Level 20, Office 47, Central Park Towers, DIFC, Dubai, U.A.E.

Learning & professional training in the Covid-19 era…

 Learning & professional training in the Covid-19 era…

In the words of Denis Waitley, you
must welcome change as the rule but not as your ruler. Covid-19 has impacted
people, communities, organizations and sectors in more significant ways than
one can imagine and the education sector & the student communities across
the globe are no exception.

Fundamentally, education has been a
people process aimed at nurturing creative thinking, problem solving in the
minds of learners and building a community of responsible citizens. As with
most other sectors, Covid-19 has accelerated the adoption of technology in the
education sector too. Noble initiatives like the digital school, launched by HH
Sheikh Mohammed to provide remote schooling opportunities for socially
disadvantaged children in societies affected by war and poverty are testimony
to this. Professional bodies have also moved in this direction of using
technology as a part of examination delivery and other services to allow
candidates to progress through the qualification amidst the Covid-19 disruption
and restrictions. For instance, ACCA accountancy course allowed exams in certain markets to be
taken remotely rather than as a centre-based exam whereas ICAEW have decided to
publish all their learning material digitally, which is estimated to save 260+
tonnes of paper every year.

Colleges and training providers
globally have also had to evolve methods of training delivery and facilitate
remote learning where necessary or opted for by students with some choosing to
broadcast the traditional live classroom and the others finding more creative
methods of digitizing the learning environment.

At PhoenixFT UAE, the students now
have a choice between attending traditional classroom training at our learning
centre in DWTC (the first exhibition and convention centre in the region to get
a “Safeguard” certification from Bureau Veritas, guaranteeing compliance with
the highest standards to ensure safety and well-being of visitors) and preparing
for their exams in a flexible, online environment by accessing digitized
learning resources including lectures and question debriefs at their own pace
whilst being supported by subject specialist trainers through periodic live
webinars.

Globally, there has been considerable
debate about the most effective online learning methods. The effectiveness of
training by broadcasting live sessions running into many hours is hugely
hampered by issues with internet connectivity and uninterrupted and prolonged
screen time which comes at the expense of focus and attentiveness. A recent
survey of several higher education students revealed that with purely
pre-recorded learning nearly 7 out of 10 students missed the much-valued human
connection and active learning they would experience in face to face classroom
training.

Constantly monitoring the evolving
learning styles and student preferences, the PhoenixFT digital learning
solutions aim to blend the flexibility and convenience of pre-recorded
digitized resources alongside active learning elements through live webinars,
interactive WhatsApp groups and constant tutor engagement & progress
tracking.

Recent surveys have all revealed that
nearly 68% of the learners globally would still prefer face to face learning in
a post-covid scenario. Classroom training with its multiple benefits is here to
stay for a long time but the use of technology has no doubt created an
alternative learning environment that many other learners may find flexible and
effective. Despite the unsettling consequences of Covid-19, learning, training
and developing employability skills continues, albeit using different modes.
The show must go on!!!

Vignesh Sivakumar   Phoenix Financial Training

dubai@phoenixft.com        04 570 5994

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