SITUATION ANALYSIS

The aim of the situation analysis is to identify the barriers to access to distance learning, offering
solutions when necessary, and directing existing resources for the solution of the identified
problems .As we analysis the situation of the globe we are facing worst crisis so far. The covid-
19 shows great disturbing impact on all the countries and as we see it close all the activities of
human beings. This pandemic is the new crisis we are facing since December 2019 and slowly
spread along the globe. So, we can say that now it’s the crisis that every country, industry,
institute and individual must face. Massive amount of activities is shifted to virtual technology.
One of the most effected sector is the education. As per the SOPs by the government announce
lockdown in around country. Which means that all business schools traveling will be closed, now
when we analysis the situation we see its impact as two term short and long term. In short term
we close all activities for some period, but we cannot close all country for long term, so we must
shift our working style to virtually or through internet.

As per the leader in higher education institute we must have to take some actions to continue
educational activities. In short term we close universities schools but what’s our plan for future
how we overcome these barriers in education. Furthermore, with the spread of COVID-19 into
Pakistan, educational institutions across the country were promptly ordered to suspend their
regular academic activities keeping in view the safety of the students. As the country enters
nearly a month of a partial to complete lockdown and total suspension of educational institutions,
it faces an unprecedented challenge to cope with re-adjusting its academic year. an estimate of
87% of the student population across 165 countries is facing school and university closure.

The situation we analysis we are not in state to open the educational institutes. So, there is two
option to close all educational activities until its over or we should digitalize our educational
system immediately. Teaching is moving online, on an untested and unprecedented scale.
Student assessments are also moving online, with a lot of trial and error and uncertainty for
everyone. Many assessments have simply been cancelled. Importantly, these interruptions will
not just be a short-term issue, but can also have long-term consequences for the affected cohorts
and are likely to increase inequality.
We must change our Educational strategy according to situation we analyst or we are currently
in. we must ensure that our strategy is beneficial for both teachers and for students. To make a
strategy we must see our strengths, weaknesses, opportunity for future, and threats we face i.e.
SOWT Analysis. Completing a SWOT analysis help to provide insight into areas of focus during
a strategic planning process.

STRENGHTS:

 Completing a SWOT analysis help to provide insight into areas of focus during a
strategic planning process.
 Though online education enables to learn new skills needed for future. Those includes
collaboration, creativity, communication. and being able to work across demographic
lines of differences to harness the power of the collective through effective teamwork.
 New method of learning now students and faculty are introduced by eBooks, audible
books and videos to enhance the education system.
 helps to redefine the role of the educator in the classroom. This may mean that the role of
educators will need to move towards facilitating young people’s development as
contributing members of society.
 to unlock technology to deliver education by using available and up-coming
technological tools to create content for remote learning for students in all sectors.
 Through this crisis al those individuals and countries who are not use technological
medium for education are being introduced by educational institutes
 Academic teams work become more solid and work more efficiently by being connected
and more responsive when they are facing crisis.
 Institutes may turn this crisis into advantage by establishing strong partnerships
within the community
 This crisis helps to promote a diverse and vibrant student body and campus community
through virtual world
 Educators start to become good with teaching remotely by using technology such as
synchronous meeting, and many other classroom platforms such as MS Teams, Telegram,
Zoom and Schoology.
  Through social media platforms, educators connect with students as individual learners.
Students know that their lecturers or teachers are interested in them as individual learners.
 By switching from traditional education to E-Learning, parents’ role is gaining
momentum as they have to get involved with teachers and school in helping their children
learn.

