Page 16 - Science@UM365Dec2020

OPINIONS
THE GLASS

full ProfessorDr JenniferAnn Harikrishna

IS

Article by

Institute of Biological Sciences

conventional classroom ande-learning

A well-known question to determine how a person looks at life is to ask if they see a half-filled
glass of water as “half-empty” or “half-full”. My favourite answer to this question (that I read
somewhere that I now can’t remember) was that
“The glass is full: Half of it is filled with water and the rest with air”.

I think it must have been a person I have also had to learn how to While e-learning has proved to be
with a love for science that said this! I “reach” the students and to highly valuable in this “Covid-19 Era”
also believe this to be a good attitude encourage interaction, something I and undoubtedly, the forced move to
to life; after all, we need both water still struggle with. So as well as e-learning across the globe will result
and air to live. We also should make seeing some disadvantages, this in increasingly better tools and
the most of what is given to us. The experience has led me to see more of technology to improve
same principle of “not either or, but the advantages of e-learning as a implementation, I still strongly feel
both” holds true for the way that we component of my courses and I that physical face-to-face time is
interact with students who are so believe that both we academics and important and indeed irreplaceable for
briefly with us (in the context of our or our students are all improving in the many types of qualifications. We are
their lifetime) to be guided to improve use of remote learning technology. still far from being able to develop and
their knowledge, as both online and assess psychomotor skills (such as
physically face-to-face are useful and laboratory skills) in our students with
effective modes for learning. our current facilities, and laboratory
I still strongly feel based research at undergraduate and
Pre-Covid-19, we were already postgraduate levels will continue to be
starting to embrace the inevitable that physical face- important, especially for qualifications
incursion of technology into our in science. But what we have seen
lecture rooms and labs. Some of us to-face time is from the current situation, is that not
with greater enthusiasm than others! all learning needs to be conducted in
I’ll admit to being rather cautious in important and a physical face-to-face environment,
this respect; since most of my and it makes much sense to fill our
courses are at level two and three, indeed glass with appropriate portions of
with relatively small class sizes, I physical and distance learning to
really enjoy being physically in the irreplaceable for provide the best learning experience
same room as my students and my for our students, to improve
experience has been that this allows many times of accessibility to learning and also to
me to notice and assist the students allow more flexibility in our courses. In
who need more support, especially qualifications this way we can make sure that the
during tutorial classes. The enforced glass is always full.
WFH this past few months was
perhaps a push I needed to spend
more time and effort on learning how
to convey information to students in
an e-learning mode.
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