This summer I’ve been hyper-sensitized to the essential need for Instructional Design expertise, triggered by the middle-of-Spring Term rush to get students and classrooms converted to Zoom, Skype and Google Meet make-shift online lessons, due the emergency of the shelter-in-place / lockdown orders spread nationwide by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Simultaneously, I became aware of the inequalities among my students, in terms of which could actually connect and learn from home, versus those who didn’t have computers, WiFi, mobile phone service, etc., and consequently were impeded during the transition.
Added to all this, was the enormous emotional toll on admin, faculty, students and parents, caused by widespread unemployment, illness, financial uncertainty, and the general stress of being sequestered at home, 24/7 for months.
I was pleasantly surprised at how well the students and staff of our small institution adapted and conformed to the pressing needs, while achieving a remarkable level of learning, in spite of all the chaos and duress.
However, the problems and inequalities become the domain of Instructional Designers, who can build into their programs and courses, flexibility that anticipates the probability of students (often through no fault of their own) dropping in and out of class, due to technical obstables, unstable home enviroments, job demands, etc. According to a recent article, this must be resolved for successful learning to be fair and equal:
“Almost 40% of African American and Hispanic households don’t have computers at home for their children to participate in online classes, do research on the internet and complete and submit their homework.”
Please see more here: https://t.co/Uf4VbTVsnW?amp=1
Dottore Mark 