WEAKNESSES:

 Most important issue academic noted that the “time needed to learn how to use
technologies” was an issue.
 Lack of innovative thinking, inadequate infrastructure, untrained teachers, unequal
accessibility, exam-centric assessment, and lack of learner autonomy
 They may neither have the awareness of online tools such as Google Classroom, MS
Teams and Zoom available for such purposes, nor have the expertise to use them
 Availability of technology for faculty and students living in remote areas.
 Availability of internet and electricity in different areas of country.
 Students’ learning assessment is moved online thus will likely have a large
measurement error than usual
 There is uncertainty about how to handle a global issue of this scale when it comes
to students who are stuck, being quarantined, etc.
 Lack of infrastructure to handle any pandemic crisis.
 There is a decline in enrollment due to changing demographics and increased
competition in some countries.
 Fulfilling other academic duties in a limited time period may put undue pressure on
academics
 Difficulty in assessment of grades of students that is benefice and agreeable for students
and faculty.
 A switch to online assessment could cause a breakdown of constructive alignment
between the teaching learning activity and assessment task
OPPORTUNITIES:

 Staff and students have an opportunity to learn new skills around virtual teams and
communication
 We have students eager to go abroad to study, and that is impossible right now or
soon. This creates an opportunity for local educational institutions to
thoughtfully consider the design of new educational program and curriculum that
meet their needs and demands
 Pandemic presented opportunities for Higher Education for online collaboration between
academic peers, both within and between institutions to gain “insight and inspiration”
from others that “are facing similar challenges.”
 The COVID-19 lockdown has enabled teachers to become creative. They can now create
e-material such as YouTube videos and PPTs and share the links with their students and
engage them during the lockdown period.

THREATS

 Some educational institutions are shutting down due to financial losses.

 Some students are disillusioned and may hesitate to register to study again.
 Global partners may fear working with local educational institutions.
 Fear of closure of international education exchange departments and/or staff layoffs
has become apparent.
 Some families cannot afford technologies used and high rate of unmet financial
need, thus it may result in their children suspending their study
 Higher education’s current role in society is less valued while expectations are
rising
 Some students have fewer opportunities for learning at home due to distractions
 Difference of opinions between educational authorities and students.
 This crisis may cause an increased risk of isolation, anxiety, and boredom among the
population
 PROBLEM DESIGN:

Students, their parents, and educators around the world are facing the unexpected ripple effect of
Covid-19 as schools universities educational institutes are shutting down and quarantine methods
are being ordered to cope with the global pandemic globe is facing right now. On other hand
governments and health officials are doing their best slowing down the outbreak, education
systems are trying to provide quality education for all during these difficult times.

When we are facing any crisis, we can see number of problems that are arising day by day that
can affect almost every aspect of human life. One of the major problems facing by every country
is how they can manage themselves to overcome this crisis. We can see any pandemic can stop
the working of country completely it can damage the GDP of country hurt it economically also.
So, in these situation countries have to make strong policies and management that ensure that
professionals of every industry or educational institutes can join them and help them by giving
them their professional point of view.

As a part of higher education institute, we have to look what are the different problems faced by
students and faculty. Because when we are facing any crisis and we have to plan to overcome it
we need to deeply analysis the situation as we have done SOWT. Some of the most common
problems faced by the students and teachers are.

We have to answer 4 W’s:

1) Who is affected? Who is experiencing the problem?

2) What is the problem? What are the struggles? What task needs to be accomplished? What
pain point needs to be relieved?
3) Where does it happen? What is the context in which the user experiences the problem? Is it
in a physical or digital space? Who else is involved?
4) Why does it matter? Why is this problem worth solving?

As we see this pandemic effect every educational institute and every educational institutes are
instructed to stop their educational activities to save human lives. Now we see in every institute
academic individual are being affected by this pandemic i-e student as well as teachers. As we
come to now students and teachers are being affected. Because in current situation educational
institutes cannot physically provide education and there are also challenges in providing content
online.

Next question to answer is what their problems are they face during this situation:

 Learner is unable to focus on learning and has high levels of anxiety.

 Learner loneliness is increasing even though digital tools are offering ways to connect.
 Parents are overwhelmed with the plethora of resources being shared without steps on
how to use them.
 Parents are planning daily activities but are not trying innovative educational practices at
home.
 Parents are struggling trying to balance work and homeschooling.
 Parents and teachers are lacking resources to discuss pandemics and uncertainties with
their learners.
 Students are worried about having an unnatural closure to the academic year.
 Teachers are scrambling to go digital without much support & training.
 Difficulties maintaining a positive student-teacher parent relationship.
 Collaborative play-based learning is challenging online.

