Schooling amid COD-19
If some people think that we have already gotten rid of the global pandemic, they are probably disappointed right now. As the fourth wave of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is already here, more and more cities and countries take into consideration introducing new restrictions and quarantine again. Even though the vaccine becomes widely available to people from all countries, the vaccine rates go up slower than ever.
This fourth wave will likely affect many domains, among which is the higher education system. Students were forced to spend 2020 inside their rooms, taking part in online classes. Not seeing their colleagues or being able to chat live with them has put a toll on the progress of many students. But what is going to happen now that there are more and more active coronavirus cases? The risk of catching the disease is high nowadays so the higher education system will surely be affected by this, according to Granite Grok.
The impact of online education
Many students outside North America choose to study at the universities of the United States and Canada. The number of international students that come to the U.S. yearly to start their higher education is constantly increasing. From 1949 to 1950, there were about 26,000 international students who came to the US. From 2019 to 2020, there were about 1.1 million international students, according to Migration Policy. Every year, over 1 million international students come or return to the U.S. to start or continue their studies.
But as the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all the countries of the world, traveling restrictions are in place, which is surely constraining students that come from countries where the number of active cases is high. For example, there are over 370,000 students that come from China to the U.S. yearly, according to Statista. There are over 190,000 Indian students, too. Because these are some of the largest countries on the globe with a pretty high population, the number of active cases is also high.
Because of the current traveling restrictions in place, the students who come from these countries might not be allowed to enter the country, which is seriously affecting their academic progress. In this case, it seems that online education will become the new normal again.
Online education- the new normal?
If summer was a period where the numbers of active COVID-19 cases have dwindled, now with the arrival of a new season, a chillier one, these numbers are skyrocketing. Some universities have already shifted to full online education to protect the health of both the staff and the students. For example, the University of Washington has already announced that students will not return to physical classes until spring break. This was caused by the detection of a staff member who has COVID-19. A lot more other universities are following this trend as the global health situation is not so rosy anymore.
Even though classes might shift to online, students are still getting complex and complicated assignments to solve. Writing an essay and taking care of all your assignments when you learn mainly online might become challenging. There is an online writing service for every student who feels overwhelmed and challenged by the tasks they have to do. If I were a Canadian student confronted with such challenges that seem insurmountable, I can always find a service to do my assignment in Canada, such as Assignment Bro.
Even though some universities have integrated a form of online learning after 2020, they were hoping they will return to physical classes anytime now. Shifting all the classes and seminars online can be difficult for many small universities, which may not have the infrastructure and technological possibilities to do this instantly. The systems of some universities are not supporting over 5,000 online classes or lectures, so professors need to work alongside information technology (IT) specialists to design the best learning experience for students.
With a new wave of COVID-19, it is unlikely that we will see universities accepting students to their campuses. Even though they might build some protocols that students will follow, the spread of the Delta variant is easier and faster.
Some universities have already shifted to online classes and we will likely see others follow. But the complexity of the tasks has not decreased, and handling all assignments and essays can be difficult for some students. Thankfully, there are writing companies ready to help any of them to pursue their academic goals.
CONAN Daily 