EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM MANAGEMENT UNDER CRISIS EVENTS: REMOTE EDUCATION FRAMEWORK DURING AND POST THE PANDEMIC

Abstract

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many circumstances that significantly challenged the educational system worldwide. It occurred especially after the restriction rules were imposed in response to the pandemic to control the fast spread of the disease, imposing a sudden transfer in the learning environment from face-to-face to online way. As a result, being prepared, ready, and prompt to respond to disruptions (of such a crisis event as the pandemic) has become a critical investigation topic in the educational field at all levels. Therefore, the importance of the responsiveness of the educational process and its resilience in adapting to such unprecedented circumstances or any other uncertainty, has become significantly more critical than ever. During the pandemic, educational institutions have worked hard to create contingency plans and implement coping strategies based on their available capabilities to maintain the educational process’ continuity and quality, trying to reduce the infected cases and prevent the spread of the disease. Outcomes or opportunities from the opening paths during the pandemic and ways of novel teaching and learning strategies in a post-pandemic stage are also under investigation in this work. Various technologies and tools were available quickly to support the rapid unplanned move to remote learning, ensuring the continuity of the educational process despite all the challenges that needed to be developed and implemented to optimize the learning and teaching process. From the initial findings on educational system resilience, an educational framework to be applied in times of crisis (e.g., social distance constraints) is proposed and is formed by the following steps. First, an overview and perspective on digital transformation technologies and their effects on society and education are given, along with a thorough framework for educational system resilience under pandemic events. Second, a literature review and perspective chapter critically analyzes the teaching and learning experience during the pandemic (2020-2022), highlighting the methods, technologies, and coping strategies implemented and lessons learned. Third, survey-based research is proposed to question educators’ and students’ experiences during the urgent shift in the education environment. Fourth, a comprehensive analysis aimed at enhancing the educational process by incorporating artificial intelligence (AI), especially within the realm of hybrid education (HE), is presented. Our exploration will focus on the pivotal role that hybrid (in-person and remote) education plays in promoting a sustainable learning-teaching environment. We propose a thorough framework identifying the essential factors for efficiently managing hybrid education. This framework will cover the various elements and obstacles present in hybrid learning settings and the cutting-edge AI solutions capable of overcoming these challenges, thus improving the quality and efficiency of education. Moreover, we will develop a roadmap based on this framework, which will serve as a guide for implementing AI solutions in hybrid education settings, thereby optimizing the educational process through the strategic deployment of AI technologies.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Science and Engineering