Learning online in post-pandemic era

Life is going virtual. This is especially true for students. Since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in early 2020, many students in China have had to attend online classes. In fact, for high school students, "virtual studies" may continue even after they get admitted to a college.

In June, about 11.93 million students took the college entrance exam (gaokao), which will determine their career and chances of climbing up the social ladder. These youngsters, for sure, must also be looking forward to a "wonderful" life on the college campus. Yet they may be disappointed, as many things have changed on the campus or have been shifted online.

The good news is that the students can still enhance their knowledge, explore the world and pursue their dreams. There are countless learning resources, both in China and abroad, as well as facilities to conduct basic to advanced research and apply their results to industry and other fields for the benefit of the country and the people.

As for education institutions, they should raise their budgets and intensify their efforts to build better infrastructure facilities, train teachers and nurture students' digital skills. By doing so, they can greatly enlarge their resource pool, including teaching materials, selection of courses and even quality teachers. That in turn would help improve education quality and make students more motivated to excel in their fields.

Moreover, with the fading charm of campus life, the privilege or advantage students in high-performing schools enjoyed will also diminish. Previously, "top" schools used to have excellent teachers and facilities, and a good learning environment. Now, many of these things are available through the internet, and can help enhance equity in the education sector. They can also enable students to enroll for almost any course online in a Chinese or foreign education institution, no matter how far it is.

For this to become reality, however, commensurate changes are required－for example, a transition to an assessment system that improves the teaching and learning process. Rote learning is not conducive to virtual settings, nor does it suit hybrid learning through both traditional methods and advanced technologies. They therefore need to shift toward competence-oriented learning.

For example, this year's question papers for gaokao were more focused on reasoning, analysis and comprehension instead of memorization of facts as in the past. Also, students had to use their aptitude skills and innovative abilities much more than before to give the right answers to the questions.

Today's trend is one of education with greater intellectual essence, so students are better prepared for further studies and the workplace in a fast-changing world.

But the more than 10.76 million graduates likely to pass out of universities this year will face bigger challenges in securing a good job. Students have good reason to be confident, though, that their hard work in college will pay off and they will eventually get a suitable job. All the same, the students have to prepare for the transition from campus to workplace, which they can do by receiving online career guidance and training, and acquiring digital competence.

Indeed, it is more challenging to get a job today, especially a standard employment contract-based job, than before. So youths need to be open to flexible employment such as working part-time or joining a start-up on a digital platform, a sector that is booming in the post-COVID-19 era.

As a matter of fact, high-tech development is reshaping the labor market around the world. The International Labor Organization has said almost 50 percent of jobs may be replaced by automation and artificial intelligence by 2025, and many existing occupations may change in terms of nature and/or form due to advancement of technology.

Therefore, even after getting a job, college graduates have to be prepared to change employment, if need be, or improve their skills, expand their knowledge as well as learn complex problem-solving skills to remain gainfully employed in a world swinging between the virtual and the real.

With students making efforts to become more flexible and adaptable in dealing with the changes in education, the government is taking more coordinated actions to solve the challenges facing the job market while continuing to implement strict pandemic prevention and control measures.

The government's efforts will likely ensure the students' well-being and help them overcome the challenges.

The author is director of the Chinese Society of Educational Development Strategy. The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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