Online teaching and learning has strengthened the education during the time of COVID-19 when all the schools were closed and it was taking a toll on the early education of children as well as higher studies. However, when the world is back to new normal and everything in the world has restored to its previous form, education has split into two parts including offline and online.
On one hand schools have opened, students and teachers have resumed to schools and education is back on track after the rough ride for two years, on the other hand a large fraction of teaching staff and student have moved to online education weather it is of early childhood education or higher education. Many edtech platforms have recruited teachers on the hourly basis which is prove to be a great attraction for the teachers and brought a shift in the education industry. More and more teachers are willing to join the edtech platforms which gives them more time with their families and don’t have to run to school on the daily basis. This practice is somehow believed to bring more productivity and results in the teaching profession.
Let’s see what the edtech platforms and teachers have to say about it.
Speaking to Opportunity India, Dr. Abhinanada Sarkar, Academic Director, Great Learning said that online teaching allows greater flexibility and increases the earning potential for teachers.
“From a teacher’s perspective, online teaching allows greater flexibility. Classes can be taught from remote locations, even from their homes. As travel and other logistics are simpler, more courses can be taught, increasing earning potential for teachers. From the industry's perspective, more courses can be offered. Live teaching can be made available at convenient hours, allowing for more part-time programmes. Furthermore, these classes can potentially be taught and attended from anywhere in the world, thus enabling low-cost global programmes,” Sarkar said.
He said that it is relevant to note that teachers in college and university campuses are also involved in research and other scholarly work. In comparison, teaching in edtech is more focused on delivering knowledge and skills to learners.
“This is particularly true for those teachers who are paid based on hours taught. Time will tell whether this separation of knowledge discovery (research) and knowledge delivery (teaching) leads to positive social outcomes,” he added.
Meanwhile Monica Malhotra Kandhari, Managing Director, MBD Group and Founder, AASOKA said that the transition of offline teachers to online teaching has been significant and advantageous. Teachers can connect with students from various locations thanks to the increased flexibility and reach offered by online learning.
Additionally, it opens up the possibility of a larger audience and a higher income because online platforms make it easier to teach students individually or in larger groups. Additionally, online instruction gives teachers the chance to make the most of a variety of digital tools and resources, improving their instructional strategies and enhancing student engagement.
“Overall, the shift to online education has increased opportunities for educators and transformed the field of education by removing geographical restrictions,” she added.
While the hourly model of teaching for edtech companies brings numerous advantages, it’s important to consider potential challenges, such as maintaining consistency in teaching quality, ensuring adequate support and mentorship for teachers, and addressing concerns related to job security and benefits, she said.
Nevertheless, this evolving model has the potential to transform education by offering increased accessibility, personalized learning experiences, and a wealth of expertise from educators worldwide. “20 teachers have joined AASOKA team in the last three months in training and editorial department,” said Monica.
Sonya Hooja, Co-Founder, Imarticus learning said that the shift from offline teachers to online teaching has brought numerous benefits to both teachers and the education industry.
Firstly, online teaching has widened the reach of educators, allowing them to connect with students across the country and globally, transcending geographical limitations. This expanded audience provides greater exposure and opportunities for teachers to showcase their expertise. Moreover, online teaching offers flexibility and convenience.
“The hiring of teachers on an hourly basis in the edtech industry has proven to be transformative. It allows for a more agile and responsive teaching approach. Hourly-based teachers can cater to specific, in-demand topics. This flexibility enables Imarticus to offer a diverse range of courses taught by specialised experts that align with industry needs. Furthermore, the availability of specialised educators on-demand ensures high-quality, focused learning, fostering a more productive Experience,” She said.
She said that this model has revolutionised education by facilitating a dynamic, skill-centric curriculum that equips students with relevant expertise for the current job landscape. He also said that nearly 20 per cent of our trainers and teachers have come from offline institutes in last three months.
Bhanu Pratap Singh, Founder and Director, JeeBoard Academy who had been a teacher for both Vedantu and Byju’s online education plan said that shift of offline teachers to online teaching has opened new opportunities . It has enabled the teachers to reach out to more number of students transcending geographical boundaries and time limitations with customised learning experience and better feedback mechanism .
He said that working on hourly basis offers great freelancing opportunities with flexible schedules for teachers and it is a win-win model as it helps in cost cutting to online educational institutes.
“This gives time freedom to teachers as they select their class and leisure time themselves which helps in improving their productivity. Full time jobs in school and institutions don’t offer such flexibility. This also enables students to enrol for selected topics in a course. Working on an hourly basis also creates opportunities for working professionals in corporates to teach particularly in post K12 segment and post graduation courses which helps the learners to become job ready,” Singh added.
He said that edtech tries to strike a balance between technology and human interaction as role of teachers in learning remains crucial. edtech helps teachers reach out to greater number of students globally . Teachers are acquiring fame with greater reach and this in turn is also attracting many young teachers to the industry .
He further said, “Edtech often use adaptive learning tools like multimedia, virtual reality, assignment tracking, real time attendance and now offers more customised learning to students. So, traditional learning teaching is now combined with technology which enables educators to explain the concepts in a better way. What earlier was made to imagine explaining a concept in offline teaching can now be shown in real time using technology.
