A blend of old and new

A post-pandemic hybrid learning model can help create a generation that has developed a scientific temper and has imbibed the qualities of inclusion and diversity

COVID-19 has changed the way knowledge is imparted and disseminated and has given rise to new-age learning platforms online. The pandemic has made the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) an integral part of life. We can retain virtues of the VLE (access, availability, and affordability) in a post-pandemic world, and envision a hybrid model in which learners have a knowledge repository that they can access any time and anywhere, while teachers continue to facilitate inquiry and dialogue in the physical classroom setting. A non-linear approach to teaching and learning will likely see an explosive growth of new constructs and mental models. Imagine an education system where students can share ideas on cross-functional domains in a virtual classroom; instructors use breakout rooms to discuss and deliberate on case studies; students from remote corners are able to access sessions with a university situated in a geographical opposite — all of this, bearing in mind quality of content, seamless learner-instructor engagement, and metrics to measure learning outcomes and its applicability to real-time situations.