Key Technology Trends that are set to transform the classroom learning experience in 2023: Listed here are two views from Edtech industry leaders
Technology has made inroads in classrooms and is defining the way for a revamped education system. With its value pegged to touch USD 30 billion over the next ten years, the stage is already set for innovation to redesign the future of learning. The Indian edtech market size is expected to reach US$ 30 billion by 2031, from US$ 700-800 million in 2021. According to KPMG, India has also become the second largest market for E-learning after the US.
Trends like STEM, Robotics, online group lessons and assessments have been some of the most common forms of teach enablers for young students.
Arindam Ghosh, Head of Strategy, Schoolnet & Devika Rae Chandra Assistant Manager, Office of Strategy:
1) Personalised Learning – For many years, we have perceived our educational system to be quite complex and rigid. Till now, it was all about traditional classroom learning, but with the introduction of digitalisation to the education system, we can see a more personalised form of learning taking shape. Learning is a fluid process, and no two individuals can learn at the same pace or in the same way. Students need platforms where they can learn according to their capabilities to improve their performance. Personalised learning, a powerful approach to education, allows students to choose topics based on their interests and preferences, track their progress and work on their weak areas. At the same time, it increases engagement, allows them to establish objectives for themselves, and receives immediate feedback. Further, these benefits make learning more interactive.
2) Gamification – Gamification is a method of solving problems by using the features of a game in education. It aids in enhancing students’ engagement, improving skills, and optimising learning. It also helps to simplify complex concepts and improve retention. Apart from this, it fulfils learning objectives, encouraging students to aim higher and receive instant feedback. This game-based education method is expected to rise by around 32% by 2023. EdTech and gamification are concepts that will complement each other while allowing for more expansion in the industry.
3) Digital Infrastructure – No doubt the physical infrastructure of the school plays a significant role in giving students a supportive environment for their academic journey, but the digital infrastructure is poised to become foundational for the future of education. We have seen digital classrooms becoming popular in India over the last few years. By integrating technology such as interactive whiteboards or projectors, audio-visual capabilities, ICT labs or multimedia centres, educational games, classroom activities, management software, homework submission, review software, cloud-based e-learning initiatives, and so on, these technology-enabled classrooms (digital infrastructure) provide a plethora of new opportunities for teaching and learning. The Union Budget 2021–22 has also highlighted the need for the country’s digital infrastructure for education by announcing a “National Digital Educational Architecture.” With this strategy, a diversified educational ecosystem will be offered for the development of digital infrastructure. By making investments in digital infrastructure, we can ensure that everyone has access to a good educational system in the upcoming years.
4) Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality – The education sector is undergoing a massive transformation, and augmented and virtual reality are two major technologies driving this transformation. It makes effective learning possible by engaging students through motivating methods. It is also known to boost learning retention, personalise the learning experience, increase possibilities for experimentation, reduce reliance on learning by rote, empower educators and learners, and further encourage active learning. Virtual tools in a controlled environment assist students in simplifying difficult concepts. Further, with India’s adoption still in its early stages, AR and VR technology are considered to represent the future of education.
5) Phygital Learning – Phygital learning is the blending of physical and digital forms of learning. It is an innovative approach which is transforming the current education scenario. In India, we have been following the offline method of schooling for long. Due to the pandemic, we have been compelled to look in a new direction or alternative where the traditional and digital approaches can be merged to provide more effective and personalised education. Today, animated audio-visuals are used to teach complex concepts, which helps in better retention and understanding. This method of interactive learning has helped teachers and the school management to keep a track of every student’s performance resulting in improvements in a student’s academic performance. One of the best examples of phygital education in India is the O-labs, or online laboratories, run by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, where students can perform experiments without the need for a physical laboratory or equipment.
“The edtech sector is anticipated to grow and transform in the coming years, largely due to the advent of digitalisation and the above-mentioned trends. With schools adopting and welcoming the digital route and methods to provide quality education, it can be safely said that these trends will shape the future of the new-age classroom. ”
Pankaj Agarwal, Founder & CEO of TagHive Inc. :
- Blended Learning: This typically refers to a tech supported learning experience within the physical classrooms, where teachers use tech tools for assisted learning. From simple aspects like multimedia presentations and AVs to STEM based learning technology which includes a digitally active environment, blended learning is soon becoming popular. Especially post COVID, schools have been incorporating tech enabled learning in the physical classrooms, thereby changing the role of teachers from being the sole source of imparting knowledge to becoming learning facilitators and mentors.
- Bite Sized learning/Nano Learning: A solution to specially cater to the social media generation with extremely low attention spans, Nano Learning is proving to bring much more to the table than just engaging students. By breaking down longer chapters into smaller narratives with inter-related facts, nano learning through cloud or learning apps, can help children understand a concept better, and with increased clarity. The same approach, when taken for online assessment, further helps students to test their understanding level and monitor their performance better, before moving on to the next concept/chapters.
- Gamification: Leveraging AR/VR and robotics, gamification is gaining popularity across classrooms for its unique and engaging process. Apart from engaging the students, gamification provides purposeful participation, enhances attention span, provides a motivation to learn and excel (winning!) at the subject and also gain easier understanding of complex subjects. In a way, gamification in education is an evolved way of immersive AI and ML generated learning experience that is set to be much more popular now, thanks to the advent of 5G.
- Online Assessment: This has been a steadily growing trend that has been helping teachers and students to create a seamless, authentic and easy assessment system while also gaining valuable data driven insights. It also offers students to independently take tests and assess themselves when not in class, thus empowering them to learn at their own pace and enhance their understanding. For teachers, this also means reduced administrative burden of correcting physical test papers, allowing them the time to focus on data driven insights to innovate learning methodology for deserving students.
- Personalized Learning: This is an extension of online assessment, which can be used to develop a more customised learning system, thus shifting the ‘group centric’ learning to ‘individual student centric’ approach. In classrooms, this allows students to engage proactively with teachers that are more aware of their learning needs. At home, this allows students to enjoy learning at their own pace and achieve success.
