Open AccessEmergency remote education in Bahrain, Iraq, and Russia During the COVID-19 pandemic: A comparative case study
Author(s) -
Christine Elizabeth Coutts,
Mohamed Buheji,
Dunya Ahmed,
T. A. Abdulkareem,
Budhoor Buheji,
S. M. Eidan,
Nikolay Perepelkin
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
human systems management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.319
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 1875-8703
pISSN - 0167-2533
DOI - 10.3233/hsm-201097
Subject(s) - covid-19 , pandemic , doors , distance education , crisis management , social distance , public relations , medical education , psychology , political science , pedagogy , medicine , engineering , disease , structural engineering , pathology , law , infectious disease (medical specialty)
BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic many education organizations closed their doors to contain the spread of infection, providing learning continuity by distance and online delivery. OBJECTIVE: To explore the challenges educators faced during emergency remote learning so that others may learn from their experience. METHOD: A case study based on the experience of educators compares how education continuity was provided in Bahrain, Iraq, and Russia. Personal insights gathered using Zoom, complemented by documentary evidence, explore the ‘lived experience’ of the emergency changes made to teaching and learning provision. RESULTS: Whilst teachers and students were ill-prepared, and there were issues with electricity supply, stable Wi-Fi, and access to equipment, most countries were able to offer students access to learning using a combination of distance education and online learning. Benefits accrued were greater familiarity with the use of technology and a revaluing of the importance of social relations in teaching and learning. Early indications are that educational inequities may have been widened as a consequence. CONCLUSION: The challenges facing the education sector fall into three main categories: crisis management and decision making, infrastructure readiness, and student receptiveness. A hybrid approach, which blends face-to-face with online learning, is the way forward in the ‘new normal’ post-pandemic.