How Digital Transformation in Education Industry is changing the Education System
Digital Transformation in education is going to be a story of disruption. It will be an industry-wide transformation that spans every layer of society.
Education Technology (EdTech) is the combined use of Software, Hardware, and educational theory to facilitate easy learning. Education Technology helps to create more engaging, individualized learning and inclusive experience.
The inducement of EdTech tools is changing classrooms in many ways.
It helps students to stay engaged for a longer time due to its fun form of learning.
Digital classrooms are created for students with the help of IoT devices.
It has also benefited teachers with the help of Digital systems and assisting teachers in grading their tests.
There is an increased potential with individualized learning with the ascendance of EdTech.
There are different studying methods for every student, and they cannot be customized by teachers.
EdTech tools make it simpler for teachers to create a learning experience and individualized lesson plans that boost the learning capacity of the students and also foster a sense of inclusivity.
How does Edtech help teachers and students?
1.Increased collaboration – Digital Transformation in Education Industry
Cloud-enabled tablets and tools are boosting collaboration in the classroom. Features such as ‘Gamified learning’ and online learning in the tablets help children in solving problems together.
- 24X7 accessibility
We all learn, during each interaction, discussion & meeting etc. Unfortunately, as of now, learning is being equated with ‘getting an education on the certain subject’, at the specified time.
It’s an irony that we can watch movies, listen to music, or read a book at any point in time. But, getting an education is still equated with, going to school in pre-defined days. Also, in school, different subjects are taught, based on a ‘tight’ schedule.
This requires a big change.
With the help of Smart devices (Smart Phone, Tablet, Laptop.), Students can have full access to the classroom in a digital environment.
Students can complete their work at their own pace from anywhere without being physically present in the classroom.
Students and teachers can stay connected to communicate with each other through various apps in case students have a question.
- Augmentation along with Online & physical classroom
EdTech tools are flipping the traditional method of classroom and education.
Earlier, the students had to attend lectures in the classroom and then work on projects and homework at home.
Now with video lectures, students can do it at their ease.
This kind of learning helps to foster self-learning and boosts creativity among students.
Also, the current system doesn’t give adequate attention to Soft Skills.
Going forward, we can envisage a future, where various subjects (Math, science, Commerce etc.), can be taught online.
While going through these online courses, students can talk/ask queries with the teachers.
A physical school will encourage & help in other soft skills building. This can include, teamwork, collaboration, articulation & presentation skills.
- Personalized educational experience
A personalized learning experience can be crafted for every student. Students can learn at their own pace with the help of video content, as it enables them to pause and rewind so that students can fully grasp the lesson.
Different methods for testing academics are introduced, which helps to introduce the stress for teachers as well as students.
Teachers can constantly monitor the performance of the students with the performance analysis provided by the apps and find the strength & weak areas of their students.
They can identify the chapters, where a student is rereading or just giving up.
Based on this data, the teacher can talk with that student, understand the root cause of that individual student’s problem & provide a personalized solution.
It will help the student to improve the overall comprehension & performance.
- Engaging & Interactive Lessons
With the help of technology, interactive lessons can be made to keep students gripping in the learning process. By making engaging videos and including problem solving and assignments, students can understand the concept more clearly.
Till now, for teachers, majority of time goes to giving lectures. That should get changed. Lectures can be recorded, and students can watch those, before the actual class, at their own pace.
Teachers should spend, most of their time, in question-answers/doubt clarification for students.
- Adaptive experience of Digital Transformation in Education Industry
Now, after the introduction of e-books, a 2-way feedback system can be established.
Till now, based on occasional exams/tests, feedback in one way was provided. Also, it used to tell, only what students have learned.
It never told, how they have learned.
Now, when various students go through course material, the teacher/content creator can find out the chapters/questions etc., where students are spending more time.
They can find out, whether those chapters need more clarification/examples as the concepts explained in that chapter are not very clear to the students.
Based on the time spent on a chapter & the viewing history ( in case students are referring back to an old chapter, after reaching to advance chapters), they can decide to modify the content of a chapter, on a real-time basis.
Was a student struggling with foundational concepts related to a subject.
In that case, maybe more examples & clarification can be provided on those foundational concepts, before he moves to advance concepts.
On the other hand, students, who have quickly understood the foundational concepts, can move to advance concepts in a faster way.
No ‘One size fits all approach. In fact, that has now become, ‘One size fits nobody’ approach.
We need to move towards mass customization so that we can ‘One size fit one’.
So now, there away, by which a textbook/course/teacher can get feedback about the content, teaching style, arrangements of various chapters….how a textbook is getting used.
Based on this data, now, we are learning ‘how to learn. Also, this data is teaching us, ‘how to teach’.
And based on this, learning content can be modified in real-time, based on the input.
How are AR and VR helping Students?
In current modern technology, the terms VR (Virtual reality) and AR (Augmented reality) are used a lot.
Uses of AR & VR in helping students
- Real field like simulation
Students preparing for various jobs can get real-life experience with VR. With Help of VR, real factory, aero-plane, hospital or for that matter, a battlefield type of scene can be created.
Students can get that experience, learn from that, even without venturing of their home/school.
Students get a three-dimensional environment where they can interact & learn.
These scenes can be created multiple times for the benefit of a student, without incurring any major cost.
Remember, it’s more costly and time-Consuming to take students on a field trip.
Studies show that virtual reality is beneficial for students, which require special care/attention.
- Sports & other skills building
Nowadays, VR is also used in sports for training purposes. It helps train the athletes more efficiently with the option of repeating a certain situation.
For example, a cricketer is not good at square cut while Playing; then the player can practice it multiple times using the technology and enhance the ability and attain perfection.
It has also helped viewers by getting an experience of watching a live game.
The viewers can watch live games at ease and at cost-effective rates giving them a real experience.
- Design & Modelling
Whether it is the building of a skyscraper or interior design, AR has helped professionals in knowing their outcome during the building process.
Using the headset, the engineer and designers get a direct entry into the virtual building, where they can make changes.
The technology is so advanced that a city can be easily designed with the help of AR. AR is a must for a profession that involves any modeling or designing.
Major Players in EdTech:
These are some of the major players in EdTech.
- Blackboard
- Pearson
- Instructure
- Cisco
- Discovery Education
- Promethean World
- BYJU’s
- Coursera
- Khan Academy
- Unacademy
Conclusion on Digital Transformation in Education Industry
Digital Transformation Bringing New Opportunities to the Education Sector
Digital Transformation in education is often discussed in the context of how best to equip students for the future.
But there are just as many ways in which the industry itself is transforming to meet the needs of students and educators.
At first, the effort to digitize education centered around the creation of an online curriculum.
Now, however, digital Transformation has gone even further, touching on many aspects of the industry, and making them more efficient and effective.
In the future, education will be tailored to a student’s needs rather than following a single curriculum.
The biggest irony is that, in the current education system, ‘almost same/similar course pattern is followed for all students. They must answer, the same set of questions and they get judged based on that.
But in real life (professional life as well as personal life), each one of us faces a unique set of challenges.
With Digital Transformation, now we can envisage a future, where each student gets personalized education as per his strength & weak areas.
This will also help him in handling professional & personal challenges in his life.
Hope you got many interesting points regarding using Digital Transformation in Education Industry
