A global outlook to the interruption of education due to COVID-19 pandemic: Navigating in a time of uncertainty and crisis

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Aras Bozkurt
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4520-642X
Insung Jung
Junhong Xiao
Viviane Vladimirschi
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3034-5152
Robert Schuwer
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5756-5406
Gennady Egorov
Sarah Lambert
Maha Al-Freih
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3767-8635
Judith Pete
Don Olcott, Jr.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4542-9305
Virginia Rodes
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7229-4998
Ignacio Aranciaga
Maha Bali
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8142-7262
Abel Jr. Alvarez
Jennifer Roberts
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7084-4036
Angelica Pazurek
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9933-8877
Juliana Elisa Raffaghelli
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8753-6478
Nikos Panagiotou
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2902-858X
Perrine de Coëtlogon
Sadik Shahadu
Mark Brown
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7927-6717
Tutaleni I. Asino
Josephine Tumwesige
Tzinti Ramírez Reyes
Emma Barrios Ipenza
Ebba Ossiannilsson
Melissa Bond
Kamel Belhamel
Valerie Irvine
Ramesh C. Sharma
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1371-1157
Taskeen Adam
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2467-5726
Ben Janssen
Tatiana Sklyarova
Nicoleta Olcott
Alejandra Ambrosino
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5174-0952
Chrysoula Lazou
Bertrand Mocquet
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9406-4587
Mattias Mano
Michael Paskevicius
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7391-0783

Abstract

Uncertain times require prompt reflexes to survive and this study is a collaborative reflex to better understand uncertainty and navigate through it. The Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic hit hard and interrupted many dimensions of our lives, particularly education. As a response to interruption of education due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this study is a collaborative reaction that narrates the overall view, reflections from the K-12 and higher educational landscape, lessons learned and suggestions from a total of 31 countries across the world with a representation of 62,7% of the whole world population. In addition to the value of each case by country, the synthesis of this research suggests that the current practices can be defined as emergency remote education and this practice is different from planned practices such as distance education, online learning or other derivations. Above all, this study points out how social injustice, inequity and the digital divide have been exacerbated during the pandemic and need unique and targeted measures if they are to be addressed. While there are support communities and mechanisms, parents are overburdened between regular daily/professional duties and emerging educational roles, and all parties are experiencing trauma, psychological pressure and anxiety to various degrees, which necessitates a pedagogy of care, affection and empathy. In terms of educational processes, the interruption of education signifies the importance of openness in education and highlights issues that should be taken into consideration such as using alternative assessment and evaluation methods as well as concerns about surveillance, ethics, and data privacy resulting from nearly exclusive dependency on online solutions.

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How to Cite
Bozkurt, A., Jung, I., Xiao, J., Vladimirschi, V., Schuwer, R., Egorov, G., Lambert, S., Al-Freih, M., Pete, J., Olcott, Jr., D., Rodes, V., Aranciaga, I., Bali, M., Alvarez, A. J., Roberts, J., Pazurek, A., Raffaghelli, J. E., Panagiotou, N., de Coëtlogon, P., Shahadu, S., Brown, M., Asino, T. I., Tumwesige, J., Ramírez Reyes, T., Barrios Ipenza, E., Ossiannilsson, E., Bond, M., Belhamel, K., Irvine, V., Sharma, R. C., Adam, T., Janssen, B., Sklyarova, T., Olcott, N., Ambrosino, A., Lazou, C., Mocquet, B., Mano, M., & Paskevicius, M. (2020). A global outlook to the interruption of education due to COVID-19 pandemic: Navigating in a time of uncertainty and crisis. Asian Journal of Distance Education, 15(1), 1-126. Retrieved from https://www.asianjde.com/ojs/index.php/AsianJDE/article/view/462
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Articles

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