Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic
Turner Publishes Research Report Titled “What Can Vocational Education Learn from the COVID-19 Pandemic?”
Fourteen vocational schools, in collaboration with HAS, Radboud University, and Turner, conducted a survey of more than 5,000 teachers, students, and staff members to draw lessons from this period together. With a quarter of all MBO institutions participating in the survey, the results are representative of the entire sector. Today, on behalf of the participating institutions, we are making the results of this survey available to everyone.
Sprinting Toward Online
Developments such as online education, increased flexibility, and personalization have long been on the agendas of educational institutions. Starting in March, these developments gained momentum when schools were forced to switch to 100% online instruction. What had been discussed for years suddenly had to be organized in a matter of days.
John van der Vegt, chairman of the board of ROC van Twente and co-initiator of the study: “The study shows that employees are very satisfied with the way we made that transition; I think that’s a great result.” However, not everything went smoothly: the study shows that at 80% of the institutions, hands-on training initially came to a standstill.
100% online doesn't work
In the study, 2,430 students and 2,609 faculty and staff members shared their experiences with various forms of online instruction, online assessments, and class schedules. The study also examines well-being and the social role of school: how did that work out online? And how do students, faculty, and staff view the future?
It probably comes as no surprise that 100% online learning isn’t ideal. This is especially true in vocational education, where hands-on training plays such a major role. S Students and faculty therefore greatly miss personal interaction and academic engagement. Sixty percent have (significantly) less contact with faculty and fellow students, but, interestingly, 20 percent actually have more contact.
The teacher makes all the difference
“We’re seeing very individual and personal preferences and experiences with different forms of online instruction,” explains Jasper Engelbert, Turner’s research leader. “Students who were dissatisfied with their interaction with the instructor were also less satisfied with the various forms of online instruction.” Once again, it turns out that the teacher makes all the difference!
That teacher does spend (much) more time on it
That teacher does experience a higher workload: 80% of teachers report spending (much) more time on Education than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic. Oege de Jong, a board member of MBO Rijnland and co-initiator of the study, agrees: “You can tell that teachers are well-rested after the summer break, but they aren’t recharged. We thought we’d have to run a sprint, but now it turns out we have to run a marathon. That demands a lot from everyone.”
Blended learning is the future
Still, going back to the way things were isn’t desirable either. Students indicate that they want to take 30% to 50% of their courses online from now on. Jasper explains: “Some forms of education, assessment, and exams work very well online and offer clear benefits for students and instructors. Educational institutions would do well to continue with continuous development of these approaches, both now and looking toward the future.” The study clearly shows that “blended” learning is the future.
Differentiation is the key
Teachers also recognize the opportunities offered by online education, but say they haven’t had the chance to take advantage of them. We believe that differentiation is the key. By making smart use of online tools, schools can better address the diverse needs of students. By dividing tasks among teachers, schools can reduce teachers’ workloads and make better use of the talents of different teachers. Of course, we also offer recommendations on how to approach this during these turbulent times.
Valuable Research
Adnan Tekin, chair of the MBO Council, expressed his appreciation for this study in a statement: “It is very commendable that these MBO institutions have conducted such a thorough evaluation of this period. I also see some positive developments in terms of content: the fact that the institutions were able to adapt so quickly is certainly worthy of praise.”
John explains: “It was valuable to engage in learning together during the first wave of the pandemic—both within our institution and in collaboration with other educational institutions. We would like to conduct another round of research in early 2021.”
Want to download the report?
The findings from the survey of 16 educational institutions and more than 5,000 students, faculty, and staff have been made available to everyone so that we can learn together from the COVID-19 pandemic:
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