Remote Learning and Networking Education During COVID-19: Experience and Insights from Pakistan

Thiswhitepaper initiates a discussion about the teaching of universitylevel online courses in the field of networks and systems, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The intention is to discuss issues personally faced by educators and students alike, and the broader lessons learned, that may help us to prepare ourselves for the upcoming academic years in a better manner. There are some additional challenges in conducting remote learning in the developing world due to the absence of the necessary resources and training for effective use of remote learning tools not only for the students but also for the faculty. These limitations significantly increase the challenges of teaching networking courses in particular. In this paper, we share our experience of teaching during COVID-19 as educators in Pakistan. In the light of our experience and previous work, we provide specific guidelines for instructors and students on how to effectively cope with the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight some common pitfalls.