The continued spread of COVID-19 has affected all sectors as well as the daily work and lives of people, including the suspension of classes and work, or home office arrangements. To safeguard the health of teachers and students, the suspension of face-to-face classes in higher education institutions was inevitable. Since the Lunar New Year, the remaining classes in this semester were mainly replaced by online teaching to ensure continual learning.

In fact, distance e-learning as a teaching aid is not new. For more than a decade, institutions have been using learning management system software such as Moodle or Blackboard to enable teachers to upload materials and videos for sharing; to allow students to upload assignments; and make possible the management of student records. In mid-November, the anti-extradition-bill movement caused suspension of classes, and institutions had used this software to conduct online asynchronous one-way teaching for two to three weeks.

With the advancement of information technology and the prevalence of massive open online courses (MOOCs), online teaching has evolved gradually toward the concept of real-time, synchronous virtual classrooms. Since class suspensions in early February, institutions have worked day and night to enable real-time video teaching.

Video teaching and learning simulates ‘humanized’ classes

Conducting real-time video teaching does not require the same location, and universities are encouraging teachers to follow original class schedules — as much as possible. The software system allows real-time video interactions and polling activities, and at the same time, interactions by text through live “chat rooms”. The system is also equipped with a built-in video recording function, allowing teachers a choice to upload lecture videos and other teaching materials after class for students to review at any time. Teachers can also set up online tutoring groups.

With the advancement of information technology and the prevalence of massive open online courses (MOOCs), online teaching has evolved gradually toward the concept of real-time, synchronous virtual classrooms. Since class suspensions in early February, institutions have worked day and night to enable real-time video teaching

To adapt to these changes and to maintain the quality of teaching and learning, teachers have made much more of an effort in their preparation work. Within a limited time frame in early February, our universities have conducted a number of on-site and online training workshops, while at the same time upgraded the system, added accessories, compiled user guidelines, established additional e-learning laboratories, and set up inquiry hotlines so teachers and students can use online teaching and learning resources smoothly wherever they are.

We must also commend teachers for their hard work — as online teaching requires more preparation than normal classes. Teachers have to revise their subject teaching plans, assessment details and teaching materials, and adopt new ways to interact with students, etc. Video teaching and classroom teaching differs in terms of methods and skills. Teachers have to adapt to video teaching and in time can more fully integrate technology, contents and pedagogies. Stimulating as much as possible close human interactions in a classroom is one of the success factors in video teaching.

In addition, teachers should also carefully handle issues such as students’ privacy, their home environment, network speed and stability, and the time differences for students staying in different regions. If teachers wish to conduct video recordings that involve students being present for real-time teaching, then teachers have to consider the student’s home environment and need for privacy. In the face of the new teaching and learning modes, and given the limited time, resources and experience available, some operations will obviously be less than perfect. I believe that teachers and students will understand this and I hope that they can find solutions together to deal with these difficulties. 

Although students cannot return to school for normal classes for the time being, they can still make the most of online learning if they persist in learning with self-discipline and participate in real-time class discussions at home according to class schedules. Students can make use of this period to strengthen self-learning, such as more reading, writing and conducting project studies, and taking the initiative to learn. During this period, they can also make close contact with their teachers by phone or e-messaging.

Bringing innovations to teaching concepts and methods

As the saying goes “When there is risk, there should be opportunity”. The late Austrian-American economist Joseph A. Schumpeter introduced the “creative destruction theory”. The epidemic has been destructive, but it has also produced creative destruction in some sense. I hope that teachers and students will have had some excitement, experience and benefits from online teaching, and jointly equip themselves for new trends in future learning and communication. For instance, teachers should think about how to motivate students and encourage them to be proactive when participating in real-time video class discussions; how to implement some innovative teaching concepts more effectively; how to maintain care and guidance for individual students; how to share and integrate online teaching experiences with colleagues; etc. Teachers’ creativity with online teaching can be vital in stimulating students’ autonomous learning, turning the epidemic “crisis” into an “opportunity” for reforming teaching and learning concepts.

Throughout history, education has rarely been reformed or benefited from technological advances. At present, with video teaching and learning allowing real-time interactions, many innovative teaching and learning methods can be tried out and implemented. The most powerful part of this new generation of real-time interactive teaching and learning is that it can simultaneously accommodate scale and personalized learning — which traditional classrooms cannot.

In traditional large classes, it is generally difficult for teachers to know how many students understand or master the contents during a class. However, if the teaching and learning activities are carried out online in real time, the effect may be different. For example, teachers can know the distribution of answers to some multiple-choice questions, and the number of students who have answered incorrectly (and where they went wrong) through the interactive polling function. Based on this real-time data, teachers can better understand students’ immediate responses and provide suitable assistance soon to improve learning efficacy. The system can also guide students to review more difficult class contents they encounter. With these experiences, teachers can utilize similar functions in traditional classroom teaching in the future to better attend to students’ personal progress and needs.

The “flip classroom” teaching method that has emerged in recent years is particularly applicable in a real-time video teaching environment. Students can watch in advance the relevant teaching materials and videos before the live online class so that the teacher can make fuller use of live class hours to focus on interactive discussions, reducing the proportion of unidirectional lecturing.

During online teaching and learning, we can try to reduce some limitations of traditional classrooms, which gives us room to rethink how teachers can turn “classes” into more “learning”, and enhance teachers’ advisory roles.

In any case, remote online teaching and learning cannot fully replace face-to-face teaching and learning, or the atmosphere where teachers and students discuss things with each other. Unless it is inevitable, universities generally only use online teaching to supplement real classroom activities, which is the so-called “blended learning”. After all, no matter how advanced technology is, it should not widen the distance between teachers and students, nor reduce the inspiration gained through mutual learning among students. New technology can assist and enhance teaching effectiveness, but it will not replace ‘’humanized’’ classroom education.

In fact, education is a process of interpersonal interactions. A teacher helps to ignite students’ dreams. He or she helps students shape their personal values, unleash their potentials, and nurture critical thinking, communication skills, teamwork and human caring. Undergraduate education should not only focus on hard knowledge and neglect the value of "human", but also promote the full and free development of human. This process cannot be replaced by technology.

Though good progress has been made in the fight against the epidemic, there is still uncertainty. We should be alert, face it with a rational, calm, cautious and optimistic attitude, but not panic. If we understand more about the characteristics and transmission channels of COVID-19, we will know that it will take a longer time before the epidemic can be under full control. Still, we have to resume work or school as it is difficult to work or study from home for a long time. We should be prepared that even if the epidemic has not completely subsided, as long as adequate precautionary measures and attentive arrangements are made to reduce the risk of transmission, we can gradually return to our normal lives.

There is no endless rain; the sun will shine one day. When the epidemic is over, we shall see a new vista of education and life. 

The author is president of the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.