THE IMPACT OF VIRTUAL EVENTS ON A LAW STUDENT'S LIFE DURING THE PANDEMIC - AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

AUTHOR- NIYATI VISHWAKARMA*

EDITOR- RIYA LUHADIA

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced institutions all over the country to close. However, we cannot stop learning and sharing what we have learned. Students, tutors, and even law firms are recruiting interns from law schools that have been affected by the lockdown and quarantine era. Also, colleges have begun to give their learners live tutorials. Law students are also being offered virtual internships, online learning, and other resources by digital platforms.

On the other hand, many law students are unsure how and when to make it through this lockdown. The study's primary goal is to see how powerful webinars and online seminars are during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODOLOGY:

In this study, the researcher has mainly used an Online survey method. There are both open and closed-ended items on the questionnaire. It was broken down into three sections. The first section was personal information, including the respondents' names, age groups, designations, email addresses, the institute's name, the number of webinars/ workshops they have attended during the lockdown, and the applications or forums used to participate in the online initiative.

The second section included open-ended questions about participant's readiness and purpose, organizational issues, resource person efficiency, instructional design and delivery, and learning outcomes/feedback. The last section, i.e., the respondents' reflection on online programs, consisted of six open-ended questions. The researcher has conducted an online survey involving her classmates and some of her friends, i.e., on 20 people, and based on which she has made some data analysis.

Webinars, seminars, and paper presentations are all excellent ways to learn from the comfort of our own homes. We can sit back, open YouTube, and watch webinars on channels like Law Sikho and others if we do not feel like doing homework, reading, or writing. These proactive steps will undoubtedly help us grow. These are some of the most valuable resources we can find for gaining information and tips from experts, scholars, and others.The data were analyzed using percentages. Thematic analysis approaches were also used to examine the precise questions to define some common themes.

IMPACT

• Readiness and Purpose of Participants' for Attending Online Programmes and writing a research paper

This segment examines the participants' preparation and motivation for taking part in an online program. 86% of the participants accepted that awareness of online education resources and applications is needed to adopt the online curriculum. Furthermore, 80% of the participants stated that preliminary information of the program's concept needed to be understood in the online mode. According to 63% of participants, an online program can handle many participants without causing disruptions during the program.

75% of respondents said that internet access is interfering with their involvement in the online program. 42% of respondents mentioned that their participation in online programs was not solely to receive an e-certificate. According to 76% of respondents attend the online curriculum based on their specialty. 84% of respondents said that participating in an online curriculum helps them gain a deeper understanding of various topics.

• Organizational Aspects of Online Programme

This segment concentrates on the administrative aspects of running the online program. Organizers have webinars/workshops planned well in advance for registration, according to 89% of respondents. According to 90% of respondents, organizers complete the online registration process effectively. Detailed brochures of the webinars have been prepared by the organizers well ahead of time, according to 85% of the respondents. Finally, 64% of the respondents said that technological issues from the organizers create problems for students during the online course.

• Efficiency of Resource Persons in Online Program

According to 67 percent of participants, resource persons are well-versed in all the online platforms. 71 % of the respondents said that the resource person should have both content awareness and technical skills defined by the organizers to deliver quality content on any platform. Many of the resource people have good content expertise, but they lack the technical skills needed to run online programs, according to 42% of the respondents. According to 74% of respondents, resource persons deliver lectures via PowerPoint slides during the online program. Finally, 83% of the participants elucidated resource persons often encourage participants to dig deeper into the topics they've explored during the program.

• Instructional Design and Delivery in Online Program

The influence of webinars and online workshops on instructional design and delivery is that 81% of those polled said they would apply what they learned from online classes to their fields of work. Online programs, according to 73% of respondents, enable them to learn at their own pace. All of these webinars and online seminars will increase the quality of learning, according to 79% of students. Finally, 44% of students believe that online programs should not be held on the same days as face-to-face programs.

• Learning Outcomes and Feedback of Online Programme

The objectives of the programs are provided to the participants at the beginning of the session, according to 88% of the respondents. According to 53% of respondents, practical or skill-based subjects can be learned efficiently via online mode. Online programs also improved the overall awareness, according to 77% of the participants. In the post-pandemic period, 81% of those surveyed believe that digital programs can change our educational system. The organizers are providing follow-up activity after the program ends, according to 57% of the respondents. Finally, 68% of the respondents stated that the organizer considers participant input while planning the following schedule.

EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS:

• As per the results, event planners must pay close attention to the technological capabilities of the audience, like there is a limit of 100 participants in Zoom, Google meet. As a consequence, in the future, organizers would have had to select respondents while receiving applications. This helps them to keep the attendees to a minimum. The study discovered that participants had difficulty entering due to the high number of respondents following the stated criteria.

• It is the organizers' responsibility to select the program's resource persons. According to the study's respondents, many facilitators have good content knowledge, but they don't have good technical knowledge. Both of the skills are critical for the program's smooth functioning. The resource individual must be chosen based on their area of expertise. Resource persons must maintain up-to-date technical expertise.

• Participants from rural locations find it very difficult to participate in the initiative. The research shows that students have difficulty completing online programs because the administrators are less qualified technically. To facilitate participants to engage in the online class without trouble, the government and organizers should take actions to guarantee continual network connectivity, power supply, and decent technical assistance.

• The organizers must take into account the length of the program. The test findings suggest that students are bored because the event or the program is too lengthy.

• The organizer is accountable for maintaining that the curriculum is not expressly designated to collect certification from any individual. Instructors or resource people, therefore, ought to assign proper assignments or ask random questions. The granting of certificates is only achieved by completing the tasks or successful participation.

To extend their expertise, academic institutions or organizations should encourage teachers and learners to engage in online courses and online lectures on their subjects. Institutions ought to guarantee that learning is not impeded by the outbreak.

CONCLUSION

Finally, it is essential to note that one should try to not waste one time. It is indeed a time when your legal practice can reach unprecedented levels when used carefully and effectively. A healthy working-life balance is elusive for many who are engaged in the legal community. They don't have many opportunities to devote quality time to their families or just have a carefree life with their friends. People ought to reap the most out of the change to spend quality time with their loved ones and make amends to their lifestyle.

*The Author is a 2nd year B.A.LLB (Hons) student at Jagran Lakecity University, Bhopal.

Disclaimer: The opinions and views in this article are personal and independent opinions of the author. VAIDHA doesn't hold any liability arising out of this article