Embrace Digital Pedagogy

Academics, policy makers and experts have continuously expressed their concern regarding deteriorating quality in education in the country.  Critics say that our educational products are turned into unemployed and non-competent in the global market. It appear that educational institutions have become factories, generating educated masses unfit for job market at home and abroad. To address this problem, timely action is to be taken. It has become imperative to drastically revise our pedagogy to enhance quality of education. 

Digital pedagogy is essential in academic institutions as the entire world is moving towards digitalisation in all fields. Technology has greatly influenced teaching and learning activity, playing an important role in developing digital pedagogy which has become a vital part of the today's world. The educational experts have realised that the present curriculum and teaching modalities have failed to reflect the evolving academic scenario. This increased the importance of digital pedagogy. 

Digital pedagogy is significantly different from in-person teaching and learning. Technology-assisted learning leads to active involvement and collaboration that is not possible within the confines of a traditional teaching framework. Digital pedagogy leads the learners to explore new dimensions of learning and acquiring knowledge and skill. It will be an added benefit for those who do not have time to attend the class regularly and who have poor retention power. The teaching process requires broader, more diverse and effective use of digital tools and resources. 

The recent pedagogic model is learner-centred and it is mostly task or activity based. Learners get fully involved and the teacher acts as a guide and facilitator, leading the learners to attain the set objectives. It enhances the retention of information as instruction is audio-visual. Further, it reduces the tuition costs. But, for the effective use of technology, teachers need support and guidance. For many teachers it is unexplored territory and it may take time to get comfortable with this model of teaching.

If this strategy is followed by teachers as well as learners, the panorama of learning can change remarkably. The essential steps to be taken are availability of internet, electricity and tablets at school. These can be easily shared among groups of students. When the students learn through peer collaboration in class, they can learn keyword and important information quickly. With support of visuals, the students can grasp the concept of ideas and subjects taught under the digital pedagogy. 

However, successful implementation of this strategy depends on incorporating it into the curriculum one lesson at a time. But, our problem is that not all teachers are familiar with it. Many teachers, especially in rural areas, have grown accustomed to traditional method of teaching. They are not aware of paradigm shift in teaching skills. Teachers should know how to incorporate digital tools into the structure of their lesson. Teachers' digital expertise is essential to guide the student. 

The digital development has brought both challenges and opportunity in Nepal. The education sector needs to embrace it fully to enable the students to unlock their potential and genius so that they are competent enough to face any sort of academic challenges.