It took for us a pandemic to realize, sometimes virtual is real too. In
India, adjacent to high-rise buildings, we can find slums. The same contrast can be observed in how educational infrastructure is built in the country. When the pandemic happened, all the top-tier and middle-tier schools and colleges went online, but those with poor infrastructure have struggled to make this transition. This disparity has only increased; those with poor physical infrastructure are left with poor digital infrastructure.
Phygitization provides a unique opportunity to eliminate this disparity. Almost all the great tools and content pools that are built online can be made available to learners and educators across the world.
What is phygitization? It is the process of digitizing physical learning centers like schools, colleges, training centers, etc, by using technology so that they have a hybrid mode of education. The pandemic played a prominent role in accelerating phygitization by providing a rich learning experience at a go from the comfort of home. It has been two years since the entire world has been struggling to counter and adapt to these developments and the approaching new ones.
However, our educational universe hasn’t lost hope in its digital savior and is aiming to progress in technological advancements to become more smart, fun and empathetic over time.
Here are some of the most followed newly adapted trends in education technology:
Technological trends in teaching methodology
The implementation of softwares such as Learning Management Systems
enables teachers to keep a track of their student’s progress and engagement throughout the online session. They can gain access to recorded classes whenever they want, thus making teaching and learning a more efficient and flexible process.
A 2018 study by Educause revealed the LMS satisfaction of students and teachers increased up to 75%. Another progressive trend being homogenized with education is the use of artificial intelligence integrated experiential learning software encompassing AR, MR, and VR, the investments of which are predicted to reach $700 million for the educational sector by 2025. This will empower students in the near future with a better engaging environment that encourages them to explore and visualize new concepts and utilize them in real-life situations.
Increasing accessibility of education
The question no longer remains on how to scale innovations from the
margin to the center of the education system but on how to transform education systems so that they may source, support, and sustain innovations that address inequality and provide youth with the skills to build a better future for themselves and their communities. With tele-learning platforms taking the forefront, we hope that those who are left behind can catch up, and a more equal and unbiased education system can emerge out of the crisis.
Soft skills training
Professional skills which include critical thinking, problem-solving, social management, and creativity are what employers look for while hiring new employees. To ensure the professional grooming of students for their future careers, educational institutes must be equipped with training programs that enable the learner’s growth in these fields.
As previously discussed, the trend towards online learning makes this a challenge for many teachers as the lack of common physical space has reduced connectivity and understanding amongst the students. Consequently, technologists and educators are in constant lookout for solutions and innovations to upgrade online teaching methodology and create opportunities for skill development and employability for these students.
Skill-based learning over degree-oriented learning
One of the astounding trends the Covid-19 pandemic paved the way for, is that of skill-based learning which continues to be in demand with students and professionals alike. The year 2020 saw many tutors venture into digital creation to reach out to their target audiences and generate a reasonable revenue from the same. And with educators and students so widely present, people took to pursuing their passions in their free time.
People enrolled in such courses are not just limited to one course and many of them have come to take up extra courses on the side with their formal education degree, to have an edge over their fellow competitors in the corporate race. And whether for the better or worse, this has now become a widespread practice.
Digital learning divide
In the recent changes owing to the pandemic, many educational institutions in India have adopted online teaching as a solution to counter huge deficits in instruction hours. However, citizens who do not have digital capabilities or ownership of computing devices suffered the most in these challenging times.
Fifty-six per cent of the teachers in OUP’s report cited a lack of digital skills on the part of both learners and educators in an effective use of digital resources which acted as a barrier in learning. In an effort to bring rural India into the digital age, some platforms are seeking collaborations with various organizations working for digital empowerment to significantly increase the accessibility to education.
Teacher training
As per a recent survey, the willingness of Indian schools to use digital tools for teaching pre- and post-lockdown 2020 saw a significant increase from 26.1% to 58.3%. This indicates that educators are now open to welcoming technology-integrated teaching with the conviction that new innovative learning platforms will constantly emerge to improve both the delivery and assessment of education.
Hence, the Indian Government must ensure that teachers lacking digital competence are provided with regular training skills needed to leverage these cutting-edge tools, seamlessly and effectively.
Mental health-friendly curriculum
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is the need to be more considerate to our mental health and that of others since both these qualities are integral to ensure positive learning outcomes and emphasis on the same will continue to increase with innovative educational solutions especially with the normalization of digital learning that has proven to significantly help in reducing students’ academic stress.
This is achieved by ensuring they can learn in a way that suits them, for example, enabling them to look at resources as many times as they need to. Therefore, with skillful application, intuitive classroom management tools can help to free up teachers’ time and allow them to build stronger relationships with their classes, as well as encourage a more productive learning environment where students and teachers can thrive academically, professionally, and emotionally.
Coding classes in schools
Since the traditional means of education has proven to be conforming
and ineffective in its methodology, the revised NEP 2020 has made it mandatory for schools to introduce coding from class 6th onwards in their teaching curriculum to instill students with logical thinking and problem-solving skills.
This also prepares them for a job market dominated by data science and computer science. Moreover, as we are witnessing a time where the utilization of digitally integrated teaching platforms has become a norm, it is fairly important that children get adept in digital literacy to face the approaching paradigm shift of innovations in technology.
Facilitating learning versus teaching
With many institutions adopting the hybrid model of education, students have come to deviate from the route to customized teaching methods. Therefore, teachers now function in a more facilitative role wherein they mentor students to navigate learning and understanding the information they find.
Such personalized learning enables both the students to take charge of their education and the teachers to approach student needs individually instead of forcing a ‘one size fits all’ solution.
To sum up, the aforementioned trends in the current education system bring forth their own sets of challenges but we can’t hide and run from them, we must solve bigger problems, embrace the advancements and face the challenges. We must learn to be brave and persistent with regards to our vision to personalize the world’s education and make it universally accessible and empathetic. Physical learning isn't enough. Digital lacks the soul. Phygital is the future!
(Adil Meraj is Founder and CEO of Gurucool)
