Will Blended Learning Be the New Normal in Post-Covid-19 Times? Perception of Education Professionals and Learners

Abstract

Technology has always been an integral part of learning systems. Pedagogies, right from those based on the blackboard to
those associated with Artificial Intelligence - all use different levels of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). However, the COVID-19 pandemic fast tracked the use of digital teaching and learning tools in educational institutions the world over. Such has been the speed at which technology has made inroads into pedagogies that most stake holders have found it difficult to keep pace with the developments. Current literature seems to suggest that the future of pedagogy will be in the blended mode. In this scenario, the present study ponders over the question whether the learners and education professionals have come to accept technology-based learning as the new normal in post Covid times. In order to find an answer to this question, the researcher administered two questionnaires- one to the learners for assessing their perception on online learning and the other to the education professionals for eliciting their responses on the introduction of blended learning. The research has yielded significant results with grave policy implications, which have been presented in this paper.