Digitalization of Traditional Classrooms: A Students’ Perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACT Covid-19 is fiercely hurting the field of academics and education. Millions of learners and teachers and educational institutions have been adversely affected. Educational institutions have scrapped traditional physical classroom teaching during these challenging times and have adopted e-learning models. However, there exist many discrepancies in the process of digitalization of classrooms. Therefore, this present study aims to evaluate the ramifications of the Covid-19 pandemic on the education sector and provide a student-oriented perspective to address the challenges in this process. The study is based on an independent online survey conducted by authors in which 212 undergraduate students of one of India’s prestigious universities, the University of Delhi, have participated. The survey unveiled that many colleges are arranging online classes for students via various technological platforms available such as Google Meet, Zoom, MS Teams, Skype, etc. However, it has been observed that almost half of the students are attending classes irregularly and do not possess requisite study material for self-study. The survey reports that many students face depression and anxiety-related problems during the lockdown period. Other issues include improper internet connectivity and the non-availability of the devices. About three-fourth of students have expressed their concerns that education may become a costly affair for them as their family income dwindles. The study stresses developing more innovative and interactive teaching methods, as online teaching is monotonous and dull. Covid-19 has led to a decline in the students’ family income, making education costly to many students. More innovative teaching practices for better learning experiences and adequate funding of the educational institutes for infrastructural development is the need of the hour.