How Students Are Succeeding With Remote Study?

Studies show that students are able to retain up to 60 percent more material when learning online, and that learning at their own pace, in their own rhythms, leads to better outcomes. The idea that the study should be carefully supervised by a teacher in a physical classroom for a set period of time per day is rapidly eroding.

And yet, while the effectiveness of remote learning is undeniable, and it is very likely that even once the pandemic has been dealt with there will be some elements of remote learning in education, it certainly comes with its own set of challenges that everyone – from parents to teachers, and on to society itself – needs to grapple with.

The ideal learning environment

One challenge will be the learning environment at home. For remote learning to be effective children need an environment that will assist with their learning and minimize distractions. This can be challenging for those who live in smaller houses or apartments.

For many, dedicating a “home office” space has been the answer, and this would be an ideal remote learning environment, except that the parents potentially need to use it as well, and this can bring further distractions into the space. Many families will need to develop remote working schedules and timetables for use of the home office. The good news is that most workplaces and educational facilities understand that and time flexibility has been built into most remote work and study processes.

It is important to make the environment familiar to the learning experience. For children, that does mean scheduled breaks for play and food. Remember the school day includes two substantial breaks for meals and, especially with high schools, a number of mini-breaks as students move between classrooms. Because children will also need to get their homework done in the same environment as their classroom work, the perception of workload can be more extreme than the standard split between school and homework, so it’s also important to schedule a time for play, entertainment, and exercise.

Finally, it’s also important that the student has time for socialization. When social distancing rules are in place this can be a challenge in itself, but making use of video conferencing and multiplayer video games can be an alternative there.

The technical side

Learning from home also requires that students have the tools to learn from home, and while Australia ranks pretty highly here, there are still some that miss out. Statistically, 91 percent of households that have a child under the age of 15 have access to a laptop or computer. A further 86 percent have home internet access. With the nbn™ becoming ubiquitous with the internet in Australia, most people who have an internet connection have the requisite speeds and data allowances to allow their child to study from home, even on the cheapest plans.

The social challenge is closing the gap so that the remaining students gain access to technology and the internet. Australian law requires children to complete schooling to a certain level, after all, and if the technology is essential to learning, it is essential that every child have access to technology.

The second consideration is whether the internet at home is sufficient for the entire household. If two parents and a child (or multiple children) are all trying to work simultaneously, especially if that work requires video conferencing, watching lectures streamed online, or other cloud services, the internet requirements get “split” a number of different ways, and the strain on lower-end internet connections would become unmanageable. More than a few families have needed to update their internet connections so everyone could work from home this year.

Looking to the future

Home education is something worth exploring for students post-pandemic. Just as professionals are gearing up to be more flexible with where they work in the future, splitting it between home and offices, students may well find benefit in working to hybrid study models in the future – spending some time at home, and then some time in face-to-face interactions with teachers and classmates.

After all, school is meant to prepare children for their working lives, and as remote working does become standard practice, it makes sense that education would follow suit. The question is just whether we as a society can develop the kind of systems and structures that allow students to gain the maximum benefit from this “new normal.”