As we have seen in the recent past, technology in education is not just an enabler, but a necessary medium, and the crisis in the Education sector during the pandemic helped us all understand the importance of virtual learning. You may have heard the phrase, “necessity is the mother of invention.” And hundreds of millions of children, teachers, and parents across the globe being forced to take their education online certainly did create a fertile atmosphere for innovation.

Instead of innovations and experimental solutions rolling out slowly over time, solutions had to be found and implemented literally overnight, with mixed results. Apps, devices, platforms, and technologies that had never been used or only used in small doses or on a small scale were put through their paces in a very short period of time, weeding out the poor performers and streamlining the better ones.

In the scramble to find a way to provide education for students, partnerships between private, public, for-profit, and not-for-profit organizations took shape at a fantastic rate of speed. The brightest minds were able to come together to provide educational resources and the technology to back them in ways that had never even been conceived of before when students needed it most, and many of these non-conventional alliances, partnerships, and programs may continue into the future.

Before the pandemic, internet access was still viewed by some as a very important but not essential aspect of educational parity (or equality). But when millions of students lost access to in-person instruction, access to the internet just became an equality issue. Children without access to the internet fell further behind than their peers, and the long-term effects of these disparities remain to be seen.

The pandemic had a massive impact on learners all over the world, from preschool to Ph.D. This massive shock to the education system taught educators, students, and their families many lessons, and these are the key takeaways:

• We now have a better understanding of what does and doesn’t work regarding online learning. The tactics and technologies that work the best will continue to improve.
• Online learning has more public and private support and will continue to grow as a valid and expected mode of learning.
• Internet access isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity when it comes to accessing quality education, and both public and private entities will be investing heavily in this in the future.

Going forward, digital-first is an approach every University must adopt, and I am happy to share that much before in laid a roadmap to be a technology-driven university. Our early preparedness helped us in the transition from offline to online learning. Now, Blended Learning is the way forward and is the biggest enabler of seamless learning.

Our core vision remains to change the way students learn from traditional learning methodologies and we are happy to adapt and adopt technological changes.

The ecosystem at Oxfaa University is not only tech-centered but is developed in such a way that it contributes to the overall development of a student. In near future, we aim to make all the disciplines at par with our exclusive programs, and Oxfaa aspires to be a coveted multi-disciplinary institution in the global education sector. True leaders and game-changers are made when a University takes it on its shoulders to mould personalities and gives life to the ideas of its students.

With the dedicated efforts of our eminent faculty members, I am certain Oxfaa University  will be guided and mentored in such a way that they will be the leaders and game-changers of tomorrow.