The covid-19 pandemic has brought significant difficulties for the higher education community. A specific challenge has been the urgent notice of moving online within a limited duration. That leaves educators nervous and worried to maintain the quality and standard of teaching and learning. The concern was mainly regarding learning design with the integration of digital tools. Below are the few key points that were raised in vocational education.

  • Lack of IT equipment:

Not all trainees had the laptop, headset, and microphone to take online classes. Some trainees used a smartphone to log in to the class for instance using Microsoft Team and they worked on their assignment from the mobile. That was a distraction and barrier as they continuously struggled with the application feature on mobile as compared to web browsers (which are used by teachers).

  • Not all teachers are tech-savvy:

In the vocational institution, we have several departments such as Business, Events management, Guest Relations Management, and IT so all staff is not comfortable while using technology thus they don’t feel confident while delivering the lesson. Although the IT support team, coordinators, and department head try their best to provide continuous support They used to sit in front of the laptop and answer teachers’ queries but still, it was challenging.

  • Barriers and issues for the vocational education:

The biggest issue faced during online teaching was how to provide a simulated environment for the trainees at their homes usually we have labs and simulated rooms for each qualification.

  1. For IT trainees we have computer labs with all the routers, switches, computers, and printers to build and troubleshoot the network.
  2. For business and Guest relations management trainees, we have simulated office setup with role-play tasks.
  3. For health and safety, we have rooms with all the hazards so that trainees can carry out risk assessments.
  • Hindrance to keep trainees motivated and engaged:

The teachers complained that students were not engaged and participating because of virtual learning. Some trainees did not turn on the camera and the teacher could not confirm whether the trainees were present or absent during the whole session. Thus, teachers could not implement a student-centered approach and it affected their classroom observation as well.

Conclusion: Thus, virtual learning has its concerns but there are benefits as well such as trainees and teachers getting exposed to educational technology more than before hence it increases digital literacy. There is a need for proper training for the teachers on using digital tools and modifying the curriculum, teaching practices, activities, and assessment to accommodate the online mode. Students should also get workshop emphasis on using educational technology, participating in online classes, and following the rule effectively. Hence, there are high chances that online learning can be more beneficial than face-to-face as it is more flexible.