Education has become a highly dynamic sector. The practices that are common now were not so popular even just 5 years ago—let alone back in our own school days. 

An institution that was rigid for decades suddenly saw a complete shift in pedagogy. Undeniably, technology and modernisation played integral parts. So as blackboards were replaced by smart boards and notebooks by laptops, that’s when technology-based learning started to thrive. 

This is the reason why e-learning is dominating today and is likely to do so in the future as well. Of course, this trend was accelerated by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic as remote learning became a necessity. 

But just because we were made to change involuntarily doesn’t mean the change wasn’t good for us.

Consider this: it is said that there are three types of learners—visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Traditional schooling focused on auditory learning with lectures, but modern cloud tools allow you to make education visual as well.

With interactive whiteboards and virtual blackboards in e-learning, you can deliver the same quality of information as a lecture, but with a better visual aid. Play a video, organise a game-show style quiz and supplement your theories with a look into real-world applications.

That’s what cloud-powered education offers you: the freedom to innovate and enhance the quality of learning—wherever, whenever. 

So, here’s a look into how virtual education is flourishing, now and for later: 

Video lectures

Just because the world has to stay home doesn’t mean vital activities must come to a halt. The remarkably smooth transition to online classes was possible because of the advent of cloud technologies. 

With COVID-19, virtual learning has turned into a necessity. Physical classrooms were replaced by home workstations as video-based classes became a thing. With cloud solutions, you can attend calls over long distances at any time of the day, using the device of your choice. 

This helps make education all the more accessible and minimises any disruptions. Of course, adding video to Internet phone calls gives the added advantage of contextual communication. Nuances of body language, expressions and physical demonstrations are essential for holistic learning. 

With cloud-synced calendars, secure servers, restricted classrooms, etc., you can ensure a smooth flow of information and with the best privacy measures in place. 

Supplementary resources

Though educators may argue about the best way of teaching, supporting your lectures with extra information is always helpful. With an online mode of education, you can share informational links on chat without disrupting the flow of the lecture, and present videos to aid the textbook content. You can also share files and custom made images to explain a topic in detail. 

Additionally, integrating different software into your cloud communication tool can enhance the classroom experience even further. For example, you can use a virtual whiteboard and show the step-wise learning process. Or you can create polls and quick surveys to gauge students’ opinions or even conduct small quizzes. 

You can make classes more interactive by allowing students to present their screens for projects or giving them mouse control when you’re hosting presentations. Cloud communication solutions provide moderators with a bunch of functionalities—like the ability to invite and remove participants, mute them, set passwords and waiting rooms, give screen control, and much more. You need not waste time in navigating a virtual course—it’s all right there in front of you. 

Guest lecturers from near and far

There’s no limit to how much you can learn, and from where. People with expertise in different walks of life, who’ve had enlightening experiences, are often called to share their knowledge with students. 

Not only do cloud solutions allow guest lectures to continue in a virtual environment, but they can rather thrive on it. The issue of finding experts who’re not time-bound, enabling their travel, stay, and handling other such expenses is eliminated. They can join the students right from where they are and deliver enlightening lectures.

Cloud services are also available on browsers so lecturers needn’t download specific apps to join the discussions. A stable Internet connection, a compatible device—and you’re all set. 

This particular trend has far-reaching benefits, which means even as we re-enter physical schools, virtual guest lectures are likely to continue. This is because of the sheer convenience of connecting with bright minds from afar with a single click. 

It also means people who’re otherwise too busy to travel for lectures can give online ones easily. So there will be an increase in the quantity and quality of these expert sessions. 

Class recordings 

This feature of virtual classrooms takes them one level higher than even traditional ones. Teachers give lectures based on notes, but they tend to explain things using a variety of explanations and methods. 

These intricacies are often lost as students only pen down concise notes in a hurry. But the cloud does away with this annoyance. You can record sessions and share them via links or on chat—or simply store them on a secure cloud server to be accessed later by anyone you want. You can share the recorded sessions via email or turn on link sharing. 

Students and teachers alike have access to online portals where they can view their courses, recordings, transcripts or any supplementary material uploaded. 

So, if students can’t understand a particular concept, they can revisit the lecture and have it explained well. Or if they were absent from a particular class, they won’t be left behind and can catch up before attending the next one. 

This ensures uninterrupted learning and offers flexibility to people who are facing extenuating circumstances. 

Conclusion

For sure, an on-campus learning model will not be done away with that easily. Aspects of a quality education include social life, clubs and activities, and networking opportunities. But distance learning courses are getting more and more popular. 

Even as we resume our physical classes, it’s highly likely that online modes will continue and also exist as components of a regular education system.

And cloud communication is what makes it all possible. With seamless calling over the Internet, students, teachers and admin can all stay connected and work towards the best quality of education. 

You can also use these tools for any sector and any industry—and take operations a step further with automation. The future is online, so why aren’t you?