Digital Learning in BC – Are We Ready For Another Pandemic?

After reading the BC Post-Secondary Digital Learning Strategy, I started thinking about what being prepared for online learning really means. After COVID forced everyone to switch to online learning with no warning, the province assembled a group of experts and teachers to build a long-term plan to improve digital learning. Even though a lot of preparation has gone into making this plan, I’m not sure how ready we really are.

There’s no real way of telling if a digital learning system works until it’s used during another emergency/pandemic. The government can claim that they’re more prepared than last time, but being more prepared is not the same as being ready. Everything can look good on paper now but when it comes to really applying it, more problems will arise. If another situation forced students and teachers back online, we wouldn’t know if the new strategy is strong enough until it’s tested under real pressure.

Another big problem is how in online learning, each class depends a lot on the teachers rather than the school as a whole. In an online scenario, assignments and the course structure is based on how that specific teacher sets things up. This means that the teachers have to carry a heavier workload than in a regular classroom system. And if they get sick or something unexpected happens, it wouldn’t be possible for a substitute to take over smoothly as they would first have to understand that course’s structure which in itself will take multiple days. This problem wouldn’t occur in most in person courses as all classes follow the same general structure, so a substitute can step in and keep things running.

So even though BC has invested in proper training and schools have improved their technology skills since the COVID pandemic, it will never work smoothly. This kind of system relies heavily on individual teachers, varies from class to class, and hasn’t been tested in a real crisis situation. Overall, I’d say that we’re better prepared than before, but definitely not ready yet.