K-12 Education Challenges And Their eLearning Solutions
Many aspects of the education system have been changed by the global pandemic. What are some ways that K-12 learning professionals and school administrators can address the new challenges they are facing while still dealing with the ones they faced before the COVD outbreak? This guide provides tips on how to use academic eLearning solutions to overcome 8 common obstacles, including tight budgets and low student engagement. In addition to finding out how online learning can save money and keep people safe, you will also learn about creating a successful eLearning plan. Let’s explore the many benefits learning technologies can bring to K-12 educators, parents, and students. How eLearning Helps Overcome K-12 Education Challenges Cost-Effectively
Each school district faces different difficulties based on where it is situated, the type of people who live there, how much money it has, and other issues. There are many issues that are shared by all schools, such as safety concerns and low student participation. There are several challenges that eLearning can help with, including class size and current gaps.
1. Challenge #1: Limited Resources
Every school deals with resource restrictions. If you’re short on staff or have a limited budget, you might not have the resources you need. The amount of work that employees have to do directly impacts how well students learn, but it also causes employees a lot of stress. For example, a teacher must be very flexible to accommodate more learners. When resources are limited, it can have a ripple effect on parents, who then have to spend more of their time or money to make up for the lack.
eLearning Solution
By taking advantage of online education, you can make more efficient use of resources and make the most of state funding. Teachers can host large-scale events, such as virtual classrooms. People who have a computer, laptop, or phone can do online learning. Some organizations use a bring your own device strategy for blended learning. For example, students are encouraged to use online resources to supplement what they learn in face-to-face classroom activities. Here are just a few ideas to use eLearning to cut costs without compromising a quality education:
- Convert legacy content into online support tools. For instance, PowerPoint presentations become interactive tutorials for high school students.
- Provide remote access to digital textbooks and guides versus printed training materials.
- Invite students to submit their own content based on their areas of expertise or personal experience (i.e., task walkthroughs or skill-building demos).
eLearning can help you reduce spending in the long run, even though it requires an investment to implement. An example of this would be if you had to buy authoring tools or an LMS to deploy online education initiatives. Since the system automatically scores tests based on the grading rubric, teachers no longer have to spend hours grading assessments. This means that you can save money on in-class supplies if you launch a virtual learning environment.
2. Challenge #2: Safety Risks (COVID Crisis)
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on K-12 education. With the outbreak of COVID-19, educators have had to change the way they teach to comply with social distancing guidelines. This has made the educational process more difficult. For example, desks must be at least 2 meters apart and everyone is required to wear face masks. Nowadays, part of the daily school routine is using hand sanitizer and checking temperatures. This has resulted in many schools switching to online and/or blended learning initiatives.
eLearning Solution
Online learning provides educators with the opportunity to improve collaboration among their students without putting them at risk. Students can learn from their homes, which are comfortable and secure. Additionally, technology provides the opportunity for students to get feedback from their peers, work on group projects, and attend virtual events. For example, an LMS that supports social learning and includes video conferencing tools. Here are some tips to help ease them into the new normal from an educational perspective:
- Provide students and parents with bite-sized tutorials on how to use the new eLearning platform.
- Create a microlearning support library that allows them to go at their own pace.
- Host frequent coaching/mentoring sessions for those who need one-on-one guidance.
- Offer support resources that help students acclimate to a post-pandemic world and prep them for new educational guidelines (i.e., maintaining social distance).
The most important thing is to make sure they understand the importance of being involved and show them how to use the tools available to them in the best way possible. This is why many schools start informal marketing campaigns to increase awareness and help students learn new technologies; for example, tutorials that show them how to login or virtual tours of the eLearning library.
3. Challenge #3: Low K-12 Student Engagement
There may be a number of reasons why students are not fully engaged in the classroom, such as being distracted by things going on outside or being influenced by their peers. Many students find the material difficult to understand and lack the ability to participate in class. Some students have learning disabilities that make comprehending the material even more difficult. Lack of motivation is another factor you should consider. They see no point in attending classes or getting involved in group discussions because everything is “theoretical” and they will not use the information in the real world.
