COVID-19 Scare Sparks Schools to Quickly Execute Remote Learning Procedures
In an unprecedented move, the Ontario government has shut down all publicly-funded schools until April 5, 2020. What does this mean in terms of remote learning for students — and remote work for adults?
The recent novel coronavirus scare is one that took many people by surprise, and that includes educators around the world as well as business professionals. While many colleges and universities have at least the core functionality in place for remote classes, local schools are scrambling to create a way to connect with students during a protracted period of closures. Balancing the well-being of the population with the ability to securely and remotely offer learning opportunities is a challenge for schools. With many organizations requiring staff members to work from home and others staying home due to a lack of childcare options, remote work is shifting from the exception to the norm in the space of only a few weeks. See how companies and schools are coping and gearing up for this unexpected new reality.
Balancing Remote Work and School Activities
In the best of times, companies and schools can balance whether remote work and learning activities make sense. Some of the considerations often include the costs of technology and security as well as the trust factor required for allowing activities to continue offsite that previously required some level of supervision. With school shutdowns either completed or imminent, education officials are looking for ways to ensure that education continues during this difficult time. According to a message from the premier’s office, “We recognize the significant impact this decision will have on families, students, schools, as well as the broader community, but this precaution is necessary to keep people safe.” Typically, there would be significant discussions around the various benefits to be derived from remote work and learning, but these all pale in comparison to the potential of widespread contagion.
Streamlining Technology for Remote Tasks
Now that remote work is a reality for companies around the world. It’s vital to identify the unique challenges and how they can be monitored. While around 62% of Canadian employers already offered remote work as an option, it’s unclear how many of these companies had a full structure in place to support working from home.
- Finding the right technology — from laptops to computers, to high-peed internet
- Ensuring that your staff members can securely connect to company databases, business applications or educational portals
- Helping staff members, students and parents find the resources needed for those without access to internet or computing devices at home
- Defining a communication structure that allows teams, students and individuals to do their best work while still staying within strategic guidelines
- Cloud-based storage facilities allow companies and schools to collaborate remotely while adding a layer of security for your data
It remains to be seen how this shutdown of the education system will continue to impact the economy. Still, companies need to address these challenges to avoid significant disruptions in their operations.
Are you still struggling to determine how to respond to the current COVID-19 crisis? The professionals at OnServe have been working hard to ensure that all of our clients are fully prepared for remote work, with technology that is highly structured and secure. This reduces the stress you might otherwise suffer during tumultuous times. When you allow OnServe to act as your dedicated IT department, you are freeing up valuable internal resources to create new efficiencies, innovate and prepare your business for the future. Contact the professionals at OnServe at 613-634-8125 to learn how you can get more out of your business technology with a complimentary initial consultation.
