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16NEW REALITY AND ITS CHALLENGES AND FUTURE PROSPECTS IN GEORGIA
Khubua M.,
PhD, Sokhumi State University, 61 Politkovskaya Street
Aghaia M.
PhD, Sokhumi State University, 61 Politkovskaya Street
Abstract
It's an obvious and vital fact that education and technology are the key aspects and factors of economic development and advancement. Covid-19 has started a new era for everybody in any field and of course it has had its impact on higher education as well. Due to COVID -19 teaching has taken a new turn through digital platform and digitization of education has become one of the priorities of our reality. Distance learning was the best solution for continuing education during the pandemic period though it has required proper and reliable technologies such as: a bandwidth, a server, a hardware, a software memory, a camera, and a microphone as well. During pandemic it was crucial for educators to maintain a high level of interest and motivation in their students. They had to focus on maintaining academic standards and quality as well. Our article focuses on a current state and new challenges of higher education of Georgia and measures taken by The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports during a pandemic period. With the immediate drift from the classroom to the distance teaching higher education sector has faced a new reality and a particular set of challenges. The contribution of our study is to evaluate the learners' new experiences during online classes and to assess the effectiveness of the virtual ways of learning. This is achieved by analyzing 2076 learners' responses. A quantitative method has been selected for the study. A questionnaire has been specially developed by sociologists with several possible answers, which has been delivered to the target segment via online Google format.
Key words: pandemic, higher education, technology, distance learning, teaching
Due to COVID-19 Georgian education system had to adapt to a new reality and therefore some relevant legislative changes have been made in the Law of Georgia concerning Higher Education. Due to this change a new term has appeared in the law in regards to distance learning. To remain relevant and effective universities had to reinvent their learning environments. Georgian education system had no previous experience of working remotely. Consequently, effective management of the learning process has become an important, crucial, and priority challenge. Adapting the teaching process to a new reality took some effort as keeping students' active involvement, interest and motivation for learning in a changed learning process turned out to be not easy due to lack of relevant experience. Additionally, urgent need for implementing distance learning has required multiple roles and workload from educators. They had to be innovators and create different sources of learning based on the available materials. Moreover, the use of new mediums of technology has become the core of educators' responsibilities. They were to master various skills especially computer skills. Educators had to make an outstanding contribution in the learning process while planning, teaching, and evaluating. They had to be more flexible to avoid any probable obstacles and they had to face the new changes caused by distance learning more wisely and efficiently.
In Sokhumi State University online platform Zoom helped us to adapt to new challenges of distance learning process since it was considered as one of the appropriate and relevant online platforms to conduct online teaching. After a while we have been able to manage it effectively by tailoring the resources used in the teaching process to the needs and interests of our students, by giving feedback on time, by diversifying and modifying our lecture formats. All these factors
have had a positive impact on students' engagement, mutual learning, self-expression, and motivation as well.
To evaluate distance learning we have used a study conducted by the Quality Assurance Service at Sokhumi State University in 2020, which aimed to get information about students' requirements, assessing the quality of distance learning, its improvement, development, and advancement. 2076 students of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs from five faculties were selected as the target audience. The research area was large and we have got quite valuable information. We have studied the following issues:
1. Involvement in distance learning Transferring to distance learning due to the pandemic has turned out to be a serious challenge for academic staff and students as well. 83.8% of respondents confirmed that they were involved in distance learning, which can be considered a positive indicator because there was no distance learning practice and it was introduced in an unexpected stressful environment caused by the pandemic. 60% of the academic staff technically were not ready for distance learning.
2. Studying equipment infrastructure
Distance learning put digital technology-based infrastructure first, so it has become necessary to support the development of digital technology infrastructure and create a virtual learning environment. The study indicates that students have two types of challenges in terms of hardware: having no technical equipment and limited internet connectivity. Solving the listed problems will increase the quality and effectiveness of distance learning, for this the university must have accurate information on the technical equipment necessary for students. Most students use mobile, so it has become important to have mobile applications.
While creating a virtual learning environment, we must take into account ensuring the protection and security of personal data. The issue shall be legally regulated by the Law of Georgia on personal data protection and we must also follow the recommendations issued by the state inspector's office concerning the protection of personal data and distance learning. University staff and students should be aware of the dosages of sharing personal data and assess the risk that accompanies to the dissemination of information. In particular, when using Zoom, the participant's name, surname and visual images may appear. It is up to the lecturer or student to decide whether he/she will turn on the video and show his/her own image. It is inadmissible to take a picture without revealing the will of the attending persons, creating voice and video images or capturing and distributing screenshots as well.
3. Online Teaching Platform
In order to conduct distance teaching effectively, it has become necessary to support educational materials, library and teaching management systems with digital technology. Students have had some experience of using social networks, forums and chats, so the delivery of educational materials has been carried out properly and conveniently. Students have been using the online platform selected by the university, as they have been focused on self-development. They easily and quickly have received the necessary information through the learning portal. Regardless of the digital knowledge and awareness of academic staff and students constant appropriate and relevent support of IT department should be provided by the University. The introduction of digital technologies has led to a change in methods, strategies, and approaches of teaching.
4. Satisfaction of Distance learning Quality
In order to conduct online classes effectively it has
become necessary and essential tailoring learning/teaching and assessment strategies to distance learning. Partial satisfaction about the format of distance learning is caused by lack of student's life and lack of communication with lecturers. Due to improving internet access and development of digital resources, integrating online learning elements in traditional learning will become increasingly attractive in the future because its positive characteristics are: flexibility, availability, convenience, and manageability. Many students are employed and in the era of technology it will turn out to be much more effective and re-sultable if we offer quality knowledge in remote and electronic form.
We have made SWOT ANALYSIS to identify internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportunities and threats of distance learning.
SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTHS
Improving digital skills Access to open educational resources Implementing active teaching methods Constant Trainings
WEAKNESSES
Lack of experience of using distance learning techniques
Low level of digital skills
Lack of appropriate technical equipment
Lack of institutional support
Opportunities
Market expansion
Offering interesting and meaningful programs and certification courses
Perfection of methodological approaches
THREATS
Interest disappearance Fatital syndrome Laziness
Low level of awareness and recognition of distance learning
The results of the research have clearly shown the challenges and problems that Georgian educational reality has faced. Based on the analysis of the research results we have made some conclusions and future predictions. The level of awareness of distance/electronic learning has increased in society since the Covid-19 pandemic and it has been recognized at the country and international level. Eliminating problems related to the recognition of distance learning remains to be the important and crucial issue in terms of promoting internationalization, international student mobility and enhancing international relations. It is necessary to develop some specific mechanisms for the recognition of distance higher education. In order to implement effective higher education remote/electronic programs it is important and crucial to develop them in accordance with the assessment criteria and indicators provided by the updated accreditation standards which itself will increase the quality of teaching.
References
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