The pandemic didn’t merely influence the business industry worldwide but also affected education and the learning process everywhere. However, we may argue that COVID transformed education globally for the better! Humanity eventually became comfortable with the inclusion of technology into pedagogy, thereby eliminating the uncertainty people felt about tech-based learning two years ago. Today, we can observe how technology has swiftly modernized our lifestyles, professions, and everyday interactions. People believed education was lagging behind other industries in terms of tech integration. Now, we have specific trends dominating the future of education in the future even after this pandemic’s finally over.
Trends in education that shall survive this pandemic
Recent health issues compelled everyone – adults and teens alike – to become more tech-savvy. Hence, the future of education will remain tech-dependent since technology makes learning effective and enjoyable. Surveys show digital learning helps students focus better and improve their grades. It makes education more engaging, interactive, and collaborative. So, tech-related trends that have become popular today shall also dominate the education industry in the post-coronavirus future. These trends help students prepare better for jobs in the future. Therefore, learning about these trends has become essential for students and professionals today. Now, here are some trends we deem dominant enough.
- Innovative e-learning portals
In 2022, innovative distance learning platforms shall become dominant since they allow students to learn without leaving their houses and spending on the commute! You can observe how some of the largest educational institutes in the USA are promoting the benefits of digitally-earned degrees. So, students can now pursue online EdD programs to combat mounting challenges facing the future of the education sector. This degree helps you become a powerful and influential voice in academics to address the problems in this industry. So, students can always leverage e-learning facilities to make profound contributions to the American education system. E-learning will matter after the pandemic.
- VR & AR
Virtual reality is a computer-generated technology in which an interactive environment is created virtually. In the future, VR can help students easily understand scientific concepts and even grasp them better than visual tutorials. While VR requires headset devices, augmented reality offers more flexibility where visual elements appear in your real-world surroundings. Experts believe future schools must rely upon AR to make education more receptive for students.
- Lifelong education
The trend of lifelong learning encouraged people to pursue continuing education opportunities for keeping their jobs. For example, many RNs achieve MSN degrees to grow in the industry and apply for promotions within the health sector. That’s why it’s not enough to merely finish your degree if you want to advance your career in the future. So, students shall continue learning online to enhance their educational acumen. But how can working professionals balance education with their jobs? Employees shall leverage digital platforms to improve their academic qualifications. Now, this trend of lifelong learning will remain dominant in the post-COVID era and help people keep their careers.
- Soft skills training
A report shows that over 90% of hiring managers consider soft skills as important as technical skills. Even some employers prefer hiring candidates with sharpened soft skills. Therefore, the future of education includes teachers focusing on their students’ critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and communication capabilities. That’s how future students will find employment opportunities related to their interests and preferences. Thus, developing soft skills will become a priority.
- Gamification
Gamification’s another immersive academic method that became famous during the pandemic. It’s not just the integration of gameplay into education. It makes a student’s learning experience more enjoyable by incorporating scores for achievements. These game-based elements help students learn about teamwork, collaboration, healthy competitions, and encountering rivalries. It’s also beneficial to teach students about the value of testing their knowledge. So, they can earn (virtual) points for completing tasks and competing with classmates on a leaderboard. This exciting strategy fills students with short-term motivation and promotes out-of-the-box thinking among them.
- Personalized individual assessment
Artificial intelligence (AI) helps teachers evaluate their students’ progress and assess performance on an individual level. AI enables teachers to evaluate a person’s behavior and preferences in detail to better understand that person’s progress in the future. That’s why AI-driven student evaluations are a trend we expect to dominate the education sector in 2022.
- Decreased attention span
The academic industry will address the issue of students’ reduced attention spans, which has been linked directly to the impact of technology on the 21st century. A famous Microsoft study revealed that our attention span has shrunk by 4 seconds since 2000. Modern-day students tend to reach for their phones when nothing else is there to occupy their attention. So, educators in the future must create learning material engaging enough to attract the attention of youngsters. Also, today’s generation cares about the visual nature of the content they’re being taught. Teachers should also deliver their lectures in a manner that excites students. And technology can make this content more appealing.
- The hybrid model
From medical experts to the creators of South Park, everyone’s reminding Americans there’s no way the world can now return to normal since the definition of normal has changed! The same goes for the academic industry. Our children won’t return to an offline academic session. Instead, they will follow a hybrid model that’ll contain aspects of both online and physical learning. This trend of a hybrid educational model shall dominate the education sector in the post-pandemic global future.
- Teachers empowering students
Teachers are reconsidering traditional pedagogical approaches and contemplating replacing them with modernized educational strategies. This is because students don’t need teachers to deliver knowledge to them via physical means anymore! With lectures on every subject available on YouTube, the role of an educator in academic institutions has changed. Today, teachers empower students. They help them become critical thinkers and understand the information they’ve acquired. That’s why educators must hone their soft skills to help students make sense of the plethora of information available digitally. In other words, a teacher’s duties will involve student development in the future rather than merely imparting knowledge.
- Self-study
As we’ve mentioned before, students today can easily access self-study options digitally. So, we now have platforms such as Udemy, Coursera, and Khan Academy, where students can learn at their pace and improve their academic expertise. The pandemic also motivated more students to leverage this option, encouraging educational institutions to collaborate with prominent platforms. So, the future of education relies heavily upon schools and colleges joining hands with private channels.
Conclusion
Digital education isn’t a recent phenomenon; it existed before the pandemic. But COVID normalized distance ad digital education. Recent statistics show that over 50% of college students in the country took at least one online course. So, some tech-related trends in the education industry won’t quit influencing this sector even after the pandemic. The Fourth Industrial Revolution has made lifelong learning a priority for professionals who can’t advance their careers without continued education. Teachers today are empowering students to think critically instead of merely delivering knowledge. Also, students suffer from decreased attention spans that require educators to make learning shorter and more interactive.
Source: Plato Data Intelligence
