E-learning in Egypt and beyond

How can EdTech make the learning process smooth and fun for students?

We know that one size does not fit all – even within one country, local context varies. Schools have different digital requirements and capabilities. Both teachers and learners have different preferences. At Cambridge University Press & Assessment, we identify when learning is best achieved through printed medium and when it is best achieved through digital medium. For students to enjoy e-learning, it is vital that they can access innovative digital materials that add value to the learning experience and support the development of digital literacy.

A walk around the alleys and streets of Egyptian cities, town and villages, from north to south, and from east to west, you will note the widespread use and influence of cellular phones. Online resources are more accessible with a mobile app or a mobile-friendly version. Students engage with virtual or augmented reality because it inspires them to think beyond the four walls they are in; it takes them to places otherwise inaccessible, for example, a virtual field trip to ancient Egypt or to the bottom of the ocean. It appeals to visual learners who like to see and experience things instead of merely reading about them.

Similarly, an interactive digital game could plunge learners into an adventure, for example, where they have to use their language skills to negotiate, collaborate and build friendships to escape from a forgotten planet at the edge of the universe. There are always two sides of the same coin. Not every fun game is effective at teaching a given concept. Not every game that is effective at teaching the concept is fun, either. It takes time and training to learn how to effectively use games for learning. For instance, Cambridge has recently developed a new world built in Minecraft to help young learners practice English, with a focus on real-life communications and vocabulary skills, while pursuing a digital adventure.

Rose Luckin, professor of learner centred design at the UCL Knowledge Lab in London and member of the Cambridge Partnership for Education Advisory Board, has suggested that, in the near future, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be able not only to adaptively guide students through learning content but to comprehend their current state of understanding and motivation, to ensure that the learning experience is tailored to their capabilities and needs. AI could help us see and understand the micro-steps that learners go through in learning a subject and the common misconceptions that arise.

What are the countries that have relied on e-learning the most and succeeded in implementing it, and the extent to which students and faculty members respond to edutech and innovation?

E-learning can take different forms – from apps to radio and TV broadcasts – and we have seen it all in response to Covid-19 lockdowns. Whether these different e-learning formats are successful is often determined by factors such as alignment of content to curricula, teacher training and student access. For instance, a recent UNICEF report found two thirds of school children around the world have no internet access at home – so providing a national e-learning strategy which relies on this connection would not be successful for them.

One example which would be relevant to certain Egyptian context is Kurdistan Region of Iraq. UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2018 showed that 99% of families in Kurdistan Region of Iraq have access to TV while only 54% of families have access to the internet. The Ministry of Education in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq was mindful that online learning is not an equitable way forward and could increase disparity. There are other barriers too, such as many families not having access to internet connectivity or devices and increased challenges for girls. It was a no brainer that the Ministry there decided to use the Education Television (ETV) to reach out to communities and places where online learning would not be effective. After just 10 days, the Ministry reported that 350,000 children were benefiting from ETV – which UNICEF determined an excellent return on investment.

Singapore provides a good example of the importance of these factors. Singapore has spent time considering appropriate solutions for their content when developing an emergency distance learning system in response to earlier public health threats - such as SARS. In the face of Covid-19, Singapore was therefore able to rely on e-learning with success, reporting 96% student participation after their first full month of distance learning. The plan in place meant e-learning could be relied on quickly as teachers and students had already practiced distance learning on an annual basis and teachers had training on how to organise and facilitate distance learning with tools developed. Singapore also kept schools open for a small number of pupils who needed access to technology or teacher support.

How can e-learning redefine language learning? Will e-learning contribute to loving language learning through different learning resources, which include programs, platforms, electronic libraries, knowledge bank and language courses?

Technological advancements are truly impressive. We should accept that this is the world our learners are growing up in and provide opportunities to expose them to these wonderful developments. However, each new technology should be carefully evaluated and used as a tool to enhance the personal element in the teaching process, not to completely replace traditional learning methods.
For example, the human element of feedback is valued by teachers and students alike, but rising student numbers are adding to teachers’ workloads, and students as well as parents express more dissatisfaction with assessment and feedback. Automated assessment has certainly helped with language learning in aspects such as marking and feedback. In some cases, it has done this in a way that improves the student experience, so teachers can focus on more valuable human activities.

Giving feedback to students on their progress and guiding their learning via automated marking of multiple-choice questions is now fairly common. Honing onto natural language processing and classification, is more ambitious. Receiving real-time feedback when responding to open-ended questions is not only informative but improves the quality of students output. The ability to offer real-time feedback means that students can qualify and clarify their responses.

Is hybrid education the best model of smart education because it combines direct interaction through classrooms and online education?

There is no ‘best model’ – as one size does not fit all. Education solutions must take into account the specific context they’re operating in – with different countries, communities and schools having different needs and circumstances. However, for many, a hybrid approach is increasingly seen as a way of combining the best of both face to face and online learning and assessment.

The global Covid-19 crisis has certainly showed us the importance of being able to rapidly transition to remote or hybrid teaching and the possibilities online education brings. Hybrid learning necessitated by Covid-19 highlighted the need for a flexible curriculum and learning loss forced decision makers and curriculum designers to rethink what really matters to be taught and learnt, how we can truly accelerate bridging the gap between education and employability.

With the adoption of remote emergency teaching during the pandemic came the realisation that classroom practices and online practices are not the same. Online learning requires a much higher degree of self-regulated learning skills, which many students (in particular younger pupils) are not equipped with, often leading to lower retention rates. Online teaching requires pedagogical scaffoldings in place (such as well-constructed feedback, interaction and class engagement).

Teachers’ proficiency in online learning pedagogies is no longer a nice to have. The possession of many resources, adequate devices, a reliable internet connection, and existing exposure to technologies is not a sufficient enabler on its own to lead to effective student learning. According to the OECD, teachers need to develop online teaching skills and to critically evaluate the evidence about the available EdTech tools and the applicability and appropriateness of different pedagogical. The focus of teacher development has to shift from learning how to use the technology to organising pupil collaboration digitally, delivering remote lessons, digital assessment; balancing effective feedback with students’ mental health and well-being at times of crisis.

About the author

Dr Hanan Khalifa
Director, Education Transformation and Impact
Cambridge Partnership for Education, Cambridge Assessment English
Cambridge University Press & Assessment

Hanan has held ministerial roles as advisor to Ministers of Education and University Presidents, and worked for international development agencies and world renowned educational firms (BC, AMIDEAST, AIR, FHI 360). Hanan's expertise lies in language testing, educational assessment, monitoring and evaluation, standard setting, research (methodology, instrument design, data analysis), and institutional capacity building. Hanan holds a PhD in Language Testing from the University of Reading, UK.