EDUCATION has undergone an abrupt change from physical classroom to online platforms at scale. In meeting the urgent demand for online learning, the development of digital collaboration and communication tools have accelerated.

According to Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Malaysia general manager Jordy Cao, Alibaba Group has initiated an “Online Classroom” programme for free via DingTalk — a communication and collaboration platform.

The programme has benefited six million teachers from 140,000 schools across China, who are conducting online classes for 130 million students.

“DingTalk can deliver low-latency, high-definition video conferencing involving more than 300 people simultaneously at no cost. It also allows free group live broadcast to up to 45,000 audiences at the same time,” said Cao.

He added that DingTalk has also been recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) as an effective digital learning solution as schools face closures over the Covid-19 pandemic.

Online learning is a great supplement to conventional teaching methods, Cao said. “It allows students to arrange time flexibly, reduces the cost for textbooks and lowers the threshold for accessing educational resources.

“Schools, universities and students are encouraged to be more open-minded and make better use of digitised tools and resources to make the transformation to online learning easier and more efficient,” he said.

Recently, Xiamen University Malaysia signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Alibaba Cloud to enhance education and cloud computing skills of its staff and students. Cao said the collaboration between universities and enterprises will benefit both sides and empower future generations.

“Such tie-up allows students and staff of the university to get unparalleled access to resources put together by Alibaba Cloud. Besides, our team plays an advisory role to ensure that the course content remains updated, relevant and focused on the future needs of the industry, so students can better plan their careers in a competitive job market.

“To date, 12 Malaysian universities have joined the community, and over 800 students have benefited from the online training to pursue a professional certification to better prepare them for their future in the digital era.

“Online learning will be a new norm for teachers and students, even when the pandemic is over. “Meanwhile, developers of online learning tools will strive to improve user experience, thereby increasing their popularity further,” he said.

Source: https://www.nst.com.my/education/2020/07/606790/online-platforms-erase-barriers-learning