Technology in Remote Education and Work: The New Way Forward
by Arjun Doraiswami
When I started my Masters of Management in 2021, I was nervous for two major reasons. Firstly, I was not sure how I would manage the workload of an accelerated Master’s programme. Secondly, at that point in time, the entire programme was going to be taught online. The COVID-19 Pandemic sent a shockwave across education. Based on my experiences with remote education and remote work, I would like to discuss their respective potentials in regards to education and innovation, and how these elements can benefit future generations of students as well.
Firstly, I would like to discuss remote learning. My aforementioned Masters degree was done completely remotely at the University of British Columbia. While the adjustment from in-person learning was difficult for me, the flexibility of online school really stood out for me. It was quite easy to reach out to my fellow classmates and sync via Video Call to work together, whether it was tackling challenging concepts, or even working on group assignments. The ease of collaboration through technology not only meant that I could make my work more efficient, it also allowed me to accelerate my learning by connecting with people with different skill sets. I firmly believe I learned just as much from my professors as I did from my classmates!
Moreover, as our classes were done online, they were also recorded and uploaded for our reviewing convenience. This was a complete game-changer for me. It actually allowed me to go back to breakdowns of technical concepts and really hone in on the concepts that I was struggling with and work on them in my own time, ultimately allowing me to codify my learning and be flexible with the pace at which I could learn.
Beyond my experiences as a student, I was actively working in the tech sector when remote work became a prevalent part of the modern business landscape. It was interesting to see how businesses approached cross-collaboration with the massive shift changes.
To speak about the efficiencies of the environment created by remote work, many of my co-workers and myself realised that we were just as, if not more, productive working from home as we were in the office environment. While many people would say that this was a result of cutting down commuting times, I think part of the benefit of remote work for everybody was the fact that they could customise their working space and make it as comfortable as they would like. I also think that being at home allowed workers to also manage any home chores alongside work; meaning that a person could manage to work without being stressed about dealing with home chores/duties after work. Moreover, tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Zoom also made it easy to communicate from around the globe and stay on the same page as the team. This technological shift has supported business continuity and allowed for a more globalised workforce, as geographical barriers are no longer a constraint. We even see countries around the world offering year-long visas to people that work remotely, showing that this change is here to stay!
The parallels between remote education and remote work are striking. Both require a high level of self-discipline, time management, and effective use of technology to succeed. For students, these skills are invaluable and directly transferable to their future careers. By adapting to remote learning environments, students are inherently preparing themselves for the evolving demands of the modern workplace.
Finally, as it becomes more of a norm for people to work from home and pursue higher education remotely, I fundamentally believe that innovation in this space is going to grow rapidly as well. We have already seen the mass adoption and utility of tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, but what areas for growth exist outside of these? In my opinion, I see massive growth opportunities for tools that connect education content and work content with greater privacy measures such as encrypted digital classrooms/workspaces. I also think developing solutions in the area of low bandwidth support is essential in increasing access to remote work and education around the world. It is going to be a fascinating era of innovation that will ultimately support a new age of students and workers across the globe innovate, communicate, and develop together.
Arjun Doraiswami holds a Master of Management from the University of British Columbia, alongside a Bachelor of Art with a Major in History and a Minor in Law and Society. He spent two years working in the Fintech sector in Canada at a company called Trulioo, which is in the digital identity verification business. His responsibilities were in the technical acquisition space. He has extensive experience in supporting the growth of technical products by developing strategic partnerships and developing acquisition strategies in collaboration between internal and external stakeholders.