With the pandemic in full force, COVID-19 has officially wrecked the way education has been run. With schools and tuition centers being forced to close in full force, albeit with hopes of a reopening soon, many have adjusted themselves to some form of online learning.

With this sudden shift away from the classroom, many are wondering about the adoption of online remote learning. Research has shown that online learning is more efficient, saves more time, and somehow allows students to retain more information. However, it has its pitfalls too, like dealing with online distractions and a shorter attention span.

However, many aren’t receptive to the idea of online and remote learning. Despite the pessimism which comes around online learning, somehow COVID-19 has forced teachers, tutors, and students to come out with collaborative and interesting methods to cope with the brunt of online learning.

Be it through Zoom, Google Meet, or whatever online platforms, many industries have been forced to leveraged on technology and automation to tide through. No doubt, the education sector has not been spared, and here’s four possible ways in which you should mentally prepare yourself in the event it comes.

#1 Worst Case Scenario: The IB Cancels Its Written Exams…. Again.

Remember that the IB is a global, international-based syllabus. The pandemic sees no signs of it slowing down, with fears of a second wave of infection in countries that have managed to control it, and sudden spikes in Latin America and now, Africa.

The least you can do right now, is to prepare for the unlikely, but possible event, that the IB cancels its November 2020 session like it did in May. Bear in mind that even though your country has effectively controlled the pandemic, if countries across the globe are suffering, it is likely that IBO will still cancel it since it is an international-based paper. Ultimately, IBO has not released any formal information on it, but like we say, better to be ready than mentally unprepared.

What Does This Mean for Yourself?

Nail those IAs, EE, and TOK down. As IB will use some form of assessment based on your current performance in school, and use your IAs as benchmarks of your current grade level, it means you should not be slacking off. Although some people love to bank on the written exams, salvaging your EETOKIAs right now and recent performative assessment may come up as a neat backup plan. 

#2 Adjust Yourself to Online Learning

Studies have shown that online learning will still be here for some years to come. This means that even though schools are reopening, some bigger institutions like universities will eventually shift towards an online-based platform.

In fact, universities had already begun to prepare for an online shift before the pandemic, accommodating those seeking graduate prospects as there are part-time students will full-time jobs.

The pandemic has essentially forced businesses to automate their supply chains, force businesses to shift to online platforms, and even accelerated this process of leveraging on online learning. As a student, it’s important to look beyond your current stage right now, and find ways to prepare yourself for the world beyond formal school. 

#3 Education Has Become Increasingly Interdisciplinary…. Between Skills and Formal Content.

The pandemic has made many reconsider the value of getting a formal form of education, or to some extent, a degree. Don’t get us wrong, but here at IB Lounge, we actively encourage our students to further their studies and shoot for the stars.

However, we just want to put it out there that COVID-19 has proven that formal university education isn’t a be all and end all. Retrenchments are at an all-time high, people with low-value-adding skills are the first to go, and many of these are university graduates. It’s like a piece of paper which everyone has, the same bullet everyone has in the battlefield, that doesn’t give you an edge among the crowd.

This is why the IB education has intertwined learning inside and outside the classroom. It’s not about the content you learn, but rather the skills and experiences you pick out from it. The writing skills, the CAS which has forced you to pick up skills of designing or even the perseverance and grit you got from participating in a sport.

Go beyond the content you learn, but rather pick up the skills and experiences through the two years you have which will benefit you in the long run. Yes, grades matter and all blah blah blah…. But the best education you can give for yourself are value-adding skills that other people desire.

#4 IB’s Afterall….. Just a Piece of Paper

At IB Lounge we believe that an education doesn’t necessarily need to come from the setting of a classroom. It can be in the form of online lessons like we did, tele-consultations, or even watching videos to educate yourself.

The best form of education is not sitting down in the classroom with pen and paper, rather, it’s self-education. With motivation, desire and the hunger to continuously learn, it’s better than sitting down in a lecture. And this has been accelerated through COVID because those that desire for learning have sought online platforms to not decelerate in their learning pursuits.

Even adults are being forced to re-learn things again because of the pandemic. Many have picked up new skillsets and learn new content in order for them to stay relevant in the demands of today’s industries.

And we too, should continue this attitude as both tutors and students, remembering that learning is always something we should partake in. If you think learning stops after IB, in fact, there’s much more to learn.

Yes, the IB might just be a stepping stone towards what is has to offer, but remember learning is a life-long journey one must partake in.