So, the answer is where it does happen this pandemic affect physical education completely, but
we can also see this affect in digital education. Distance learning will reinforce teaching and
learning approaches that we know do not work well. With COVID-19, institutes are rapidly
changing the basic way they do their work.

In digital education issues faced by students are:

i. Adaptability Struggle
Switching from traditional classroom and face to face instructor training to computer-
based training in a virtual classroom makes the learning experience entirely different for
students. Their resistance to change doesn’t allow them to adapt to the online learning
environment, whereas it takes time for them to get used to online education.
ii. Technical Issues
 Many students are not provided with the high bandwidth or the strong internet connection
that online courses require, and thus fail to catch up with their virtual classmates: Their
weak monitors make it hard to follow the Course Management System and their learning
experience becomes problematic.
iii. Computer Literacy
Technological proficiency is a must for following online courses, as it enables students to
manage their assignments and courseware in an organized manner without
struggling. Basic courses in computer literacy enhance students’ knowledge in the field;
having a fundamental knowledge of computer hardware would help them participate in
online classes without interruptions and hindrances.
iv. Time Management
Time management is a difficult task for E-Learners, as online courses require a lot of
time and intensive work. Furthermore, whereas it is mostly adults who prefer web-based
learning programs for their place and time flexibility, they rarely have the time to take the
courses due to their various everyday commitments. A regular schedule planner would be
a significant help to these learners, as they could even set reminders for their courses and
assignments.
v. Self-Motivation
Self-motivation is an eLearning essential requirement; however, many online learners
lack it, much to their surprise. After enrolling in distance learning courses, many learners
fall behind and nurture the idea of giving up, as difficulties in handling a technological
medium also seem impossible.

E-Learning is good news, but at its initial stage it poses certain threats to students. Attitude
change and technological literacy would help them gain confidence in order to succeed in their
courses with a positive vibe.

An online education is preferred by individuals who may not be able to make it for classes in a
traditional brick and mortar kind of college due to various reasons. Below we'll examine some of
the benefits this exciting education provides to such students.

When we solve these problems, we can get most benefit from this mode of education.
Flexibility

Students have the freedom to juggle their careers and school because they aren't tied down to a
fixed schedule. In a traditional classroom setting, class meeting times are set, and the student has
no power over this, forcing them to work their schedules around these dates. Most people who
choose online learning tend to have other commitments and prefer this mode of learning as it
gives them power over how they will delegate their time towards their different projects.

Reduced Costs

Online education can cost less due to a variety of reasons. For example, there is no cost for
commuting. Assorted costs that are related to transport, such as fuel, parking, car maintenance,
and public transportation costs don't affect the online student.

Networking Opportunities

Online education also provides students with the chance to network with peers across nations or
even different continents. This often leads to other opportunities in terms of collaboration with
other individuals in the implementation of a project. At the same time, it makes them culturally
sensitive and able to fit into other environments easily given their exposure to other cultures.

Documentation

All the information that you will need will be safely stored in an online database. This includes
things like live discussion documents, training materials and emails. This means that if there's
ever anything that needs to be clarified, the student will be able to access these documents fast,
saving valuable time. This is especially useful for individuals that need to carry out research for a
project and submit their findings to a panel.

Increased Instructor - Student Time

Students in traditional classrooms may not get the personalized attention they need to have
concepts clarified. Although class sizes are small at CCA, most colleges have classes of students
that number in the hundreds. This is not a problem for this type of education because online
guided discussions and personal talk time with their professors and lecturers is a hallmark of
online classes. This increases the chances of a student performing well due to the time their
instructors give them. This also enhances their problem-solving and communication skills, as
well as knowing how to defend their arguments to superiors if needed.

