According to UNICEF, the Covid-19 outbreak left more than 1.5 billion students affected around the world. With the pandemic getting worse with time and no end in sight, education stakeholders were compelled to think about newer and more innovative ways of providing education. In this article, we will see how Covid-19 will further shape the future of Edtech and what more to expect in the coming years.
Some major changes triggered by the pandemic
As the pandemic spread, we saw an unprecedented rise in the adoption of online learning through the use of technology. Offline educational institutions also transitioned to developing their own online programs in partnership with Edtech companies.
Edtech has accelerated incredible changes in the education sector in ways that were only in our imaginations before. Here are some trends that we are expected to see in the coming years with the growth of education technology.
Integration of technology into education will make the line between online and offline thinner
Integration of technology in education will increase even more with time and online education will eventually become an indispensable component of school education. In a time when efforts are on an all-time high for blending technology into education seamlessly, Internet quality and connectivity will be a major factor in deciding the quality of education. When students would be able to study online at double speed, world-class academics will be just a finger click away for children living in even the remotest corners of the world. There will be more innovations in edtech in the time to come and the line that exists between online and offline education will become even thinner.
Here are some ways, new innovations will be introduced in the education sector:
- Artificial Intelligence will serve as a personalized learning companion to meet a variety of student needs.
- Virtual field trips would be organized using VR, which will help students to go deeper into various subjects, without exposing them to Covid-19 infection.
- Online games will be used to creatively engage students in learning.
Blended learning to become a natural shift
Some experts believe that a new hybrid model of education, called blended learning will emerge with the evolution of education technology. This new hybrid model will offer a mix of digital and face-to-face teaching, which will prepare educators and students to meet any future eventuality. The educators and tech companies are now even more focused on building plans for different future scenarios so that they are able to adapt to any situation seamlessly.
Changing roles of the educators
The role of the educators has changed immensely during this pandemic. Now, as the information is readily available at the click of a mouse these days, educators are no longer seen as the only source of knowledge. Therefore, there is a need to redefine the role of educators in the classrooms. With technology taking the centre stage, the role of educators will be of ‘learning motivators’ instead of educators.
Increased focus on interactivity and engagement
One benefit of physical classrooms is that they offer a high degree of interactivity between teachers and students. Therefore, to bring in the element of interactivity and collaboration in e-learning modules, educators and tech innovators will have to bring in a lot of innovation and creativity.
Edtech for working professionals
Up-skilling is extremely important for working professionals to future-proof their careers in difficult times like these. They have to be more qualified than their peers to survive the competition in the professional world and see growth in their careers. Education Technology will help them pick up relevant skills and get the necessary certifications.
The following trends are expected to dominate the future of edtech for professionals:
- With digital businesses growing faster than ever, there will be increased demand for digitally skilled professionals.
- Post pandemic, the volume of data created per month has increased by 38% and it is expected to increase even further as the digital becomes the new normal for almost every sector. Therefore, the need for qualified data scientists will increase to support work from home.
- With almost every professional working from home today, many companies are investing in their cloud infrastructure, which will require more cloud administrators and cyber-security experts to future-proof their efforts.
Wrapping Up
Edtech has catapulted a never-seen-before shift in the education sector. While it played a substantial role in ensuring the continuity of learning and education even during the Covid-19 crisis; it also led to several innovations, like immersive technology in education, which enhanced the quality of education despite the covid-19 challenges.
