3. How is school making sure that the content is reaching to every student?
4. How is attendance taken care of?
5. How are assignments taken and evaluated?
6. What are the problems faced by the teachers?

The questionnaire for students, are as follows: -

1. Feedback of the virtual classes
2. Are the resources available on time
3. What are the problems students are facing?
4. Do the students prefer online courses over traditional courses?

What caused the paradigm shift?

The year 2020 will have wholesome revolutions in the technology field and its application in
different sectors, from telecom to retail, automobile to education. The traditional way of
operation has changed significantly, and all the industries are trying to find the “New
normal”.
What caused this paradigm shift across industries? 2020 has seen one of the most horrific
pandemics in years. Coronavirus, a disease, which originated from Wuhan in China. The
disease caused havoc across nations all over the world. It caused a lot of casualties, and the
multiplicative nature of the virus caused widespread effect.

As the disease posed a havoc on humanity, Governments across the world started forcing
lockdowns, closing day-to-day operations and industries. In India also, the Government also
announced nation-wide lockdown on 24th March. The spikes in the increasing number of
positive cases caused extension of the lockdown. While multiple steps are taken by
Governments and medical institutions, there is no expectation of the disease to be
contained, any time soon. Given the uncertainties, industries have faced losses and
stagnancy.

School education, however, could not afford a break, millions of futures are dependent on
schools. In stagnation due to lockdown, schools had to come out with newer technologies
and procedures, to resume sessions, so that the learning of students continued without any
lag.

The Big Change

The transition to online classes was first for ABC School, just like all other schools. The
school had to make sure it gets things right, and that too in a short time. According to the
teachers, they got mails from administration, to change the curriculum as per online mode
and prepare presentations of subjects. The school had to ensure technical aspect of the
course and preparedness, goes right.

In order to switch to online education mode, the school had to ensure that its servers can
host the courses, successfully. The server had to be upgraded, with the support of technical
staffs. They invested in video conferencing with Microsoft teams. They have also made
WhatsApp groups and have sought email and other details of all children so that they can
count how many people don’t have tablets or smartphones. Using these platforms, school is
trying to establish a ‘live’ connect with the students and parents also, and at the same time
enabling them to collaborate with each other.

The schedule was prepared on the basis of topics. For the primary classes, the time schedule
of online sessions was kept shorter. On the basis of ensuring a clear knowledge structure in
the curriculum, teachers divided the teaching content into several small modules with each
lasting approximately less than 30 minutes.

First activity was to communicate to the parents, about the transition to online classes.
“Communicating to parents, was very important. In online classes, the students don’t get
similar kind of academic environment, as they get in classrooms. This was a huge barrier
mostly for the primary classes. They are not as driven and disciplined. It was difficult to grab
their attention” A primary class teacher said. The shift projected an extra burden to the
parents, and it was their responsibility now to ensure the students are getting the right
environment to learn.
The school communicated to all parents via phone calls, emails and messages. A demo
session was held for them, educating them about the software and what should be done in
coming days as school will start conducting online classes.
Similar demo classes were scheduled for the secondary and higher secondary classes, with
students, getting them at ease with the software. The technical glitches encountered during
the demo sessions were rectified by the team.

Teaching methods also were modified, as per the requirement of online classes. Important
approach for teachers is to train themselves with proper voice modulation. The speech
modulation required for online classes, was practiced by the teachers even before demo
sessions. The online education mode redefined the role of teachers, and enhance their
resilience, Entrepreneurial skills, creativity and critical thinking, Flexibility and adaptability,
and emotional intelligence.

For the success of online teaching, teachers should consider two phases of teaching, the
offline self-learning phase and the online teaching phase.
“When you are teaching in a classroom, you can look at your students and get a sense of
whether they are engaged or not. In online classes, teachers cannot control
the environment—students can log off from the class.” Teachers needed to completely
reimagine their classes. They have to build in a lot of interactive elements to ensure that the
students are engaged in the teaching learning process

Among the positives stated by the teachers, is that it gives opportunity for a student to
relearn something, if he/she misses something in the class, one can follow the transcript or
documents of the lessons updated in the drive.

The progress of online teaching and its learning effectiveness largely depend on students'
high-level active learning outside of class. For secondary to higher secondary classes, there
is much focus on the topics, and assignments, quizzes are conducted to ensure participation
and secure attention of the students. Online education has opened different ventures for
students’ learning and evaluations. As per the teachers, online mode has added one
significant positive, and that’s creativity. For both teachers and the students. Home setting
gives the students much more freedom to think and analysis. The learning process has
become innovative. The teachers themselves have to approach teaching differently. The
students are given tasks every day regarding the day’s session. They can send their doubts
during the class and also after the class, in an online portal, making sure that they get
complete understanding of the subject.

The school is utilizing WhatsApp messaging platform for keeping records of the sessions,
such as attendance record, assignments, important notes, session presentation, etc.
Feedbacks are taken regularly, and put into use.
Assignments and tests are one of the main concerns for the college. Continuous evaluation
is required to ensure the right frame of learning during the online classes. Take-home
assignment style tests were taken. The main approach was to test the applicability of the
lessons taught in online classes.

