The top 5 emerging trends in EdTech
The digital revolution affects all aspects of our daily lives. No doubt, learning and education of new technologies cannot be overlooked. They are booming in distance learning conditions when students no longer attend classes but learn through computer screens.
The success of blended learning showed that educational technologies can benefit students and teachers in many ways. Those innovations emerged as trends in the industry. The pandemic has forced many developed and developing countries to take steps to ensure a seamless learning process. It has also stimulated measures to improve educational standards for students worldwide. As a result, many countries have increased their investments in the education sector which, in turn, has positively impacted the global education market.
So, here’s a look at the emerging EdTech trends that education institutions are considering implementing.
Learning powered by technology: why it matters
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is playing a major factor in driving the adoption of e-learning technology. Whilst the others were evaluating the necessity of the new opportunities, many educational institutions have already managed to test them. And most likely hybrid and blended learning technologies will likely serve as a baseline for many secondary and higher education operations in the coming months.
Multimedia technologies like live videos offer significant opportunities to expand the educational framework for each subject in an educational institution and remotely. It also accelerated investment in the creation of various online courses where students can learn in their own space and at their own pace.
EdTech changes the way students approach learning. Different formats, such as videos, voice-over slides, interactive web pages, and others, deliver an outstanding online learning experience. Such an approach increases engagement and interest in studying thus impacting the way how is the acquired knowledge applied to real life.
Lastly, technology makes education smarter and more effective, thus, satisfying learners’ needs more. Knowledge is often seen as a value in itself. However, applying them is crucial in ever-changing conditions.
- E-Learning
When educational institutions worldwide shut down to prevent the spread of COVID-19, remote learning became our new normal. This led to increased demand for e-learning platforms, and no wonder that this technology has become one of the hottest educational trends. According to the Research Institute of America, eLearning increases retention rates by 25 to 60 percent. The incorporation of e-learning platforms has also helped in developing courses that improve engagement and learner outcomes. By 2027, the industry is expected to exceed $1 trillion.
E-learning has opened a door of opportunity for educators to teach students around the world without the boundaries of a classroom. Moreover, interactivity made the educational process more inclusive. E-learning has many advantages including cost-effectiveness and customization of training programs, which means this trend is here to stay.
Above all else, as studies show, it typically takes employees 40 to 60 percent less time to study a particular material via e-learning than in a traditional classroom setting. Employees can take part in on-the-job training thus improving their skills and knowledge anytime, anywhere.
- Immersive learning with VR and AR
The studying experience has undergone tremendous transformation since virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) came to education. The growing demand for empirical learning pushes the development of learning with VR and AR.
Today, the learning process is far more interactive than it was even a couple of years ago. Virtual reality provides virtualized scenarios based on common problems that students can encounter in real life. Augmented reality is different in that the real image is enhanced with virtual elements. Thus, they help to explain complex concepts that could not be shown to students in simple pictures or even in practical experiments in a lab.
For example, virtual reality is indispensable in medical universities, when the practice in the clinic is impossible. In particular, virtual reality enables students to gain experience in real operations at relatively low risk.
With the advent of more advanced VR learning tools, and utilizing lighter and more affordable wearables alongside other tools, students will be able to pursue education in a completely new dimension.
- Gamification
It is predicted that the education gamification market will grow at a compound annual rate of 29% from 2021 through 2027 (starting at just under $700M in 2020). Why do educators have such an increased interest in gamified learning?
Games link lessons to the real world. Small rewards and a pinch of fun in the workflow stimulate people to complete routine tasks quicker and help to reach greater results.
Moreover, it is proven that gamification relieves stress and improves teacher-student relationships which in turn positively affects the outcomes of the educational process. As the training system improves, teachers use new learning methods thus helping to reduce the gap in the quality of education between rural and urban areas. This resulted in an exponential growth of investments in the global education gamification market.
Nevertheless, EdTech companies need to take responsibility for training teachers on the proper application of gamification.
Tessa Luzuriaga, CEO of virtual learning company OdinXR, notes: ‘Educators are seeing how effective the video gaming industry has been in capturing young minds and now are interested in employing gamified elements in the classroom. While commendable, it can be difficult to introduce gamified elements while maintaining a compelling learning environment. It is therefore important that EdTech companies help educate instructors on the proper employment of their systems and explain how to balance fun elements with class content.’
- Growth of mobile learning
Researchers note several key educational and social benefits that flow from a flexible approach to device portability. Mobility takes learning experience beyond the past constraints as students are no more limited to the four walls of the classroom.
Mobile devices go hand-in-hand with wireless connections which in turn opens up the possibility of learning anywhere. Students have the opportunity to study, make research, or complete projects wherever they are, as long as they have access to their devices.
- Blockchain technology
The rising interest in blockchain technology and government initiatives across different countries to incorporate digitalization have positively impacted the education sector. The blockchain-based distributed ledger technology (DLT) brings a lot of significant benefits to education.
As is known, data storage via this technology is technically limitless. Any incoming information will be encrypted and distributed across multiple computers in the system. It makes data transfer and exchange decentralized and transparent.
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) use blockchain technology to verify students’ identity and level of knowledge. Blockchain-based ePortfolios contain all information about students’ skills. In addition, the DLT systems will answer the problems of authentication, scale, and cost for eLearning companies. In addition, it can help student applicants publish their accomplishments during the job-seeking phase.
- Data analytics
Data analytics is shaping the future educational process as it fuels researchers with valuable information. For example, higher education institutions are already using data analytics to identify students who may need more support before they’ve even started their studying.
Conclusion
Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has compelled everyone around the world to work and study from home, it has had a severe impact on the overall learning experience of corporations and students worldwide.
The newest trends in EdTech suggest a new role for teachers as they shift to connected teaching, joining networks of individuals forming professional communities to support student learning and act on insights from data provided by technology. And in the meantime, students enjoy the unusual learning process that follows them through all of the different parts of their life. Time will show what trend will become an integral part of the educational process worldwide.
Authors bio:
Timothy Partasevitch, Chief Growth Officer at Smart IT.
Tim is a sales and marketing specialist, who solves business challenges like an engineer by focusing on data insights, analyzing what works, what doesn’t, and what can be improved from a technical and financial perspective. Over the years he has supported the transformation of new clients into long-term partners and expanded services provided in the work space, ultimately facilitating revenue generation and business success. Tim strongly believes that you can’t be in charge of the outcome and results. However, you are 100% in charge of the input.
Online Education and EdTech 