eLearning Solution
One of the benefits of eLearning is that it can be immediately put into practice. Learning activities that involve simulations and branching scenarios are good examples of activities that require skills and knowledge. This way, students can see that participating has real-world benefits. Additionally, online learning allows for a more customized experience and creates opportunities for students to be engaged in their learning from a distance. Alternate form: Students can choose materials that resonate with them and their specific needs. These eLearning initiatives can help you maximize learner engagement:
- eLearning gamification rewards that recognize milestones, such as completing a certification path
- Group projects that encourage students to share their experiences and evaluate different perspectives
- Learner-generated content libraries that give them the chance to create their own content and gather feedback
- Webinars and workshops with Q&As and guest speakers who provide unique insights
Best of all, eLearning is more discreet. For example, learners with dyslexia can utilize audio resources to fill in the gaps, but they still have the chance to reach out to mentors and teachers directly for more personalized support. This allows them to get the accommodations they need to be successful. Some students might avoid learning opportunities outside of the traditional classroom for fear of being seen as different or mocked by their peers.
4. Challenge #4: Lack Of Personalization
It’s very difficult to deliver an individualized learning plan for every student in traditional classroom settings. We all have different goals, things we like, ways of learning, and things we’re not very good at. Despite having smaller class sizes, educators cannot provide each student with the one-on-one support they need as often as desired. Another drawback is that the resources, themselves, aren’t personalized. There is no single learning style that is better than the others. Some students learn more effectively through kinesthetic activities, while others learn more effectively through reading-based assignments. The same goes for assessment methods.
eLearning Solution
Many organizations make the switch to eLearning so that they can provide each learner with a more individualized learning experience. Students can have complete freedom over their schedule, except for when they need to attend synchronous activities. The library is always available if they need help or want to learn something new. There are games, checklists, and video walkthroughs that help people build vital skills or perform tasks. They can view the course catalog and pick courses based on their interests and goals. Below are just a few ideas you can incorporate into your learner-centered program:
- Course maps that allow students to choose the order of activities and navigate through every checkpoint when it’s most convenient for them
- Pre-assessments that produce personalized recommendation lists, such as the top 5 activities they should check out based on their knowledge gaps
- Learning paths that are structured around their hobbies, educational interests, and experience levels
Remember that personalization is not only about providing students with materials or letting them proceed at their own speed. It is important to also think about students who might have special needs, like those who need subtitles or captions. Each member of the class can easily access a truly individualized learning experience that is all-inclusive.
5. Challenge #5: Time Crunch
Teachers don’t have enough time during the day to answer all questions or provide feedback. Similarly, students may have their own time constraints that prevent them from understanding the material. They have afternoon extracurricular activities or they go at a slower pace than their peers. This means they need more time than is available to understand and remember the information. Another key group to consider is parents. Some students also have difficulty coping with their busy schedules and may not have the time to help with homework assignments or school projects by the due date.
eLearning Solution
Although online learning has many benefits, it does not create more time. However, it does provide more flexible learning opportunities. This allows students to work at their own pace, rather than having to keep up with others. Since they aren’t rushed, they can take the time to understand the material and don’t have to worry aboutskip anything important to avoid being embarrassed. Here are few resources to add to your eLearning strategy to cater to everyone’s schedule (including time-strapped teachers):
- Quick knowledge checks that help learners assess their level of understanding, but don’t involve manual grading
- Bite-sized modules that focus on niche topics or skills—learners can gradually scaffold their knowledge
- Host remote study sessions where students gather online to boost motivation and expedite knowledge transfer
- Encourage learners to set manageable milestones so that they can track long-term goals more effectively
In other words, if students have other commitments, they can still learn using various “on-demand” tools that are easily accessible.
6. Challenge #6: Low Parent Involvement
There are a variety of reasons why parents may not be actively involved with their child’s education. Perhaps they have a lot of work to do or they do not live in the same house. Some parents take a more “hands-off” approach because they feel that the school should handle educational pursuits. In general, when parents are not involved in their children’s schooling, the kids tend to do worse academically. This is because they don’t have anyone to help them with their schoolwork or encourage them outside of the formal learning environment.
eLearning Solution
The biggest advantage of online learning for parents is the convenience it offers. Parents can play a more active role in their child’s education, as they don’t have to attend on-site meetings and all the assignments are centrally located. However, parents can be engaged on a personal level so that they’re aware of their child’s areas for improvement and strong suits; for instance, by hosting monthly virtual parent-teacher meetings using a video conferencing system. Here are some other ideas you can implement in your strategy to get parents on board:
- Launch message boards or closed social media groups where parents can exchange ideas and provide feedback.
- Offer a support resource library that features downloads tools and demos for how to complete learning activities.
