In 2020, the world of education shrouded by a cloud of uncertainty was rapidly transformed and revamped to align itself to the virtual world and negate the challenges presented by an era of accelerated technological progress. The advent of VSE initially looked at sceptically, has offered a new frontier of learning and has dramatically redefined the landscape of education using determinants that guarantee success.

Achieving academic excellence in the context of VSE has been challenging if not completely unattainable. An interest in the long-term viability of the program by recalibrating all parameters and revising key strategies to meet new expectations has ensured its effectiveness. Let’s take a look at a few pivotal components that have driven VSE to the avenue of excellence.

Rethinking teaching-learning strategies

Redesigning the curriculum specifically for online instruction and devising teaching and learning strategies to suit the need of VSE is imperative. Schools get rid of unnecessary content, focus on what’s essential and take necessary measures on improving student engagement in virtual classrooms. Without the right strategies, it will be difficult to generate the same level of interest and participation one might get to witness in a traditional classroom. Here are a few effective ways to boost student engagement:

Create an active learning environment within virtual classrooms by holding group discussions and encouraging students to interact and reflect on what they are learning. If you want students to actively contribute to your sessions, you have to make students emotionally invested in the educational material as well as their learning outcomes. Another element that plays a key role here is to ensure that students are getting some element of a social experience out of it too. Creating opportunities for collaboration and breaking the learning group down into smaller groups to channel discussions has also proven beneficial. Make the lesson as enjoyable as possible by using a number of tools to facilitate active student interaction.

Proper training for the faculty to design virtual lessons

Focus on ongoing professional development around online teaching and learning practices by schools has demonstrated positive results. For teachers, skill development is a must to promote a flexible, responsive approach and gather technological capabilities to drive the VSE. Increased collaboration, adopting mechanisms to bolster the culture of shared best practices among educators, and providing opportunities for up-skilling to raise the technical competence of instructors is likely to make VSE not only effective but also enduring.

Reinventing VSE by integrating new edtech tools

The edtech tools are gaining ground and rapidly being absorbed into school curriculums as they have been designed to solve a number of issues that teachers, parents and students have encountered during the initial transition to VSE and to deliver better teaching and learning experiences that result in higher learning outcomes. Integrating edtech tools has not only enabled teachers to provide customized learning for students but has also changed the way students approach learning. CenturyTech, Callido, InSpace and Top Hat are a few Edtech tools already known to revolutionize teaching and learning.

Building an effective partnership

The continuing success of VSE can be attributed to the effective alliance between all stakeholders. Encouraging parent-teacher collaboration in the context of VSE through several virtual events and a system of clear and consistent communication is vital and is known to build a potent relationship between the school and the parent community. A platform should be given to the parents to make them feel supported and informed at all times.

Excellence in VSE is bound to the selective blend of these intrinsic factors. This academic year too, we have made a comeback with VSE but there is a difference in our approach this year. After having run this program for over a year, all stakeholders have come to realise how the synergy between all the different components yields positive results.