Kathy Chandler, MAOT Lecturer in Online Teaching, writes:

My vision of the future starts in the recent past. Online distance education has been my area of work for many years. Online teaching was of little interest to most educators until 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, and suddenly the screen became the portal through which every teacher and every learner had to operate. There was a huge surge of interest in my research into online tuition. My little-read journal article published in 2016 about using breakout rooms suddenly became a seminal work. All educators wanted to know how to teach effectively online.

For higher education, even after the pandemic ended, online alternatives became the new normal. Students now value flexible and blended options and universities are making these options available. There is still more work to do to ensure that online learning is accessible, inclusive, engaging, and fun but more and more educators are developing the necessary skills.

But what about students in schools? Schoolteachers also developed many skills in online and blended working during the pandemic, but once the lockdowns ended, UK policy makers insisted on a return to ‘normal’. For many, this has been impossible. There has been a huge rise in the numbers of children and young people struggling with mental health issues. When school becomes a place where children and young people feel even more sad or anxious, online education is a very attractive option.

Many schoolteachers have also found benefits in moving online and the number of private companies offering online schooling is growing apace. A browse of their websites and policies shows that quality varies markedly. I suspect there is a big difference between how it feels to be a child required to keep their camera and microphone on constantly from day one and being in an environment where this is something to build up to gradually as confidence grows. This year the Department for Education identified a need for this space to be regulated and established the online education accreditation scheme (OEAS).

Those typically attending online schools include young celebrities needing flexible timetables, children with parents whose well-paid work requires frequent travel and those in other countries whose parents can afford a private British education. They also include children in poor health, those who have been bullied or excluded and those with special educational needs that have not been met elsewhere. For many families, finding the school fees is impossible but there are currently no plans to provide online state schools in the UK as there are in some parts of Australia for those who need them, for example.

My hope for the future of education is that every learner, regardless of age, will have the option of an online or blended education, which will be available at no extra cost and that their experience of learning is accessible, inclusive, engaging, and fun.