Online Education: Understanding Technological, Socio-Economic and Emotional Challenges

Abstract

This paper looks at the challenges faced by teachers and students across the globe and Saudi Arabia in particular due to the sudden transition from face-to-face classes to online classes. The pandemic due to Covid 19 brings out the already existing digital/social divide in societies across the world. Amidst such a situation, schools and colleges grappled with new ed-technology, traversing with its non-video or voice only features due to cultural issues and data-cost and network related issues. Since most courses were partly completed by the time the lockdowns happened, students and teachers were exposed to the new methods of assessment. Teachers were not prepared for presenting lectures on a virtual platform which requires different strategies and preparation.<br/> All of a sudden LMSes, like Blackboard experienced tremendous load and the experience was bad due to poor net connection, low quality data packs and phone incompatibility. As every cloud has a silver lining, the teachers found solutions to improve learning and teaching, and engage students inspite of the digital/social divide becoming wider due to the pandemic. The prediction that ELearning is going to be the future mode of learning and teaching came true with all hiccups. Teachers are forced to re-look at their teaching strategies, re-write lessons plans. Unfortunately, it was a period of burn out – emotional and mental.