Traditional education hasn’t had any great changes in decades. But as the ever-evolving state of technology encroaches on our daily lives, change has come for education as well. Educational institutions have faced the need to adapt to society’s current needs.
Online courses and coding bootcamps are trending among young people. College degrees are losing their appeal and being replaced by shorter, cheaper courses. Education is transitioning into a new era. These are the new school changes institutions of learning are making:
Accessibility
One of the big changes in traditional education provided by technology is increased accessibility. Traditional education was limited to a physical classroom that required the students to attend in-person. But this is changing as institutions increasingly offer online classes. With online classes, anyone can attend as long as they have an internet connection. Now education is more accessible not only for people with disabilities but for people who live in isolated areas.
People from all over the world can now have access to courses from prestigious institutions. Before, someone from India or the Philippines wouldn’t have an opportunity to attend a university in the US, for example; they now have that option with online classes.
Flexibility
Flexibility is increasing in traditional education. Because traditional education was limited to one place and a specific schedule, it was difficult for some people to attend. Now, there are many online courses that are self-paced, where students decide when and how many hours per day they can dedicate to the course. These courses generally don’t have a set schedule, so students have enough time to complete them.
There are self-paced courses that only have set deadlines for assignments, and others that have long periods of time provided to finish the course. This method is preferable for people who just want to learn on their own or people who have work or family responsibilities.
Interactivity
Because new technologies are being used in many aspects of education, classes have become more interactive. Most students use at least one device in their classrooms, such as a tablet or laptop. Professors are using new tools like videos and online testing platforms to complement the physical classroom. This gives students multiple sources of learning and helps the teacher interact more with the student.
Students in online classes obviously use tech, and they have the added benefit of fewer distractions. Because online courses need more interaction to teach effectively, students also need more access to ask questions. There are tools for classmate and teacher-student interaction like forums, emails, text messages, and so on.
AI and Chatbots
Artificial intelligence is being used to power platforms that adapt the curriculum to the needs of each student. A famous example of this is the Duolingo platform, where students could learn the equivalent of an entire semester of a language class in 34 hours on its platform. These platforms use data from the user to adapt the classes on the go, and they can ramp up the difficulty if the student is a fast learner or slow down the lessons if the opposite is true.
Chatbots are AI-powered and can help with tasks like grading, guiding students through self-paced courses, and answering common questions. This means that students receive instant feedback, instead of having to wait for the teacher to answer.
Video Learning
Video learning has been around for at least a decade, but the way students access it has changed. With platforms like YouTube, almost anyone can learn anything from anywhere in the world. On this free platform, all that’s required is for students to have the desire to learn. Video learning is also an excellent tool for traditional professors that allows them to enhance the classroom experience, providing pre-recorded classes that can be accessed at any time. Many students prefer video learning, as they can rewatch any topic they have trouble with.
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