BY NOURAH AL-OSEIMI
EXCLUSIVE TO THE TIMES KUWAIT
In 2020, our lives were turned upside down in every sense of the word. Everything changed overnight and our daily vernacular started to include expressions and phrases such as ‘social distancing’, ‘PCR test’, ‘curfew’ and my personal favorite, ‘full lockdown’.
When considering the impact that all of these experiences have had on us over the past year, it is far too complex to dissect in a single piece of writing as it is a multi-faceted discussion. I also believe that the long-term effects of this pandemic will continue to be studied and unraveled in the years to come.
As an educator, I was particularly curious to see what would transpire in the educational sector, how people would respond to these changes, how we would adapt and most importantly — will we remain committed to our formal education in the same way that we were before the pandemic?
A few important instances come to mind, I observed with interest the rising protests to abstain from written exams. I observed with interest the political pressure on the previous Minister of Education, Dr. Saud Al Harbi, to end the academic year. And finally, I observed with interest the increased resistance towards standardized testing, e-proctoring and regulation of the educational process as a whole.
As a (somewhat) rational adult, I asked myself several questions:
- Why was political pressure influencing formal education?
- Why did some students resist e-learning?
- Why did some families prefer for their children to be passed automatically without actually acquiring any knowledge or learning anything?
- What will happen to this generation of learners that has been taken out of school for a full year (so far)?Although I work in education, I felt that these questions were far too complex for me to answer by myself. So I turned to a few subject matter experts who were able to shed more light on the issue.
Dr. Kevin Fullbrook, Director at Bayan Bilingual School (BBS), advised that “there were challenges with younger learners because they need a lot of support and guidance especially with the use of technology.”
And how about the parents?
“The needs of the parents had to be addressed as well, because a lot more of the burden and responsibility was shifted to the parents. We were fortunate that we could make that shift fairly quickly [at BBS]. We had a lot of wonderful people at school working longer hours to make sure that shift happened.”
Parents who are able to afford private schooling for their children often do it due to the superlative quality of private education and a more hands-on approach from the school. This enables parents to have more balance in other areas in their life that require attention such as careers, family and health. Now, this responsibility has shifted back to the parents and they have to be more involved and present for their children’s education.
“I can certainly understand how some parents feel that the move to online learning wasn’t what they signed up for or wasn’t serving the best interests of their children, I can understand their point of view. Everyone was doing the best they could in difficult circumstances. It was no one’s choice. We looked at how we can rethink extracurricular activities or service opportunities online and the ability to connect with different parts of the world.” Dr. Fullbrook stated.
A major issue that surfaced, as all schools and universities transitioned to e-learning, was academic integrity and ensuring an authentic learning experience free from academic dishonesty and plagiarism. I was curious to learn more about Dr. Fullbrook’s approach in addressing this and what his recommendations were.
“It’s about acknowledging what you can control and what you can’t control. There’s nothing that’s foolproof, so we approached it slightly differently and that this is maybe an area of things that we cannot fully control. Having a shift away from major exams and shifting towards ongoing formative learning with regular check-ins is something that worked for us. We’ve recognized for a while that having one big end of semester exam doesn’t necessarily mean improved learning.
The pandemic has forced us to look for alternatives and now that we’re in the middle of it, we see that they work and they’re better for students’ learning. Having more discussions, more oral presentations, more group-work and collaboration. They’re much better for mastery learning rather than just performance on a single test at the end of a period of learning.”
And how has this impacted academic performance? Did grades significantly improve?
“When we looked at the data, we found there wasn’t a high level of grade inflation, there was some of it but not significantly.”
And so, moving forward, Dr. Fullbrook believes that BBS will look to implement the best practices acquired during this period even when in-person instruction resumes.
As our conversation was coming to a close, Dr. Fullbrook acknowledged the difficulties in navigating these uncertain times and that resistance is expected when we’re thrust into new circumstances. He understands that “there are shifting attitudes towards education in terms of people wanting more say and that has to be balanced with public health measures.”
