The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unprecedented disruption to the world, forcing us all to rethink the way we work and live. Many industries are displaying teething pains as their leaders understand how to move operations online.

Education is no exception to this rule. As New Zealand prepares to roll back its Alert Levels, there are still big questions that hang over the way we educate our next generation. Can schools work online? Can classes operate in-person and via video link at the same time? These challenges have the power to fundamentally change the education system in our country. 

At EduExperts, we’re proud of the work that’s gone into developing our digital capabilities, which has seen us emerge as a leader of the pack in the online education space. Our proactive preparation for situations such as COVID-19 means we are well placed to support, and drive, the education system during this uncertain time.

What is it about our methods that places us in this position? Our online offering is industry leading for three primary reasons. Read on and find out…

We prepared early, and comprehensively.

Naturally, nobody could predict the disruption that would be caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. But it’s always been an integral part of our mission to integrate technology into our offering in a way that best serves our students. As part of the Crimson Education group, we have access to some of the foremost global thinkers in the intersection between education and technology.

As a result, our fantastic teachers are accustomed to adapting to new technology solutions. This means less time is spent on digital administration, and more time can be dedicated to teaching. Even small distractions can significantly detract from the overall lesson, so this is a vital step in the process. Of course, the switch to online-only lessons hasn’t been without its challenges, but the mindset of our teachers has meant that, by and large, we’re able to overcome these.

Separately, our involvement with the Chinese community led us to direct our offering online earlier than most other education companies. In late January and early February, a number of our students returned from China, and their concerns regarding COVID-19 prompted us to take early action in this space. By early March, we had equipped all of our centres with the necessary equipment to run online classes, so we could run classes without the trade-off of health risks. We then saw that by the end of March, stores had run out of cameras and microphones, meaning that some education providers weren’t able to access this equipment. Our proactive move to a digital-only offering has meant that we can operate without compromising on the best technology available.

Our established curriculum has proven results.

Throughout this year, we’ve been very vocal about our updated curriculum. That’s for one simple reason – we’re incredibly proud of all the amazing work that’s gone into ensuring that it provides an optimised learning experience. Our curriculum experts are leaders within the education space, and have built upon their immense practical knowledge to create our proprietary curricula for each subject.

Because we own our curriculum, and aren’t licensing it from a third party, we’ve also been able to adapt it quickly to suit our digital offering. This means that you receive all of the benefits of our newly updated course materials in an online setting. We’re uniquely placed at the intersection of experience within the field, and ability to quickly pivot to new ways of education.

Don’t take any risks with your education experience; investing in the right education provider, with a curriculum that demonstrates proven results, is always the right choice.

Our class structure optimises the online experience.

Teaching has never been a simple job for the faint of heart – and that’s at the best of times, in a physical classroom. The problems faced by teachers are only magnified in an online environment, and it’s up to the way the classes are structured to ensure that these issues are appropriately addressed.

The extra preparation time we’ve had to think about how to deliver online classes means we’ve been able to rise above the pack, and create effective industry-leading learning environments.

For a start, we limit our class sizes to twelve students. This makes it much easier for our teachers to manage the classes, and also ensures that students get the opportunity to raise any questions. These classes are much smaller than a typical physical classroom, meaning students can actually get more one-to-one learning time than they might at school.

We also understand the potential for distraction that might occur in a home environment. To mitigate this, we’ve introduced a set of user guidelines, which parents and students must agree to before participating in our classes. Amongst other criteria, we ask that students keep their camera on for the entire lesson, as research shows that this improves attention and information retention. This, combined with the class size limit, means that the entire class appears on one Zoom call screen – making the experience much more human for both teachers and students.

Finally, we enlist the help of our centre managers to effectively run classes. While a typical online classroom involves two parties – teachers and students – we ensure that a manager is present on the call as well, for the entire duration of all lessons. Our managers observe both the quality of teaching, and the behaviour of students, and ensure a quality learning experience for all involved. They are also involved in collecting homework from students and passing it on to teachers, and vice versa. By utilising our managers, we have a competitive advantage in our streamlined and effectively organised classes – ensuring that more time is spent learning, and that the environment is as close to a physical classroom as possible.

How can we help?

Like many education providers at this time, we share concerns for the state of education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, the government must place its focus on flattening – and now squashing – the virus’ curve. Naturally, education takes a backseat amongst their priorities during this uncertain period. Part of this means students should stay home from school where possible.

But that doesn’t mean education needs to lose its priority in your life! This is where providers such as EduExperts step up, and take the lead. Our effective digital offering means that you don’t have to compromise between the safety of you and your family, and a quality education experience. By relieving some of the pressure from primary and secondary schools, we can all work together to eliminate the virus – and invest in the future of the next generation.

Finding the right education partner is a simple decision; you should choose once, and choose right. Get in touch with your local EduExperts centre to find out more, and sign up for our online classes!