Everyone saw it coming.
Technology is now a vital part of the most basic tasks we do every day. Communication is shorter and much more efficient. Even dining is more accessible with the help of mobile applications. Technology is changing the shape of the world and is taking charge.
Seeing how greatly it affects niche processes, technology is also a vital element for industries. The education industry, for one, makes the best use out of advanced technology by building digital campuses.
No, digital campuses are not holographic images of the actual school buildings.
Rather, it is a system and a network that uses technology to create a digital environment for the students and other essential stakeholders.
With the number of benefits that it provides, it’s no wonder why prominent universities worldwide invest in creating one. Let’s look into each one closely.
Real Talk: What are the Advantages of Digital Campuses?
1. Prime Accessibility
Digital campuses create a web of networks. Students, teachers, and administrators alike can access the portal with ease as long as there is a reliable internet connection.
It’s similar to a one-stop shop that is open 24 hours every day.
Students’ Access
Having a digital campus can be a student’s best dream come true or worst nightmare.
With this platform, they have easy access to all school-related activities. They can process their admissions online, pay for their tuition through the same platform, and adjust their class schedules.
Aside from that, live classes are easier to attend because they can enter their live online courses anywhere. Albeit attending the class may still need a third-party conferencing app, but all the details are found in their school’s online portal. Efficient and manageable.
In relation to the easy access to live classes, students also have easy access to all sorts of learning materials. Aside from the materials uploaded by the teachers for their live classes, digital campuses also provide online access to the school’s library services.
Push notifications are also another factor why digital campuses are a blessing and curse for students. On the one hand, these notifications are timely reminders to start their coursework or to begin studying for an exam. On the other hand, it is a reminder that they need to start working.
Hearing the notification ping may become a dread for those overwhelmed with tasks, but it’s a welcome sound for those who need an extra push to work on their academics.
Teachers’ Access
Similar to how easy students can access this platform, teachers also follow suit.
Remote teaching became a more accessible method in digital campuses. Teachers can do away from printing documents for their students. In fact, almost everything they do to prepare for their classes is digitized.
They can create outlines and lesson plans online and store them in the digital campus’s unified cloud storage. On top of that, they can also upload additional learning materials in cloud storage. The availability of this unified cloud storage cuts down their preparation time and need for paper materials.
Overall, it improves the instruction process. It becomes more manageable for teachers who manage several classes in a single term, from the preparation down to evaluation.
However, it is an unavoidable fact that some teachers and professors are not familiar with how digital campuses work. Or how the internet works in general.
Learning the inner workings of a digital campus has a learning curve. However, the tasks can also be repetitive so, navigation gets easier over time. Additional training sessions may be necessary, but it comes with the investment for an easier and more accessible learning environment for everyone in the middle of a pandemic.
2. Connectivity
As a readily accessible digital environment, it goes without question that digital campuses also support round-the-clock connectivity.
It connects the different clusters of stakeholders in the same way that they affect each other.
Regardless of distance and medium of use, this system creates digital bridges and spaces to fully transform the academic institution into digital campuses.
Communication
Communication across different stakeholders isn’t a huge hurdle for digital campuses.
This is one of the most potent advantages of a digital campus.
According to the school’s policies and terms of usage, graduates and shareholders may also gain access to the portal and use it mainly for storage and communication purposes.
As a student, you can easily reach out to your teachers and school administrators. Document requests and follow-ups are more effortless and literally within your fingertips. You also don’t need to wait for your teacher’s vacant hours to have a consult.
The unified network supported by the digital campus’ structure will let you message anyone at any moment. It carries over the efficiency of instant messaging.
In the same manner, teachers find it easier to contact students and their parents. Follow-ups regarding deadlines and submissions are collectively quicker and less hassle. They can also post reminders and notes on an online bulletin board that organizes all announcements in one place.
Digital campuses are also excellent platforms to disseminate information and urgent announcements instantly. Notes about sudden schedule changes and class cancellations are quickly distributed to all necessary recipients.
School administrators also use this network to send correspondence with other digital campuses. Through this network, the security of the entire message exchange is ensured. On top of that, accessibility and retrieval are more manageable.
3. Lifetime Engagement
Finally, this last advantage of digital campuses is a summation of the previously mentioned ones.
Digital campuses foster and encourage lifetime engagement from all their stakeholders.
As an alum of the institution, you can still engage with various school activities and forums to share your experience and expertise. It’s also easier for the school admin to keep track of their alumni network and partner with them for specific forums that will benefit the academic institution.
Other digital campuses also offer perks, such as alumni email addresses. These email addresses will still be under the institution’s name with all the perks that come with it. You will be amazed at the abundance of companies and services that offer school or university account discounts.
Aside from the discounts, these email addresses often come with unlimited cloud storage. If not unlimited, it is undoubtedly more than the allocation for personal accounts. It gets the added storage without the additional payment.
Offering this perk is just one method that large institutions use to keep a close network with their alums.
FAQs
What are the effects of digital learning on the learners?
Digital learning demands motivation. In order to sit through classes alone and unsupervised, the student needs to stay motivated to actively participate in their classes. As digital classes continue, it also builds the motivation of the students to continue with what they have started.
Key Takeaways
The transformation into digital campuses is the foreseeable future of the academic industry, and the transition is starting today. People doubt its effectiveness. There will always be room for it. However, the advantages and accompanying benefits outweigh the doubts.
From a close-knit communication network, secure channels, and available perks long after leaving the institution, digital campuses will become the hallmark of this industry.
If you are yet to start the transition, start with something small. Start with a school management system that will digitize your school admin tasks that will lessen the workload of the school staff.
Start with GoSchooler.