I felt more reassured after concluding my conversation with Dr. Fullbrook because he spoke transparently and honestly on what the challenges and opportunities are for learners of various age groups during these times. He was also very optimistic towards the gradual transition to in-class instruction and how that can be navigated smoothly and safely for all.
The questions I had left lingering in my mind focused more on adult learners and how well-prepared they are going to be for their careers. A very important part of being a university student is that you are slowly but surely preparing to transition towards your professional life.
A lot of the skills you acquire come from outside the classroom but within campus nonetheless through campus activities, internships and seminars. How has the pandemic changed all of these things? Will young adults struggle to acquire the skills they need?
I turned to Dr. Fahed Al Sumait – Assistant Professor of Mass Communication and Media at the Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) for his expert opinion on these issues and more.
“There are aspects of learning that work better with online delivery, for example demonstrations, showing videos and using online tools. You have to work harder sometimes, and you have to capitalize on the aspects of learning that work better online. You also have to focus on mental health and wellbeing.”
I was curious to know how adult learners adjusted to this new way of learning, did they take to it like fish to water or were there challenges associated with this transition for adults?
“Students are at a particular age where life is already confusing enough for them, there’s so much pressure on them and then all of a sudden being thrown into this whole new realm. I think it’s quite discombobulating. You’ve also removed one of the most essential parts of education which is the face-to-face interaction not just with faculty but with other students.”
“Having to be online, the tribulations of having to repurpose a place in your house to do your education, it’s this combination of stress factors that makes it easy for students to want to opt out and that’s more explanatory of the general behavior than just laziness. There are certainly some students who are capitalizing on the opportunity to be lazy, but the good students are struggling too, not because they’re lazy but because everyone is struggling. And it takes us time to adjust to this whole new mode of delivery. It will affect their concentration, retention of knowledge and information and ability to focus.”
How can educators address these challenges and ensure that learning outcomes are fairly and objectively met?
“Rethink assessment, the reason you do exams is to assess how much the student has learned and there are lots of ways to find out if a student has learned something. It’s the smart way to go. If this pandemic is prolonged further, that’s what institutions need to do. I’ve switched more to in-class activities, and I assess them on a daily basis rather than waiting till the end of a semester to give a big test.
I still give tests but they have to be engaged in class and do things in order to evaluate their performance. People can do more oral-based exams such as presentations and case studies. That’s not something students can cheat on and it’s good for them because they learn how to do presentations online.”
At this point in our conversation, I sensed that there are greater opportunities from this experience that educators are slowly tapping into. Dr. Fahed believes that “we have access to all sorts of conversations happening all over the world, collaboration with people internationally is smoother because now everyone is familiar with video conferencing and the potential to develop international collaborations has improved.”
He also added that some of the challenges mentioned earlier will dissipate when in-class instruction resumes, but the added benefits of international collaboration will still be there.
“Everybody develops a whole new set of skills and is moving towards the Internet of Things and towards a Knowledge Economy in Kuwait. We are upskilling people, COVID has forced all of us to experiment with this new digital age faster than expected and on a scale across the demographic board.”
“The biggest long-term consequence is how people recover from the trauma of being forced to change our way of life so suddenly. We’re going to have to adjust to a new normal. I also think that coming up with the logistics of what hybrid learning will look like is another challenge.”
Much like Dr. Fullbrook, Dr. Fahed remains optimistic on the opportunities that lie ahead and that the new skills acquired during this difficult time will certainly help students across all ages in the years to come.
I cannot say for certain what the long-term impact of this will be, all I know after these conversations is that educators are the unsung heroes from this pandemic and their commitment to their duties and their students is awe-inspiring.
[Nourah Al-Oseimi is a 28-year-old Kuwaiti who holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration. Nourah has worked in different places such as the Central Bank of Kuwait and the United Nations. She serves as a free-lance contributing writer to The Times Kuwait – Newsmagazine. Her column – Essentially Kuwaiti – features an in-depth look on exceptional young Kuwaitis and their efforts towards the realization of a New Kuwait.]
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