Mumbai colleges grapple with online classes

MUMBAI: Barely a week into online lectures for Class XII, St Xavier's College, Fort, suspended three students for indiscipline. They had shared the log-in ID and password for their lectures with outsiders, leading to duplication. While unauthorised access to non-Xavierites was not a problem, the ones logging in with proxy user names were disrupting the class by posting spam.

The new normal in the teaching-learning process is posing a new set of challenges for city colleges, which have been forced into uncharted waters due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Online abuse, network issues worry teachers
Rajendra Shinde, principal of St Xavier’s, said, “We wanted to set an example by taking strict disciplinary action against these students right at the beginning. Teaching a few extra students was not a problem, but these ones were creating a nuisance. This may turn out to be a serious challenge in online teaching. We may have to even seek help from the cyber crime department if things get out of hand.”
The college now plans to come out with a code of conduct for e-classes and is also looking at ways to authenticate every student’s attendance. The students were identified since the outsiders used the same user names.
While several colleges are yet to start their academic session in accordance with the university calendar, some are allowing students and teachers to get acquainted with the online platform by conducting a few lectures. Many have already started with Class XII sessions.
A teacher from a college in a western suburb said, “In an hour’s lecture, the teacher cannot keep a check on authentic users in a class of 100. While some platforms provide features to authenticate users, some do not. Some platforms are paid and not all colleges can afford them. Lecture ID and password are being shared and the outsiders who are attending our lectures are not worried about disciplinary action as they are not enrolled in the college.” There are fears about people getting abusive too. Another teacher, though, said abusive users can be blocked and colleges can opt for safer learning management solutions too.
Meanwhile, several teachers are facing network problems, especially in the monsoon, while conducting live online classes. Jai Hind and KC colleges plan to have a stand-by teacher for every session. “If one teacher goes offline during a lecture due to a technical glitch, the second teacher can take over. It is also easier to keep a check on disciplinary issues if two teachers are logged on to the same session,” said Ashok Wadia, principal of Jai Hind College. The college is currently engaging students in extracurricular activities.
KC College started a few sessions online this week for second- and third-year students. “While a regular timetable will be followed from next month, we wanted students and teachers to get acquainted with the new platform. Our senior students are helping us with technical support. The stand-by teachers will ensure classes are not disrupted midway,” said principal Hemlata Bagla.
Students have been asked to join the e-class without using the video and voice options, and use the chat box to ask questions.