Lockdown learning: using digital resources for learning under lockdown to improve wellbeing

Abstract

In March 2020, lockdown became a reality in many countries globally with over a billion students being forced out of their classrooms. This issue was far worse in developing and underdeveloped countries with some instances even being unreported. This meant that society at large had to adapt to a new way of living, including learning. With many schools shut, even till today in countries like Lebanon and India, we decided to develop digital resources for learning under lockdown so-called ‘Lessons for Humanity’. The focus of these digital resources was two-fold: to encourage lifelong learning and to increase wellbeing. Wellbeing and mental health are lowly prioritised matters in most of India and this has traditionally been somewhat similar in all other developing countries in South Asia. COVID-19 however created a visible spark and made people think about this consciously. This study comprises of first-hand reactions on wellbeing and mental health from people during the early days of the lockdown in India using an online questionnaire. It also aimed to find out if online learning was a good solution to improve wellbeing in India, especially during a period of forced and sudden incarceration. Results showed that online learning had a positive effect on wellbeing and mental health and that it supported them during this difficult and uncertain time. This paper will discuss the development of Lessons for Humanity, the study design and its findings.