Options for teaching-learning and research in higher education: coping strategies for Environmental Science studies during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Online teaching-learning and virtual classrooms have been the choice of many academia across the globe, when there are lockdown uncertainties, preventing the students for real classroom learnings, due to pandemic. When academic institutions are attempting to adopt online teaching-learning and research, there is need to search the possibilities of improving such approaches. In this context, this paper attempts to provide approaches on how the online teaching-learning and research activities under Environmental Science subject can be strengthened. The paper has identified that in addition to online platforms and virtual classrooms, careful collection of field data de-facto and send to the class for discussion and analysis can open wide array of possibilities to learn distantly. Government-academia partnership and coordination among academic institutions and other relevant stakeholders during the pandemic break, help in providing two-way benefits, viz. academic requirement fulfillment of the academic institutions and reference documents development for the data providing institutions. However, in attempting remote teaching-learning and research, every activities of students are required to be assessed by developing clear and unambiguous evaluation rubric. Strengthening online teaching-learning and research can be one of the avenues for developing future education strategies in academic institutions of Nepal.