Distance learning: how it has improved

The introduction of distance learning became essential when schools were faced with closure during lockdown. Education has been one of the areas most affected by the ongoing health crisis and online teaching platforms have now taken on greater importance than before.

Almost a year has passed since school teachers and pupils began to use apps and communication software specifically designed for online lessons. During this period, new requirements have emerged, which have gradually been met by the addition of specific new functionalities to applications.

New features for originality reports in Classroom

Among the most popular distance learning software is Google Classroom. Although it may be considered limited in some ways, it is evolving thanks to its capability to provide some interesting options, such as the addition of originality reports.

This particular function provides teachers with precise indications regarding material submitted by students and can establish whether a piece of homework was in fact done by that student or if it was copied from classmates, online sources etc.

In the past, some students managed to trick the algorithm which recognises copied text, by replacing characters such as for the letter ‘a’ with other visually similar ones such as ‘α’ from the Greek alphabet or a similar character from the Cyrillic alphabet.

The new software update means it can now detect this kind of thing, by comparing different alphabets and writing systems. If any anomalies are found in the material submitted, the teacher receives an immediate notification and can proceed with the necessary verifications.

Other features for distance learning software

Another function which will soon be available on Google applications is Assignments. This extra function is designed to simplify the setting of homework and personalise it for each student.

This allows students to work directly in their individual Drive folder on their respective copy of the homework, thereby avoiding the temptation to copy from classmates. Teachers can correct the students’ work more easily and keep a track of completed activities.

Another interesting function for teachers is that they can send students a link (for example via a messaging app) to invite them to take part in lessons. Previously, this was not possible and the student had to look for the course among all the courses available online.

Considerable focus has been given to tracking various statistics on Data Studio dashboards. This function is very useful for head teachers, who can monitor activities in the various classes, the involvement and participation of students and the effectiveness of courses provided by teachers more efficiently.

Jamboard blackboard for more interactive lessons

Google Meet is another widely used application for distance learning. It has also been improved, with the introduction of the new Jamboard feature.

Jamboard is an interactive online blackboard, enabling the teacher to write while explaining, exactly as they would do in a traditional classroom. The teacher can also enable this option for certain students, in order to make oral tests as similar as possible to face to face testing.

In the next few months work to improve the distance learning experience will continue, with the introduction of the 7×7 grid option to view active contacts and the option to create smaller working subgroups within a class.

Soon, a function to allow the recording and saving of online lessons will also become available, so that any student who is unable to take part for whatever reason can simply access the lesson at a later date.

Translated by Joanne Beckwith