Online class "Introduction / examination" More than 90% of universities The burden on teachers at the site is 19:20, May 19
To prevent new coronavirus infections, more than 90% of universities across the country have started online lessons and are considering introducing them, but many universities have decided to introduce them without a sufficient preparation period. A great burden is placed on the teacher. Experts point out, "It is not realistic to try the same lessons as before. Teachers should return to their original state of helping students study."
According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, as of 12th of this month, out of 1070 universities nationwide, about 66%, or 708 schools, are conducting online classes instead of regular classes In total, more than 96% of the 326 schools have introduced or are considering online classes.
On the other hand, many universities did not have enough preparation time, which caused a series of effects on classes due to system troubles, etc. In addition to devising online classes and technical support for students, teachers were required to do so. Some people are worried about the burden of.
Katsuaki Suzuki, Director of the Research Center for Professor Systems, Kumamoto University, said, “It is neither effective nor realistic to try the same classes as before. What teachers do not teach diligently It is an opportunity to return to the original form of showing and supporting if you can learn, "and, in the future," studying information on the Internet for students is also a voluntary learning. It's connected and it's better to do it at home than in the classroom. It is important to combine the self-directed learning of online classes with the goodness of face-to-face lessons by teachers. "
Teacher exhaustion due to environment maintenance and learning
One of the faculty members testified about the actual situation in the field, where the burden was significantly increased with the start of online classes.
Part-time lecturer of sociology, Kayasu Yasuri (31) decided to introduce online lessons one after another in March after the three universities he worked in, but the system to use differs depending on the university, so they are familiar with each. Have to.
The school did not provide information on whether or not the students had the necessary equipment such as computers, so the survey was conducted on approximately 870 students.
As a result, we found that some students do not have a computer, so we decided to record the content of the lesson so that we can take it on a smartphone and distribute it on the video posting site "YouTube".
However, when the class started, students inquired that they couldn't understand how to watch the video, and they were sent by e-mail and SNS one after another, and they started to deal with it.
In addition, in order to ensure the interactivity of the lesson, at the request of the university that all students should submit their assignments after the lesson, Kane-san sent a weekly total of more than 400 students electronically. It takes 4 hours to receive the email and confirm it.
Mr. Kane said, “I feel that my out-of-class time has been extended before and after, and my working time has tripled. I have no choice but to reduce my sleep time and writing papers. The technical support of is not supposed to be part-time lecturer work, so I want the university to create some kind of support system. "
Teacher who seeks teaching method
Many teachers have to find out what kind of teaching method is effective in online classes.
Associate Professor Makoto Tomita (38) of the Department of Arts, Tokai University, held his first design lesson on the 15th of this month using the online conference system "Zoom".
In the class, 48 students on the other side of the computer screen drew things around with a ballpoint pen and submitted them to an online bulletin board, then commented one by one.
The class ended with no major problems, but Tomita says, "When learning art, it is important to share what you are making with others and stimulate each other, and it is not something you can write in chat. Not only that, but I also have to think about how to make time to share the process. "
The day after the lesson, Mr. Tomita also held an online meeting with other faculty members at the university to share their awareness of the problem. The participating faculty members said, "I don't have the feeling that they are teaching, and the challenge is to make students feel that they are taking classes." Some people don't know if they understand the content of the lesson without submitting the assignment, '' and many say that they cannot communicate as expected in the online lesson, and that students should also investigate in the future. Also came out.
After the meeting, Mr. Tomita said, “I learned that even teachers with a different specialty than myself had the same problems and how they were trying to overcome them. However, the next task will be how to discuss and cultivate a research perspective for that purpose online, because teachers need to create the contents of the lesson, so teachers learn how to do that. I think there will be a need for it, and I think it will be necessary for the university to back up. "
I'm confused by the students
Students taking online classes also seem to be confused about the difference between classroom classes.
Mr. Taiki Nishikawa, a third-year student majoring in design at Tokai University, is taking a lesson that started this month using his online conference system "Zoom" on his laptop computer.
In the online class held on the 15th of this month, students posted pictures taken with smartphones etc. on the sharing software of the personal computer, but at the beginning many people posted at the same place at the same time, so multiple pictures and I couldn't see it well because the letters overlapped.
In addition, there was a scene where the communication stopped and the image stopped for about 10 seconds while the teacher was explaining an illustration of drawing something familiar with a pen.
Mr. Nishikawa said, "I think there are classes that are suitable for online and those that are not. I can not ask on the spot how to draw the art class I am taking, and when submitting assignments I'm posting a picture of the work instead of the one I drew in, so my impression may change. "
On the other hand, he said, "I found it convenient to be able to see the works of other people on the screen. It is necessary for our students to become accustomed to online classes."