- Develop an e-newsletter that keeps parents in-the-know regarding virtual class projects and upcoming due dates.
- Host online “open houses” that allow parents to see completed assignments and discuss the school trimester/semester.
If you are a parent who believes that it is the school’s responsibility to teach your child, you may want to consider attending an online workshop. These workshops typically feature case studies and simple tips to help parents connect with their children’s education. For example, they can spend ten minutes a day reviewing online assignments and checking the online bulletin board to see if there are any announcements from the teacher.
8. Challenge #8: Emotional Factors
Each student experiences emotional factors that affect their learning. Some people are stressed because of things happening at home, while others feel a lot of pressure about school and how well they’re doing. Large class sizes make it more difficult for teachers, low parent involvement makes it more difficult for children, and limited resources make it more difficult for everyone. A student may struggle to keep up with homework assignments if they have a lot going on at home. Furthermore, there is always the likelihood that students may be confronting Situations such as ADHD or psychological harm that they do not desire to speak about in regular classroom environments.
eLearning Solution
While there is no one easy answer that will work for all K-12 students when it comes to emotional and psychological issues, online learning can provide a more customized approach that meets the individual needs of students without making the rest of the class feel left out. It’s common for children to act out in traditional classrooms because they’re not getting enough personal attention outside of school. Here are a few more innovative ways to overcome this obstacle:
- Create mentoring pairs or groups where students feel safe and supported. Ideally, this should be with older peers who have a high degree of empathy and compassion.
- Develop resources that help students deal with their emotions effectively. For example, how to avoid conflicts through active listening and communication.
- Enlist the aid of a child developmental specialist to help identify traits and customize the student’s learning path.
- Focus on unconventional assessment methods and assignments that alleviate pressure (if stress is the cause of their emotional issue).
The main advantage of eLearning is that teachers can spend more time and energy on each individual student and recommend personalized resources. They are more likely to be successful if they can focus on individual development rather than being overwhelmed.
Impact of Remote Schooling During COVID-19
The pandemic has made existing disparities worse and policy makers and education leaders need to help children recover from the learning they have lost and prepare for new learning models. The current COVID-19 pandemic has created educational inequalities along three fronts: 1) lack of access to digital resources; 2) slow adaptation to remote learning; and 3) the social and emotional well-being of students and teachers.
- While the digital and device divide narrowed over the course of the pandemic, the digital hurdles faced by children of color and in low-income households remained acute.
Surveys suggest that nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of households with children enrolled in public or private school started the 2020–2021 academic year with at least some component of their education online.4 At that time, nearly a quarter of households reported that they did not always have an internet connection or a computer or other digital device available for educational purposes (Chart 1). But by the end of the academic year, largely due to innovative efforts by school districts to hand out devices and offer mobile hotspots, access to devices and the internet was more widespread across all demographic groups, especially among Black households who saw the largest improvements (Chart 1). By May of 2021, Black households reported similar levels of internet availability and even greater levels of device access compared to White ones.
Yet the digital and device divide (i.e., less access to affordable, high-speed internet and digital devices for minority and lower-income households compared to their White and higher-income counterparts) did not substantially narrow for Hispanic and low-income families. A fifth of Hispanic households, and a quarter of low-income households overall, still did not have consistent access to a learning device by the end of the school year (Chart 1b). And for both groups, close to 30 percent still did not have reliable internet availability (Chart 1a). Families making less than $50,000 a year are the most digitally disadvantaged and about twice as likely as those with higher incomes to suffer inadequate connectivity.
At the same time, the students least equipped for online learning are those most likely to have been put into virtual instruction (Chart 2). In May 2021, while students in about two-thirds of all minority households experienced real-time online instruction, only 38 percent of students in White families did so. Students of color were also significantly less likely to have received in-person instruction than White students. A similar disparity exists between low- and high-income households, although the most acute differences occur by race and ethnicity. Poor school-aged children of color, especially those living in rural areas, have been most affected by the digital and device divide and are at greatest risk of falling behind both academically and developmentally.
Conclusion
There is no easy solution to most of the problems faced by K-12 education. Helping people learn in the most efficient and effective way is always the goal, and eLearning is often the best way to achieve it. Students get more individualized support and guidance. Teachers have the opportunity to address the needs of each online learner without having too many responsibilities. Here are some tips to reduce risks when implementing a new system, conducting a successful needs analysis, and choosing the best approach.
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