Online Graduates: Line between being feasible or miserable?

The current Covid-19 variant Omicron has forced the closure of educational institutions again. Despite momentarily opening all educational institutions, not everyone has been on the same page. Words like, "What good will this online generation do?" or "Are they even studying or just simply executing copy-paste strategies!" have spread fast. But have we analyzed the whole picture ever, or are we just throwing an entire generation under the bus?

After the deadly Coronavirus hit the global arena, it kept people in a maze for a while, letting them think about how to proceed with the situation. Undoubtedly, the most affected area education system shifted to online for not letting the students undergo the session jam. Some adopted the changes quickly, and others lagged. Hence, the question remains, "Did everyone get to explore the same facilities for education or not?"

In March 2020, very few institutions adopted the online platform for education, such as Google Classroom, Meet, or Zoom. A few even developed their platforms for submissions and taking online exams, which turned out to be a blessing for some. For instance, during those days, one of my students was a cancer patient who could not join in-person classes had the privilege of taking online courses while still on chemotherapy.

On the contrary, where it is not a common sight across all social and economic strata, a bright student might have to regress because of insufficient technical support. However, within these 20 months of lockdown period, students had enormous opportunities to learn from courses online of world-renowned universities, do part-time online jobs, or volunteer virtually for numerous organizations. Various types of startups were also launched and recruited freshmen and sophomores.

Students were polishing their skills and remaining constant with their studies. But it was feasible for those who had the urge to learn and stay productive. The students who failed to cope with the online education system remained aloof and suffered greatly. On the flip side, students who did not have enough facilities but had the urge to learn could only hope and wait for their time to arrive.

In 2021, a prestigious private institution in Bangladesh graduated 4,014 students online. Across the country, the number is millions by now. A significant portion of undergraduate students has already spent more than half of their learning online. Thus, the majority of students' efforts and experiences differed. Some were enthusiastic, and some were detached. Therefore, some recruiters may encounter overly enthusiastic people, while others may experience the total opposite.

The pandemic has already been harsh for every undergraduate or graduate student, as there were so many changes to adopt. Then this new stress of "Being Abandoned" was added along with the stressful virtual student life of submitting your exam paper on time or assignments at 11:59 PM with constant electricity and internet issues. Furthermore, the concern for the acceptability of the graduation certificate in the job market also appeared.

Students in Medical Science or Engineering, who have more practical work but had to wait until the whole world recovered, became a trauma before graduation or even after. From a mediocre student to an extraordinary one, this pandemic has caused lifetime anxiety for students to complete their studies and get their desired job. The fear of being undervalued has grasped them to become demotivated more often.

Suppose you talk to any teacher who has facilitated online education in the past months; a primary concern that will arise is the moral and ethical aspects of virtual education. It has become easier to cheat on open-book exams or take-home assessments; a few students adopted the tools and resources available to get better grades. Some even paid educational platforms to access the answers without checking the entire question paper.

The scenario is not only a significant concern for assessments for just one course, indeed for the future of these graduates also. Only better grades without proper learning would not allow one to thrive and face the future challenges in their life. Moreover, the loophole of shortcuts for these students does more harm as they fail to realize that GPA would not defend their work performance in an actual workplace.

Some multinational organizations have already designed programs for students to encourage their virtual journey and bring out their talents regardless of the recent stereotypes. Despite that, two sides of a coin still exist where both the job recruiters and the hardworking student may come across their paths or may not. To attain each of their destinations, there is no other way than showing empathy or putting oneself in others' shoes.

Otherwise, the blame game of not finding the desired job for a student and not finding the right employee for the recruiter may remain the same. Considering the whole situation at this point, we can only have patience and hope to get back to the old normal as soon as possible because the cost of it all has been high and will plague us for years to come.
Quazi Tafsirul Islam, Lecturer of Strategy & Human Resources, North South University; Researcher and Management Consultant.
Kazi Sumaiya, Research Assistant,
School of Business & Economics,
North South University.