Education

The Edtech Revolution

Published

1 month ago

February 24, 2023

India’s educational institutions have long adopted the “factory model” strategy, which calls for a uniform and standardised learning process for all students. Each student learns at an average rate in a classroom-based environment where they are all treated as parts of an assembly line. Personalized learning is hardly possible with this model.

The factory model approach overlooks the fact that every student is different and learns at a different rate. The same concept is understood by them in various ways. What may be effective for one learner might not be effective in the same way for another. As a result, the overall learning outcome of classroom-based learning frequently contains gaps.

This is where educational technology (EdTech) enters to alter teaching and learning situations. In order to fill in the gaps in classroom learning, EdTech has emerged as a new form of supplemental education or “coaching” that students can now access. EdTech is a crucial link between increased learning and student enrollment (participation).

Students can now improve their knowledge and get their questions answered through online learning programmes, institutes, and portals thanks to EdTech platforms. EdTech platforms provide a wide range of courses that are applicable to the industry, from short-term certification courses to lengthy undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

EdTech is developing ground-breaking solutions that go far beyond traditional classroom instruction and incorporate individualised course content and teaching strategies to meet the needs of particular students. By fusing theoretical learning with real-world experiments, case studies, and assignments, modern EdTech solutions and learning programmes aim to improve students’ competencies, critical thinking, and creative abilities.

The main goal of EdTech is to design educational programmes and courses that are extremely current with modern society.

The present and future of EdTech

Since the pandemic’s beginning, the majority of people have been confined to their homes because of sporadic and ongoing lockdowns. Learning, office meetings, and grocery shopping are all now done online.

Because they couldn’t go outside, people resorted to doing everything online. During the pandemic, schools and other educational institutions embraced digital technologies to support students’ home learning.

Around the world, governments, educational institutions, and teachers developed fresh strategies and methods to aid students in understanding concepts through digital learning. Even though not all of their teaching methods were effective, it did demonstrate an important truth: learning can occur outside of the classroom as well. To allow for real-time teacher-student interaction, almost all private educational institutions in urban areas switched to an online learning model.

However, due to a lack of funding and resources, public and government-aided educational institutions found it difficult to provide their students with such learning opportunities.

The EdTech Readiness Framework (ERF), a crucial metric for tracking the growth drivers in the EdTech industry, must be synchronised by institutions. It is essential to align learning strategies with the four central tenets of ERF if EdTech is to actually cause disruption in the K12 and post-K12 segments:

Families and individuals’ adoption of digital technology; awareness of edtech; willingness to pay for edtech solutions; and investment in edtech firms

Here are the four main concerns that must be addressed to give shape to the EdTech revolution in India:

Infrastructure–

The pandemic resulted in a sizable transition from the conventional classroom learning model to the digital learning model. The digital learning model must consider how to reach every corner of rural India in order to reach the economically and socially disadvantaged groups, even though this change may help India’s urgent infrastructure problems.

In this case, governments must take action. They must develop broadly usable, reasonably priced digital solutions that are not restricted to urban areas. The use of television learning techniques, for instance, can significantly change how everyone receives education.

Educational content–

The educational material that is taught to students must be updated and revised to reflect the changing times. After all, what use is a degree if it can’t help you find employment or develop your independence in the current job market? The curriculum of all educational institutions needs to be updated to include modern, in-demand skills like coding, machine learning, business management, etc.

Teacher upskilling–

Teachers need to step up their game because content and learning models are rapidly evolving. To help them provide students with the best education possible, educational institutions must invest in training and skill-upgrading their teaching staff.

To ensure that students can continue their education seamlessly, they must be prepared to use and adopt digital learning tools and platforms. Teachers and instructors will be better able to meet the evolving needs of the education industry with the help of appropriate training and upskilling.

Peer-to-peer learning–

Two of the biggest benefits of classroom learning in schools are socialisation and peer learning. Students have the opportunity to interact with one another, share ideas and opinions, and benefit from one another. Such commonplace interactions among students have a significant impact on how they think and behave in social situations.

Digital learning environments frequently ignore this component of traditional classroom instruction. EdTech platforms can, however, address the issue of social alienation by hosting offline networking events where students can speak with professors, peers, and business leaders to gain a more complete perspective.