Race on to create online courses for virus-stranded students | Online education - Times Higher Education (THE)

John Ross, Asia-Pacific editor reports, Institutional, pedagogical and workload issues more problematic than technological impediments, experts say.

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Universities face a daunting task ramping up their online capabilities to maintain course delivery to thousands of Chinese students exiled from campuses by Covid-19 coronavirus-related travel bans, but experts believe the biggest challenges will be pedagogical rather than technical.

The US, Australia and New Zealand are among the countries to have banned entry to foreigners travelling from China as the virus spreads. Australia has been hardest hit because of its heavy reliance on Chinese students and the fact that the crisis occurred shortly before the start of a new academic year Down Under, with nearly 100,000 learners stranded at home.

Online learning is seen as a way to limit disruption and maintain student engagement but, despite questions over Chinese students’ willingness to consume content remotely, researchers told Times Higher Education that the biggest barrier will be the capacity of academics and universities to deliver it...

Even courses using websites blocked by the Chinese authorities, such as Google and YouTube, can be accessed. Massive open online course platforms with YouTube as their default video vehicle, such as edX, could be viewed if course producers posted back-up copies on third-party hosting sites like Amazon S3 – as recommended by edX. Mr Maurer said many Chinese scholars accessed sites like Google by using virtual private networks, despite “periodic crackdowns” by the authorities...

Professor Kee said academics at Tsinghua and Peking universities were being encouraged to deliver their courses online until campuses reopened. While that was a challenge for many Chinese professors, others – particularly at Tsinghua – were well practised in distance education.
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Source: Times Higher Education (THE)