How Teachers Can Create the Perfect Hybrid Learning Environment

21% of colleges have adopted a hybrid learning strategy since the pandemic, and 95% of students stated that they would be satisfied with online learning. Hybrid and online learning is a new phenomenon and is revolutionizing academic education.

But how do you create the optimum hybrid learning environment for your students? Keep reading to learn why security is a top priority when implementing a hybrid learning strategy and the leading technologies for securing both in-person and online learning platforms.

Top Tools To Consider For Hybrid Learning

Let’s look at some of the top technologies that can help you form an effective and protected hybrid learning environment for your students.

Securing Online Learning Platforms

There are many benefits to online learning for students, but some security considerations are also. When you use online learning platforms, you open yourself up to the vulnerabilities associated with cloud-based technologies. Third parties can intercept Cloud-based technologies, and they can reveal user information.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is essential to ensuring your learning platform is secure. Let’s discuss some of the best techniques for providing your online forum is secure:

Password protection – You should protect your entire online learning platform with a range of solid passwords that act as barriers to entry. You should restrict access to the learning platform, individual user accounts, and online classrooms using strong passwords.

Encrypting data – as data travels across the platform, it is essential to ensure it is encrypted so that third parties cannot intercept it. This way, even if the data is intercepted, it will be unreadable.

Zero-trust – zero trust is a cybersecurity strategy that does not imply the trustworthiness of each user. So, users are only granted permission to access information relevant to them individually, as opposed to all of the data stored on the platform. This eliminates the possibility of internal breaches.

Establishing firewalls – firewalls monitor and control ongoing and outgoing traffic on the network. This means that there is a barrier between trusted and untrusted networks.

If you can establish these principles, you will be able to secure your online learning platform from cybersecurity vulnerabilities. However, since most cybersecurity attacks are caused by human error, this only solves some problems.

Cybersecurity Awareness

To ensure that your network is not compromised due to human error, it is essential to ensure your staff and students have a decent level of cybersecurity awareness. This includes educating them on the following cybersecurity information:

Spotting phishing scams – phishing attempts can be pretty convincing. It is essential to educate users on how to spot phishing scams and the importance of not clicking unknown links or revealing sensitive information.

Keeping devices updated – software updates often remove vulnerabilities in the system, meaning software that isn’t updated could be vulnerable. This is why your staff and students should be aware of updating their software.

Creating solid passwords – one of the most commonly used passwords is still 12345, and you must educate users on the importance of developing solid passwords to secure your system.

Educating your staff and students on these principles can help to reduce the possibility of human error causing a cybersecurity incident.

Securing Learning Spaces

To safeguard your students while participating in in-person learning, you should invest in physical security measures to protect the space.

Some physical security technology considerations to protect your learning space include:

School door security systems – access control can help you secure your learning space from unauthorized users. When students need safeguarding, it is essential that access to the building is restricted. With access control, users can open doors using mobile credentials, which communicate via Bluetooth. This means that users do not have to present their mobile device directly in front of the reader, and it can be detected in a bag or pocket. This can create convenient security that does not slow down the traffic at the school entrance.

Security cameras – you can set up school security cameras to deter crime on school grounds and provide evidence should a crime occur. You can also set up video intercom systems at the school’s entrance, allowing visitors’ identities to be verified before gaining access to the building.

Visitor management – since visitors in a school must be logged in and out of the building accurately for safeguarding purposes, visitor management software is essential to your access control systems. Visitors can fill in digital registration forms on their mobile devices, and they will be granted access to the building. Once they leave the building, the system will sign them out automatically.

Creating A Fully Integrated Learning System

When determining which online learning tools you should use, the user experience is a priority. Your students must be familiar with the online learning platform and use it easily for their daily lessons and tasks.

It is also helpful to consider whether your learning tools can be integrated and hosted on one interface to allow students and staff to access a range of information from different sources easily.

Security is a top priority in any learning space, whether an in-person or online learning platform. Security becomes even more significant when your students require safeguarding procedures. If you consider these technologies, tools, and tips for your hybrid learning strategy, you can provide the optimal learning space for your students without being vulnerable to security threats.

Featured image: Pikusisi-Studio, iStock.