Freshmen from Mahidol University started their first day of class with something quite unusual.
There was no longer a need to rush to pick the best seats in class for optimum note-taking while the teacher lectures; nor was there a need to quickly move to the canteen for lunch to avoid long queues for ordering food; nor the need to have face-to-face conversations with new friends.
Students began their first day of learning at the university in a completely online classroom, the first year ever the university has done this for all its first-year students. Students at the university can now access their courses and classrooms anytime and anywhere, despite the global pandemic caused by Covid-19.
Using digital technology to facilitate learning
Thatchavee Leelawat, acting vice president for Information Technology at Kanchanaburi Campus of Mahidol University, explained that the university was aware that education is one of society's most important segments that was at a huge risk of interruption, unless it uses technology and follows the world in heading towards a digital technology development pathway.
To avoid any collapse, a huge investment in digital technology has been made in various forms to respond to the new normal for education so that learning can happen anywhere and anytime via a high-speed fibre optic wireless connections under strong cooperation from many partners, Mr Thatchavee said.
Among its partners, the university closely collaborated with Siam Commercial Bank and has been developing a digital ecosystem in the university since 2018, including digital infrastructure development in the university's campuses and digital technology designed for active learning and other projects.
All online learning initiatives were developed before the Covid-19 outbreak, with one of them being the development of a virtual class-learning platform that will be used by all first-year students this semester.
All Mahidol campuses in Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Sawan and Amnat Charoen provinces have been fully connected with a wireless connection network to access virtual classrooms or conferences via its Webex programs, which allows learners and lecturers to interact and exchange knowledge in real time, with the hope for effective in-person classroom replacement under social distancing circumstances.
Another digital tool to link students and the university together is the WeMahidol Application, which is the university's online community for updating news and information that could be easily accessed by personal passwords via smart phone.
"Covid-19 has encouraged us to achieve our goal of study anywhere anytime. Thanks to the university's vision to lay down a digital platform before the outbreak.
"It will be a significant new normal for education in the future, where learning is not only in the classroom. It could happen anywhere anytime," he said, adding that the next challenge is how to train all the staff so they are familiar with and are efficient at using the smart digital technology.
Internet packages given to students in need
Despite a well-prepared response to the unexpected infectious disease, Mr Thatchavee admitted that some students have faced difficulties in accessing online-classrooms who come from low-income families and lack the finances to enable them to purchase high-speed internet packages.
The university is, however, aware it needs to support equal access to education for all. To achieve this, it has provided internet packages to 7,000 registered students in need so that they can attend the online classes like their peers.
According to the university, it created over 65,000 virtual classrooms/conferences via its Webex program between April to June.
The university is a case study for the new normal of education in the country that has been put to the test during the global health crisis of Covid-19. The country's whole education system is now set to be transformed into something extraordinary that will destroy the old school of thought around education.
Digital technology is the answer for the future of education
Speaking at the university's recent seminar on media makers, Dr Udom Kachintorn, chairman of the committee on higher education, delivered his speech by focusing on the future of education, which is designed to respond to the fast-moving industry trends driven by digital technology.
"Universities are facing technology-led disruption. The current curriculum can't answer the present situation that requires people with hyper-relevant skills, professional skills, life skills, digital skills, English proficiency skills and attitudes and values to drive the organisation", he told the seminar.
"Those are the new normals for education. The university needs to invest in digital platforms and brush up lecturers' skills to survive when learning is not only established in the classroom."
However, he admitted that online learning is not the only solution to the new normal for education, which actually needs to be supported by off-line education as well. This is because an online education cannot develop the student's emotional maturity, which is very important for creativity. It is a great challenge to find a balance so as not to lose sight of the emotional maturity of human beings while the world focuses on online technology development.
Curriculums re-designed to improve the skills of graduate students
Naeti Suksomboon, the university's acting vice president for academic affairs, said that the university is going to re-design curriculums to make sure that graduating students will have relevant professional skills that were improved during their time enrolled on the university's courses. They will be able to take the courses at any time and for any duration of time, which is in line with government's policy on promoting life-long learning practices.
"There is no need to stay four years in the university. High school students can collect credits with the university under our credit-bank system until the credits are matched with our requirement to get the degree. By this method, they can work and learn together to improve their professional skills while not wasting four years of their time in the university alone," he said.
He also admitted that many things are still in the pipeline for the new normal of education, including the development of monitoring and evaluating systems to make sure that all areas are in line with the university's quality standards.