Access to Expertise

An online college education might give students access to specialized degree courses that may
not be available in an easily accessible or local institution of learning. For example, at CCA you
can pursue a degree in Marketing or a certificate in C++ Programming without having to live
near the institution. Online classes allow the sharing of expertise that helps more people have
access to education that is not readily available in certain geographic locations.

IMPLEMENTATION AND FOLLOW UP

Higher education must take some actions to prevent this situation by making a crisis
management plan. This management plan analyze the situations and identify what are the real
short term problems and also what are the long term crisis we will face and for that we must have
some contingency plans to run our educational systems.

 Initial efforts to respond to COVID-19 should be led and coordinated by governments,

in alignment with COVID-19 national response plans, including through cross-sectoral
approaches, notably between the education, health and child protection sectors.
Government leadership should be ensured at national, regional, and district levels,
building on existing coordination mechanisms, where possible.
 Any measure undertaken in the education sector should be aligned with national priorities
at both central and decentralized levels in order to improve the sustainability of efforts.
More specifically, any remote learning solution put in place should build on existing
capacities and be implemented in close coordination with national and sub-national
education authorities, including school leaders and teachers themselves. In some
contexts, schools are best placed to determine existing capacities and to suggest
appropriate remote learning strategies. Planning in the context of COVID-19 requires
coordinating and engaging teachers and communities to identify effective strategies for
remote learning, and communicating with all stakeholders involved to share ideas and
provide motivation and life-saving information. It also involves the identification of
 potential context specific barriers to such strategies based on gender, language, location,
ability and other parameters to ensure that responses do not reproduce or perpetuate
discriminatory practices and inequalities. Such efforts should help lay the foundation for
functional, resilient national education systems in the longer-term.
 The current global health crisis calls for strong partnerships and collaborations to be in
place to achieve, in practice, the humanitarian-development nexus in the education sector,
by bridging the gap between humanitarian and development interventions. This entails
improved coordination among partners to ensure that primary system needs do not
become secondary concerns due to COVID-19. Countries that are already struggling to
ensure education provision need ongoing support to be maintained, in addition to specific
efforts dedicated to COVID-19 response. Partners should respond to short-term needs
with longer term programs addressing systemic vulnerabilities. Development and
humanitarian actors should collaborate and develop joint efforts to address needs in
education, building on mutual strengths and comparative advantages For example, this
may mean that development partners provide technical expertise and harness operational
and logistic capacities of humanitarian actors, especially for distance or self-learning.
 Efforts to respond to COVID-19 should also include coordinated planning for back-to-
school campaigns and strategies, including accelerated learning programs specifically
targeting vulnerable groups, to address existing and increasing inequalities by preventing
drop out.
 Analyzing impacts of crisis risks on education, including for displaced and
marginalized populations, as part of education sector analyses and assessments. Such
analysis should be grounded in gender analyses, considering gendered roles, risks,
responsibilities, and social norms. This includes ensuring that mitigation and response
measures address women’s and girls’ caregiving burdens and heightened risks of gender-
based violence and other adverse impacts.
 Designing crisis-sensitive educational policies and programmes that aim to reduce risks,
Strengthen preparedness and response capacities at individual, school, community,
national and sub-national Moe and government level, including through contingency
planning based on different scenarios for length of school closures, and expecting timing
of school reopening.
 Ensuring dedicated risk management units within the MoE are equipped to effectively
steer, plan and coordinate the risk reduction efforts including emergency response
initiatives in the education sector, in collaboration with Education Clusters.
 Developing and integrating crisis-sensitive data collection tools and analysis into
existing education information systems to ensure readily available and reliable data on
the effects of crisis and the resulting needs of schools, teachers and learners, with the
ultimate goal of strengthening prevention and mitigation capacities of the education
system.
 Developing cost and financing frameworks for crisis-sensitive education sector
plans, allowing for more predictable and equitable funding in crisis situations. These
frameworks should include sustainable funding for education workforce salaries.
 Ensuring education is addressed crisis management plans.