Is the future of learning and education digital?
Great shifts in the society occur when unexpected events force widespread experimentation around a new idea. Right now, the pandemic is forcing a global experimentation when it comes to teaching.
A much needed shift
One positive thing that came out of the pandemic for the education sector was the pace of implementing technology in all aspects. Being technologically prepared has always been something that institutions have aspired. However, this much needed shift has been fast-tracked across the globe over the past year.
Blended learning
The crisis-driven change in the mode of teaching only brings upon certain questions like whether or not students need a daily residential experience. According to Harvard Business Review, in theory, “lectures that require little personalization or human interaction can be recorded as multi-media presentations, to be watched by students at their own pace and place”.
What does the future hold?
While online learning has filled the void with the current circumstances, it has also created a vacuum. It has to be balanced going forward.
Students are now in a stronger position to choose how they wish to be educated so institution must pay more attention to student preferences. In the future, programs can be more student-centric with schools providing support services like virtual tutoring, peer mentoring, career/mental health counseling and more.
Technology and education have to go hand in hand in preparing the students not only for the future of their learning but also the future of their work industry. It is undeniable how the pandemic opened our eyes to the importance of innovation in how we learn, work and live.
The future of education is digital, well at least for now. Post-Covid, we will have to reevaluate what’s best for students and educators. Will it be a return to classrooms or will we have found a better and much more effective alternative?
