By Siddharth Marupeddi, CEO, ULearn
We are in 2020 right now, a year that has redefined many industries, especially education which now is also explained as digital learning. Technology has always been a catalyst in powering education and research, in the past two decades we have witnessed almost all the educational institutions leveraging on technology through numerous tools. The availability of online content related to learning materials for educating and training students has surged over the years. We are currently looking at a whole new innovative level of transformation!
The on-going pandemic (COVID-19) has led to a temporary closure of educational institutions and has propelled many institutions and tutors to shift to an online mode of learning/training. This has positively impacted the market as an increasing number of talent enablers and learners are switching to a virtual learning experience. The growing demand for technology-enabled and internet-based learning and education is driving the market growth for online/ home learning platforms. The constant growth in the usage of advanced cloud technology by market players is supporting this technology proliferation. The adoption of smartphones and tablets along with the growing penetration of mobile internet across the world is making online learning all the more appealing to a generation of the tech-savvy and technologically literate population. Let’s look at a few additional technology measures/tools for that can be further capitalized on for education:
- Pedagogies should be developed through the combination of AR, VR and MR (Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality) – Virtual classrooms, 3D learning materials, etc. should be a part of these training programs to help teach more effectively
- Personal assessments should be digitalized with Augmented Reality. The combination of interaction and engagement for exams besides learning with AR will help comprehend a student’s aptitude to develop individual skills accordingly
- Artificial Intelligence modules should be created for students who are recognized as prodigies. The advantage here is that now a teacher shall have the freedom to focus on the student’s weaknesses and strengths, at their time and pace and train them based on their ability to learn and grow
- Gamified learning has now made education more interesting than earlier, simple and fun based learning concepts, easy to navigate and concentrate; with a reward system which has led to an increase in participation, engagement and loyalty. This concept is here to stay and should be capitalized on further especially for students in certain age brackets
- A common platform for education should be developed; this is to encourage peer-to-peer learning and growth, irrespective of location. This platform should help with the distribution of knowledge in regions which till today has been difficult to reach out to and communicate. This, in turn, will help with the overall development of the industry and also the country
Digital adoption among families (and individuals) is accelerating – Currently, about 580 MN Indians have access to the internet, of which 350 MN are active users. By 2022, this number is expected to surge to half a billion. Technology is redefining education beyond all the odds!