According to the students, the new curriculum keeps them ready on the go. They have to do
tasks regularly to get evaluated. The learning experience is quite enjoyable and innovative
for them, and it generates their interest. The parents think that virtual classrooms are
making the students prepare well and be ready.

Major concerns
The transformation to virtual classroom, with all its benefits, has lots of challenges to
overcome in a big country like India. To list down few of the significant issues are Limitations
of technology, reach issues, supply of books, dependence completely on electricity and
internet speed, and all the challenges that come from the Economically weaker sections.

The students of ABC school, finds the transformation very innovative, however, the
problems are plenty. Many times, when the internet speed plays spoilsport. 90% of the
students are getting at most 4G network, which is also not up to the mark at all times of the
day, and at many locations there are frequent connectivity issues. This causes disruptions
during the online classes. Volume goes off, some words not audible, the video quality is
seldom good. When such disruptions occur, it becomes very difficult for the students to
follow the lesson and often there are gaps. Also, there are times, when the connection
completely goes off and the students have to re-log in, and it causes disruption.

In this despair times, the routine of the students has gone haywire. One of the things that
virtual classrooms cannot achieve compared to traditional learning, is the academic
environment of a classroom. It imbibes an atmosphere of learning. At home, there is hardly
any control over a structured learning environment. This is significant for the school
students.

One big issue for the school is maintaining attendance of the students. One limitation of the
virtual classes is keeping a tab on students’ attendance. As per the teachers, there is
frequent log ins and log outs. That might be owing to network failure and also, students
intentionally signing off. The sanctity of a classroom is disturbed. Teachers nor parents can
control that. During the second session of the online classes, only 25-30% students were
present throughout. It is a headache for the administration, as it dilutes the efforts and
motives for transforming to online medium.
The assignments and tests are another concern, mainly there is no judgement of their
success, or whether this system will be beneficiary for students, although such measures
have been successful in other nations, in Indian context it is still on trial basis.

The biggest issue the college and the students are facing is technological setbacks. The
network connection is not sufficient for seamless transformation and smooth operation of
online classes. Complete dependence of internet, which is uncertain, causes disruptions
during classes as not everyone has the required internet bandwidth to access lessons . Then,
there are issues, out of anyone’s control, like availability of electricity. There have been
unprecedented stoppages during classes owing to electricity failure.

One of the challenges, students faced, especially the primary class ones, is unfamiliarity with
eBooks and related documents. Availability of books in the new session has been disrupted
due to COVID situation, has caused this problem for the students. There is hardly any facility
for taking print outs. Getting familiar and habitual with the eBooks, is taking time for the
students.

Feedback from parents is varied. Some lessons are considered as structured programmes,
while some lessons are merely slideshows.

The most affected children are those from economically weaker sections. About 5-7%
students in the school belong to this section. Their education is taken care via scholarships
and Government schemes. However, they have not been prepped for such situations. ·
Many of the families don’t have the gadgets required, like a smartphone. Many students
raised issues that they found it hard to log in because their entire family shared one phone.
Some of them got the lessons through WhatsApp, however missed online class experience
due to unavailability. The school had to go on with the ongoing plan, even though all the
students were not equipped.

Moreover, child rights bodies, have warned that students spending unsupervised time online
can expose them to harmful online content, cyber bullying, harassment and other unpleasant
experiences. Control and measures also need to taken by the school, in order to prevent such
occurring.

What is the way forward?

The model of ABC School has given us roadmap how to integrate technology in school
education. This case has told us what are challenges in a country like India, for online
education. In the scheme of things, it is an opportunity and high time for schools and
authorities to slide in this aspect of technology into their curriculum.
Post-pandemic will require a boost in terms of both social and emotional. The new approach
of online education should continue to enhance the education system. The authorities should
make sure that adequate technological advancements are made in schools and allocate budget
for the same.
Coming to academic challenges, attendance should be closely monitored. There are softwares
which registers the activities of each attendees of a meeting. It is hence possible to check the
availability of the students and their attendance. Another way to ensure there is proper
engagement, is to conduct the classes with 2 professionals- so that one can monitor the
availability of the students.

Post-pandemic, at school the new education policy is required to be revised and recalibrated.
With a staggered opening, the government and school leaders will have to think of novel
methods by which children can be assimilated back into the school setting. And this has to be
looked at bearing in mind the normal school calendar. Perhaps the new education policy
needs to be revisited quickly and recalibrated.
At the primary level, when children return, they should be allowed to have their own learning
options — creating personalised portfolios and project-based learning is important.

Technological advancements should come hand in hand with changes in times. Newer
technologies can be adopted, judging the feasibility. 3D scanner technologies and solve
problems of books and documents. Augmented reality and artificial intelligence- these
modern technologies can be solutions to many problems and open windows to newer
ventures.
Digitalisation requires adequate timely steps taken by the authorities and private companies,
in order to enhance the internet bandwidth, so that it there is seamless transition into digital
space in school education. Better internet connectivity is a must, for any digital
transformation.
Hence, it is imperative that when dealing with senior students, we should help them
understand the importance of resilience and mental strength in order to face climatic change,
disease, natural and man-made disasters and even rapid technological changes.
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