Online classes mark fresh start for spring semester

"From Feb 1 to 5, we received nearly 2 million visits, about a 12-fold increase year-on-year, according to the platform."

During the five days, more than 200,000 users studied for a total of 14,423 hours on Ucampus, a platform with its app that supports college education.

Ucampus aims to guarantee support for both college students and teachers from Feb 17 when most colleges were expected to hold their first lessons of the spring semester.

"We estimate that the number of daily active users of Ucampus will reach more than 1 million after the semester opens online," Shang says.

A training course for teachers was launched on Feb 14. Through the platform, teachers can send assignments, answer questions and revise homework.

Ucampus has more than 2.6 million students registered and about 16,800 teachers from more than 1,000 colleges registered. The number is still growing dramatically, according to Shang.

An online consultation team was established to service users 15 hours a day for seven days a week.

"During the peak time in March and April, about 500,000 users are expected to visit the platform daily, serving more than 1,200 colleges and universities across the country," Shang says.

He adds that a joint action team was set up to meet the diversified demand from different schools.

Facing the surge in visits in the coming months, he admits that it means huge operating costs in maintenance and technology support for the company.

"Despite the difficulties, as an education company, we have our duty to the country," Shang says. "We want to join students and teachers and offer our own contribution to the fight against the epidemic."

With the new semester around corner, students and teachers across the country are preparing for a special start online.

Some teachers, however, expressed doubts about the effectiveness of teaching online.

"For me, online classes are less interactive than in real classroom. You cannot have eye contact with students," says Li Ding, a college English teacher in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning province.

"But under these special circumstances, something is better than nothing," Li adds.

In China, there are two breaks for schools in a year. The winter break, lasting at least one month, usually comes around the weeklong Spring Festival holiday, allowing students to reunite with their families for Spring Festival.

In a bid to control the novel coronavirus outbreak, the State Council, China's Cabinet, extended the national holiday until Feb 2. Local authorities in parts of the country, including East China's Zhejiang province and Shanghai, said companies were not allowed to resume operations before Feb 9.

Industry experts estimate that due to this special period, the convergence of online and offline education sectors will be accelerated.

To expand presence in the market, more than 80 education companies, such as Zuoyebang, Youdao and VIPkid, are reported to have offered free courses online.

Many universities and institutions have also livestreamed lessons.

From Feb 3, Tsinghua University livestreamed open classes on videosharing site Douyin, known as Tik-Tok overseas, covering topics of international relationships, public speaking, traditional culture, interpersonal relations and dance appreciation.

The open class on Feb 5 lectured by Yan Xuetong, director of the Institute of International Studies at Tsinghua University, attracted about 160,000 viewers. From the outbreak to the reaction from the international community, Yan analyzed the basic principles of international relations.

On Feb 5, Peking University also released its open class schedule on Douyin.