It is both an exciting as well as a daunting experience to search for the right college to build a foundation for a fulfilling career. The process of selecting and getting admission into the selected college is competitive and difficult, especially because of high demand and less availability of seats. The COVID-19 pandemic has added to these existing issues, and the impact of COVID-19 on colleges is an undeniable fact. Selection of the appropriate college involves various steps, starting from searching for a college that fits the students’ goals by filtering the various academic programs it offers. To further narrow down the list of options, the following factors are considered:
- Ease of Transport to the location of the college
- Fee Structure
- Clearing Eligibility Requirements
Once the list of colleges is prepared, the candidate has to prepare himself for the entrance examination, fill in the application forms, upload the necessary documents for qualification, undergo counseling, and get placed based on the rank obtained in the entrance examination. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a hindrance to the ease of carrying out all the steps mentioned above.
Firstly, it is not easy to visit colleges physically to check out the campus and meet the faculty. Secondly, because of the impact of COVID-19 on colleges and the education system as a whole, many entrance examinations were canceled or postponed until further notice. Thirdly, not all colleges offer the flexibility of filling up the application form online, and some technical errors do not allow students to upload the form and the qualifying document. Therefore, the ease of applying to such colleges has been negatively affected. Last and most importantly, the impact of COVID-19 on colleges is also felt during the delivery of the course program.
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Since physically attending colleges is not feasible in some areas due to the imposed lockdown, teaching students has been difficult, and the course content has not been able to reach students.
To overcome these difficulties, both the government and colleges have aligned their services to become tech-savvy, virtual, and web-based as much as possible. Although entrance examinations still need to be written at the designated examination centers, the counseling process is mostly done online.
Reputed institutions such as the Vignan Institute of Technology and Science, Hyderabad, have worked on their website diligently to help students access all details about their program offerings, campus overview, placements, infrastructure, fee structure and student counseling. Students can get a virtual tour of the campus by viewing the campus videos and photo galleries that are uploaded on the website. If the students are looking to get more information about a particular program, they have the option to contact the relevant faculty and get an opportunity to talk to them.
Besides college websites, many colleges such as Vignan Institute of Technology and Science have used social media to increase their outreach to students. Vignan has created a dedicated link to tackle online grievances observed by students, parents, and teachers. Besides that, Vignan has developed an online counseling portal for students to help them in deciding the right academic program to pursue their dream career. Website visitors also have access to newsletters that reflect the college culture and list details of extra-curricular activities and events, alumni, college achievements and improvements. If all this is not enough, one can also get a virtual tour of the campus and its infrastructure by clicking the college website’s relevant link.
Although initially, not everyone was comfortable with the idea of e-learning, both the college managements and faculties have developed and improvised their existing learning system to be easily accessible by students sitting in the farthest corners of the country, with the help of a computer and an internet connection. Some colleges have used the means of online conferencing applications to hold virtual online classes, while some have developed their own in-house applications that allow students to interact with faculty as well as have access to all the learning material at a single click. In a way, COVID-19 has revolutionized the concept of existing education systems and forced everyone to think about making education easily accessible and feasible for everyone who wants to learn.
The impact of COVID-19 on colleges does not end here. With the re-opening of colleges, strict regulations may need to be enforced before allowing students and faculty to enter the college premises, such as mandatory COVID test screening, mandatory COVID vaccine to be taken and other protocol to allow learning to be done in a safe and healthy environment. This is especially important to ensure nobody’s life is in danger. Colleges may also need to experiment with alternative modes of teaching such as using Moodle (as done in Vignan Institute of Technology and Science) along with in-person classes to ensure accurate and efficient delivery of the academic curriculum.
For further details about the admission process in Vignan, feel free to contact through email at info@vignanits.ac.in or call 9866399776/861.