ABSTRACT
Pandemics and epidemics pose systemic risks to lives, societies, and to global economic security-and their frequency is expected to increase as rising trade and increased human interaction with animals leads to the emergence of new diseases. The Covid-19 pandemic teaches us that we can and must be better prepared, with scope for much greater global coordination to address the financing, supply-chain, and trade barriers that amplified the pandemic's economic costs and contributed to the emergence of new variants. This paper draws seven early lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic that could inform future policy priorities and help shape a better global response to future crises.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The immensity of information technology's influence on multiple aspects of our lives today cannot be denied. Neither can its growing popularity and useineducation be avoided. The Covid-19 pandemic has made online education imperative due to the closure of educational institutions globally, creating many new challenges and also providing opportunities for change. This has necessitated that teacher trainees namely, B.Ed. students need to be equipped to deal with the new situation. This calls for imbibing innovation and technological skills. It is in this context the awareness about its use and attitude towards online mode of learning among prospective teaching community need to be evaluated. The objective of this study was to find out the level of awareness on IT resources and attitude towards online learning among B.Ed. students, and to find out the correlation between the awareness and attitudes as regards online learning. Methodology: Descriptive survey method was adopted for the study. The tools used for collection of data were Awareness Test on IT- resources and Scale of Attitude towards online learning. These tools were administered to 400 B.Ed students. The sample was taken by stratified random sampling technique giving emphasis to gender and subject stream of the respondents. Descriptive statistics, 't' test and Pearson Product Moment co-efficient of correlation were employed for the analysis of data. Findings/Result: The findings of the study reveal that the majority of B.Ed. students have Average level of Awareness on IT-resources and Attitude towards online learning. There is significant difference in the awareness on IT resources and Attitude towards online learning among B.Ed. students based on gender and subject stream. Also, there is significant positive relationship between the Awareness and Attitudes on IT resources as regards online learning.