How the Pandemic Changed the Way We Think about E-Learning

    

     If the pandemic taught us one thing; it was how to pivot. Many teachers across the U.S. had to change from in-person to virtual, practically overnight. Not only did teachers have to shift their instruction, but they had to change their approach to teaching as well. Often we discuss how the pandemic impacted our schools, students, and families, but we really do not discuss how the pandemic affected education and the positive shifts that it made for education after the pandemic. Many times, parents equate pandemic learning with online learning, but distance education is much different. Danchikov et al states, “practice has shown that in the current conditions, the existing resources of educational institutions can effectively transform formal education into online education with the help of virtual classes and other key online tools” (Danchikov et al, 2021).

Emergency Remote Learning vs. Online Learning 

  According to John Watson, author of The Post-Pandemic’s Digital Learning Landscape for the March 2024 edition of School Administrator, there are a few things that we need to keep in mind when comparing pandemic learning and online learning:

1. Emergency learning is not online learning. While this education approach did happen online, it was implemented very hastily and was a product of a crisis situation. 

2. Online and hybrid learning take many forms, and examples of successes are all around. We must remember that there are full-time online learning options available and these are valid learning avenues.

3. Students and families choose these options for various reasons. There are many different reasons that families would choose this option for their children’s education. They may have a job that requires them to move quite often, the student may have a full-time job, there may be a chronic medical condition that prevents the student from attending in-person, and the list goes on. The reasons are numerous as to why families select online learning, but families should feel confident in their choice in education for their students. 

4. Innovation isn’t technology. During the pandemic, teachers had to become extremely creative when it came to getting and keeping a student’s attention. When it comes to post-pandemic online learning, innovation takes many other forms. For example, innovation in an online environment may be offering hybrid courses, the school or courses enable students to have flexibility according to the Universal Design for Learning, and building relationships with caring professionals (Watson, 2024). 

Leading and Managing a Distance Education Organization

When thinking about how to manage this online learning environment, Simonson and Zvacek state that “the distance learning leader is a visionary capable of action who guides an organization’s future, its vision, mission, goals, and objectives…A distance learning leader has competence in knowing, designing, managing, leading, and visioning distance education” (Simonson & Zvacek, 2024). 

According to Nworie, there are four distance education leadership theories. They are transformational leadership theory, situational leadership theory, complexity leadership theory, and systems thinking theory. Nworie notes that it is important to identify your leadership style so that you can adapt as changes occur in the organization they lead (Simonson & Zvacek, 2024).

When leading an organization that is mostly online, leaders must consider the difference between an in-person organization and an online organization. According to Simonson and Zvacek, the essential functions of an online administrator are very similar to that of an in-person administrator; however, this leader must also consider that all of this will be completed hybridly or remotely.

 “A failure to plan is a plan to fail”, this same sentiment is echoed by Simonson and Zvacek. The authors state that “no organization should enter the distance education marketplace without a clearly thought-out plan that has gained the consensus approval of all key players.” This is one major difference between in-person and online learning because the “key players” may hold different positions in each organization.

In conclusion, the online learning landscape has shifted since the pandemic. Although online learning is still associated with the pandemic, many students and families choose online learning for many different reasons. The current online learning environment shows that institutions are more than capable of transforming formal education into online learning with the help of course management systems and other key online tools.

Resources: 

Danchikov, E. A., Prodanova, N. A., Kovalenko, Y. N., & Bondarenko, T. G. (2021). The potential of online learning in modern conditions and its use at different levels of education. Linguistics and Culture Review, 5(S1), 578-586. https://doi.org/10.21744/lingcure.v5nS1.1442

Simonson, M. R., & Zvacek, S. (2024). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of Distance Education. Information Age Publishing, Inc.

Watson, J. (2024, March 1). The post-pandemic’s Digital Learning Landscape. AASA: The School Superintendents Association. https://www.aasa.org/resources/resource/post-pandemic-digital-learning-landscape