EdTech transforms Blackboard teaching to Digital forms!
At the start of 2020, nearly all higher education institutions are progressing towards online solutions driven by emerging technologies. Though the education technology continues to evolve and increase in complexities, but despite the challenges, many institutions aim to continue the pursuit for digital transformation by leveraging the emerging technologies.
So, what drives Digital Transformation in the educational industry?
- Educational technology is helping in making higher education learning pertinent and impactful.
- Educational enterprises have recognized that online learning is the primary way for learners to attend schools or get training while working and upskill their knowledge in this fast-paced world.
- Leveraging the digital trend can transform learning into user-centric, engaging, and concise eLearning solutions and overcome the traditional learning challenges.
That being said, with respect to the size, complexity and diversity of the education market, there are limitless options to be explored in the education sector. So, here are some options or rather ten trends that are gaining traction in higher education sector and provide easily accessible opportunities for educators to deliver the best digital learning through the learner’s entire career.
To make it simpler, we have divided EdTech trends into two broad topics- Online Learning and Emerging Technologies.
Trend 1- Online Learning Accelerating in 2021
A surge in demand for online adoption was amongst the rapidest changes that has took place globally. Where most institutions had no online programs at all till 2019, it was suddenly a dire necessity in education space and within a few weeks after onset of the pandemic everyone had moved to remote learning. The educators and companies started providing rapid learning to both teachers and students.
- Tailor-made Effective and Engaging eLearning Solutions
Among all other EdTech trends in 2021, online education topped the checklist. Online learning or eLearning services are one-stop solutions for all customized eLearning requirements, facilitated by the adoption of emerging online tools and various technology platforms. - Mobile Devices for Microlearning
Mobile learning is the next frontier for educators and students and has become the part and parcel of the education sphere. It offers an engagement model wherein students learn through gamification and gain knowledge through earning badges, accomplishing levels, and pushing scoreboards to the next levels. The learners are cognizant of the applications and correct usage of smart devices when pursuing education through mobile technology. - Revolutionize Teaching Strategies with Content Curation
Educational Technology makes assembling content and presenting it concisely around a specific topic faster and easier. Unlike the traditional, long-way process, content curation allows educators instant access to content with in-depth insights.
This trend is an effective way to connect with real-world scenarios and classroom learning. This strategy could be the best way for those learners who like to learn concepts differently, for instance, making it open for the learners who want to process the ideas visually rather than using the traditional methods. - Qualitative Online Assessment Techniques to Track Learners’ Progress!
It’s all about quality over quantity! Online assessment is an integral part of online learning courses. Assessment software allows the educator to gauge the learner’s in-depth understanding of the concept. This qualitative assessment technique can help educators track their learners’ progress and bridge the knowledge gaps based on performance. - Personalized and Adaptive Learning Approach for an Enhanced Learning Environment
EdTech solutions can help enhance the overall experience by customizing and personalizing the user’s learning needs. Online education services leverage the information available that lets the learners to take up tailor-made courses. With adaptive learning, learners can acknowledge their downturns and address them accordingly.
Trend 2- Emerging Technologies make its mark in the Education Sector
- Improve Learner’s Engagement with Video-assisted Learning!
Video-based learning is already being used as an educational tool to assist in classroom teaching method. Videos have become an integral part of education for all levels, both in traditional learning courses and as a crucial content-delivery tool in many flipped, blended, and online courses.
Platforms like YouTube, Vimeo provide video format courses that make it easier for learners to understand concepts and retain knowledge. Educational institutions are now actively investing time and money into creating intensive video content rather than relying only on explanatory videos. - Virtual and Augmented Reality for Improved Visual Understanding
With Virtual and Augmented reality solutions, students can get a break from the monotonous teaching-writing method. Virtual reality provides constructed reality, and AR provides an enhanced view of the actual image. It also helps to explain and simplify the complex concept of learning and allows learners to get a practical learning experience. - Artificial Intelligence-based Proctoring software
Online proctoring software can ensure the authenticity of your test taker’s identity and knowledge, and can be 100% seamlessly integrated with the current courses or LMS. With a unique unobtrusive and powerful remote exam monitoring software, you can get the guarantee of the highest level of integrity at Core operating system level, screen desktop level, User via Webcam, and Testing Environment level. AI-based online proctoring software helps organizations to monitor test-takers remotely during online exams. - Gamification in Education for Innovative, Interactive Learning
Gamification increases 25% of learner’s self-confidence and increases the retention of learned concepts by 75%. This trend is now an actual application in the education sphere. Gamification comes into picture when it becomes hard for learners to understand the concept and hard for tutors to teach. This learning trend is a self-motivational learning process that improves learners’ engagement by creating an interactive experience.
Gamification offers a new form of collaborative learning that takes “Learning” out of the learning process. In simple words, games are the natural way of learning and gaining knowledge rather than merely reading textbooks or listening to lectures. Many education institutions are looking at gamifying learning wherein the entire curriculum is transformed into an interactive learning experience. It is definitely a method that could be more effective than traditional learning techniques. - Blended Learning is here to stay
The education industry has rapidly transformed with the help of blended learning solutions. Blended learning solutions bridge the gap between online educational resources and traditional classroom learning at one go. Leveraging online and offline tools allows educators to foster collaborative learning and create a dynamic classroom. This EdTech solution can improve the entire learning process’s efficacy and efficiency. And it makes education system more efficient and accessible for learners at any given time.
As new learning apps and technology advance further, learners will have more flexibility to access and engage in academics from home or any part of the world. This kind of accessibility could in turn build greater interest towards learning and translate to more productive outcomes. To summarize it all, we already know that aligning education industry with COVID-19 was a rapid change, i.e., moving from offline to the online platform. The drastic change was for both sides, with educators and learners having to quickly adapt to the changing technology and educators having to implement it rapidly and effectively. EdTech has now become an essential element of the education sector and is no longer just an optional choice. Educational Technology provides students with learning, facilitates and improves performance by providing the appropriate technological processes and resources and holds lot more potential to be unraveled in due course of time.
