Online and Distance Education (ODE): Covid-19 Pandemic and Adoption of Advanced Technologies

Abstract

Education is important for knowledge gaining, capacity building and economic development. Those who succeed through this education process successfully will have the opportunities to gain the dignified jobs. Technology Adoption is at one end growing fast, those who practice technology for the development process will grow economically strong. Disseminating quality education to each and every corner of the world is very difficult without using the Advanced Online Information Communication Technologies (AOICTs). Open and Distance Learning (ODL) is fulfilling the needs of diversified people, who are unable to attend the regular education system because of one or more reasons, like adult learners, working people, poor and economically weak people who cannot afford to pay school or college fee. Online Education is technology enabled education, where different high end education technologies will be utilized to reach and teach every corner of the world. Because of this Covid-19 Pandemic the firm foundation is laid down by ‘Online and Distance Education (ODE)’ which led to most of the world practicing ODE in all subjects of education including engineering and technical education. Even most of the institutions and universities are conducting the examinations in online mode to save the academic year of the students. This paper discusses about the use of ICTs in education systems, how the sudden transformation of education system has taken place in adoption of ICTs and capacity building. It also discusses about globalization and technology enabled learning. Finally, this paper elaborates how the open and distance learning universities are moving towards online teaching and learning by utilizing advanced digital educational technology and its management tools.