Why online classrooms make perfect sense in a post-pandemic world (and why they don’t) – part 1

Schools around the world are seemingly in a hurry to return to normalcy. While institutes consider the pros and cons of getting students in classrooms again, here are five reasons why online schooling may be the logical way ahead:

Lesser costs per year

As per a 2018 study, private schools in the US approximately spend up to US$ 81,000 per student per year. Accounting departments in these schools prepare monetary budgets every year to allocate the requisite funds for various operations. Mostly, the money generated by a school is spent on salaries and student benefits. Schools stand to make massive savings every year if the students permanently attend their lectures remotely. As a result, schools can benefit economically from the online learning model in the long run.

Increase in geographical reach for schools

Parents are generally reluctant to send their children to faraway schools. Therefore, most schools almost solely consist of students staying within a definite radius. Online schooling renders the concept of distance obsolete. A virtual lecture can be attended by any student in any part of the globe (although timing-related issues will need to be hashed out in advance). Therefore, schools can maximize their reach in a geographical sense by positive word of mouth reviews and clever media marketing.

Smooth conduction of examinations

The examination period in a school involves a lot of planning, coordination, and delegation of responsibilities amongst the teachers and supervision staff. The planning committee is extra-cautious before the exam to avoid paper leaks and during it to prevent cheating and other malpractices. Until now, online examinations have always faced questions about credibility and legitimacy. To resolve this, the use of online proctoring software facilitates the smooth conduction of remote proctored exams.  Modern online proctoring services ensure the prevention of unethical practices during a proctored test.

Smarter repurposing of the school premises

While this idea may seem illogical now, it holds promise as a long-term suggestion. If students permanently attend their school virtually, the administrators of the institute can plan to use the school building and its surrounding premises for other commercial purposes. A few structural alterations in and around the campus could transform the school into either of the following: a hostel, a sporting academy, a hospital, or something else.

Virtual expansion of student capacity

Schools are limited by the number of new students they can take every year. However, digital schooling can allow an institute to increase its student capacity across all grades. Although schools will have to hire more teachers to manage the workload, an increase in revenue can easily offset those costs. Moreover, schools can collaborate with other institutes to teach a wider array of subjects and creative skills to students through the online platform.

We at uLearn can provide our advanced solutions for the smooth conduction of remote proctored exams for your institute without compromising on student data safety and privacy. You can contact us to know more about our products and services.

To know more about uLearn: https://ulearn.io/