About Universities, Knowledge Production- Oped

After a few weeks, students will start new educational semesters in schools and universities in exceptional conditions in several countries due to the outbreak of Coronavirus.

The countries that failed in vaccinating their residents will have to adapt remote learning due to the necessity of continuing educational curriculum. In addition, this measure will be necessary to bridge any possible gaps of the educational system caused by the worsening of the crisis.

Since the beginning of the Coronavirus crisis, we witnessed that not all countries were the same regarding the issue of online learning strategies. Middle income, and poorest countries couldn’t act appropriately. Accordingly, this made the inequality of opportunity reach a terrible and unacceptable level.

Several children had no desks or books for studying. In addition, it is difficult for them to connect to the internet since they do not have laptops in their homes. Several of them do not receive the expected support from their fathers.

On the other hand, others have all what is previously mentioned. So, the international system should avoid the increasing opportunity differences, or decrease them as possible so as to avoid increasing the negative impacts of poor children’s learning.

Fortunately, we see huge amount of creativity in this matter in various countries. A lot of Education Ministries mastered relying on constructive and meaningful through allowing online learning for everyone without exceptions.

The suitable strategy for most countries based on utilizing all available abilities in providing the service. So, they used online tools for enabling classes’ schedules, video footage, educational lessons, and other materials for students.

Moreover, they used blogs, audio clips, and another forms of materials that consume less online data. In addition, various countries around the world cooperated with communication corporations to impose policies that excuse users from fees for facilitating the process of downloading learning subjects on smart phones, used by the majority of students.

While recalling those facts, there is a vital question about the future of education quality, in specific inside universities and other higher education intuitions. Certainly, there is a way for decreasing the differences between quality, and quantity in higher education such as conducting pre-studies for identifying the market’s demands, especially, in the post-Coronavirus world, and adding proper educational programs.

However, is university the right place for students to learn how to think, or gain skills in order to join the work market later? This is the main philosophical question that should be discussed. Therefore, university should set previously and clearly its vision, mission, targets, and components.

So, it is logical to confirm that universities that do not adapt and present information technology and communication service will be useless.

And, we know that the second half of the twentieth century witnessed the fifth revolution of communications. There were five main revolutions. The first was language development, the second was writing, the third was marked by the invention of the printing press in the middle of the fifteenth century by the German scientist Gutenberg.

In the same context, the fourth was in the nineteenth century and it was known by inventing electricity, electromagnetic waves, telegraph, phone, and cinema and photography. Moreover, they were followed by the making of radio and TV in the first half of the twentieth century.

Regarding the fifth revolution of communication was provided by the technology of the second half of the twentieth century by the emergence of information explosion phenomena, the advancement and variety of communication means.

The advancement of information technology and communication has shaken learning and teaching curriculum. So, it is difficult for a professor who has not a good background about modern techniques to communicate with students who are social media platforms savvies.

Furthermore, the most dominant language used in internet websites is English (57%), followed by German (6.5%), after that, Russian, Japanese, Spanish, and Chinese (4.5%), finally, French (3.9%). This considered one of the main challenges that face universities in setting up technological ground that help students to reach available and free knowledge.

That is why, professors can be released from re-setting lessons, so, they can make use of their time in training students instead of filling their heads with information that is already available on the internet.

Contributed by Rana Atef