The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has been deemed a public health emergency and has been provoking fear for those looking to fulfill their educational dreams. This virus has emerged from China and has now been found starting to spread within the United States. This outbreak has come with many economic and social complications that have drastically affected the educational industry, potentially causing permanent systematic alterations. Even with this being the case, students can still reach their educational goals through online courses, which can simultaneously rid their fears of catching the virus and losing out on their education.

Disrupted Physical Education

In China right now, there are about 180 million students that are unable to travel to their schools. In addition, their spring semester start date has been postponed, with no new date as of yet. Due to this, many of the institutions there are trying to shift their methods to become online educators. Australia is not too far behind with their online education growth, considering they rely heavily on Chinese students for enrollments. The well-equipped institutions that have the right technology to provide online courses have been helping the stranded students with their educational needs.

With travel bans, quarantines, and the immense warnings to stay safe during this outbreak, institutions all around the globe have been responding to it by offering more online learning and preparing for when something like this may occur again. Online education is a way for prospected students to still follow their dreams without having to worry about exposing themselves to public places that may contain the coronavirus.

Will EdTech Begin to Thrive?

EdTech is aimed to improve education, teaching, and learning processes through innovative technology. Though this sounds great on paper, educational technology has had a significant history of struggling to get large groups to adopt their practices.

With the rise of the coronavirus, it will be fascinating to see if people will begin to sway more towards the implementation of this when choosing computer programs, apps, or devices for the classroom. Because of the coronavirus booming online educational traffic, investors in EdTech are hoping that there will be mass adoption of these companies by students and teachers in the near future.

The Coronavirus May Be a ‘Black Swan’ Event

The term “black swan” derives from a Nassim Taleb, a Lebanese-American scholar, statistician, and former options trader.  It means that things such as the coronavirus, or September 11^th attacks are rare occurrences that were unpredictable, but drastically change the course of history. These are moments in time that create chaos in the short-term but drive significant changes.

With that being said, the coronavirus may be the “black swan” event that will change the educational industry. For instance, the SARS outbreak forced China to boost alternative methods for long-distance education, leading to more diverse uses of online tools. It could be possible that the coronavirus will motivate the drive to enhance connectivity and infrastructure within educational systems that can resource the endeavor adequately, making it easy and effective for students to learn online. 

Online Education Remediates Fear

Aside from keeping students on track to earn their degree and follow their dreams, online education has significantly decreased the widespread panic due to the coronavirus emergency. There are two main fears that students have as the coronavirus wreaks havoc, and that is catching the virus themselves and not being able to partake in their education, ultimately putting them behind to earn their degree.

Though this is an intense fear, they can remediate it by choosing an online education alternative. Now that this option is more prevalent than ever as more universities offer online courses as a direct response to this outbreak, students can be more at ease knowing they can stay clear of public places and not miss out on learning. They can take courses in the comfort of their own home and avoid being exposed to infected public locations that could subject them to getting sick.

You can also read: How has technology changed education?

Final Thoughts

Though the coronavirus is currently at a peak, so is online education. If online education becomes the new norm, there may be a shift in educational systems worldwide. Universities are moving, and may continue to move, quick to provide online courses to keep up with the demand, meaning there will be many more online options for students than ever before. While online education is at an all-time high and has been highly effective in keeping people safe from viral exposure, make sure to take other necessary precautions as well. The World Health Organization lists helpful recommendations to follow, so you can protect yourself and reduce your chances of getting sick.