Top 4 Edtech Trends to Watch in 2023
Education Industry in 2023
We live in times that have seen great changes being made in every aspect of human life. Reform is evident in every aspect of human life, starting from birth, through growth, education, career growth, and even death. Technology has been both the cause and effect of most of these adaptations. Revamps in economic policies, population growth, climate change, warfare, natural disasters have all been part of these changes. An important thing to be noted about these changes is that they are all disruptive. What was valid yesterday is not valid tomorrow.
The education technology industry was also not left out in this process of change. Traditional education is becoming a thing of the past at a noticeable rate. Great strides of growth in the field of Education Technology is one of the major reasons for these changes.
Students using computers. Image source:techlearning.com
Education and learning did not stop in their tracks even when the whole planet came to a standstill due to the pandemic in 2020. However, the use of technology to conduct classes remotely has disrupted the traditional teaching and learning system. This has led to the advent of trends that might forever change how the world approaches the education technology.
This article details some of the foremost trends to watch out for in the educational technology. Let’s begin with the motivational factors behind these revolutionary changes in the education sector.
Major Contributing Factors in The New Trends in the Education Technology Industry
1. Engagement Theory of learning:
The creators of this concept in education technology believe that the learning process becomes complete only when the students are engaged in the learning process. Without student engagement to act as a feedback mechanism for the teachers, the education process becomes mechanical. Those involved end up mindlessly completing tasks to be done with the process of education. They strongly believe that technology is a great tool that could intrinsically motivate students to be engaged in the learning process in ways that might be difficult to achieve otherwise.
They theorized that technology-based meaningful activities or projects could activate cognitive processes such as problem-solving, decision making, and evaluating in students’ minds, making them intrinsically motivated to be engaged in their overall learning process. Engagement theory aims at making concepts more relatable to the students, thereby making them easier to understand. Secondly, this theory stipulates that students feel responsible for their learning by involving them in technology-based projects with creating ideas or objects related to their education. Thirdly, it requires students to interact with the real world to cater to real-world requirements by applying the concepts they learn from school. A class of engaged students would help teachers understand the efforts they would have to exhibit in order to make the education process more streamlined and complete.
2. Technology
Students interacting with computing. Image source: Forbes
Technology is both the cause and effect of new trends in the education industry. Technology has enabled students to approach the learning process in a project-based manner. This involves using available technology to simulate and understand real-world requirements that tie in with the concepts in their syllabi. The use of technology makes it easier to affect the factual applications of these concepts in a risk-free manner at a fraction of the cost. Consequently, students get access to a different perspective to view these situations.
New prospects and virtually limitless access to knowledge would give students a better understanding of these situations and their concepts. With this newfound knowledge, they can give rise to new technology that would continue this cycle.
Another effect of technology in the education industry ties in with the changes caused due to natural or artificial disasters. Following the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020, the world came to a literal standstill with lockdowns imposed in different parts of the planet. Schools in different regions are still locked down. However, the process of education did not come to a standstill due to technology-based solutions.
Video editing software that was previously used only by working professionals is now used to conduct classes remotely. Much like interaction, assessment has also moved online. The practice of tests and assignments being submitted and evaluated online has become common even in parts of the world that strictly follow traditional methods of education. With advancements in the metaverse, virtual classrooms that offer better student engagement options could soon take over the education industry and completely replace the traditional system.
3. Socioeconomic Changes:
This is another factor that is both the cause and effect of new trends in the education sector. Conditions that prevailed several years ago limited the number of people with access to quality education based on several factors that are considered antisocial. People realized the ill effects of these restrictions and the oppressive patterns they created and strived to eliminate those unhealthy practices. Education is now accessible to a lot more people than before. This growth in the population of educated individuals has resulted in new socioeconomic conditions that are currently fuelling another drastic change in the education sector.
Major Education Technology Trends For 2022
1. E-Learning:
E-learning may be referred to as the future of learning. It is a limitless form of learning through online courses hosted on LMS platforms. E-learning is more prevalent among people looking to improve their skill set to increase their chances of employability or career growth. E-learning offers certification courses in a wide variety of highly demanded skills. Based on skill levels, anyone can enroll in e-learning courses. They can access these from anywhere at any time. E-learning courses offer a great deal of flexibility concerning how a learner can complete them after enrollment. Another advantage of e-learning courses is that premier institutions worldwide make their courses available to aspirants all over the world. Location is no longer a limitation to quality education.
2. 3D Design-Based Learning
3D Design-based learning is a trend that is growing fast. 3D designing finds its application in courses requiring students to focus on complex structures on atomic/ cell levels or a planetary scale. In either case, Students are encouraged to use 3D modeling to create virtual models of these structures and subject them to simulated conditions that resemble real-world conditions they naturally interact with.
This entire process of design-based learning would help students understand complex information about these structures and how they would react in complex real-world situations that cannot be recreated due to cost constraints or the risk of catastrophic danger.
With 3D modeling, the teachers can also prepare teaching aids to make students understand the subject well. For example, they can prepare biological and chemical designs then use a 3D printer to print them and use them for teaching. This will help the students retain content easily and will help them be more creative and prepare them.
There are various 3D modeling software available that can help the students learn 3D modeling, however, we recommend SelfCAD as it’s easier to use and professional. The students can create both simple and complex designs in the program without having to spend a lot of time learning. With SelfCAD, the students have an option to use the software either online or offline as it has a browser-based as well as windows and Mac versions. After they are done with 3D modeling, they can also prepare it for 3D printing in the software without having to switch to another program.
3D modeling a car in SelfCAD
Learning 3D modeling is easier with SelfCAD than it has ever been. There are interactive tutorials that are useful in learning 3D modeling by actually doing. Teachers can also use them to come up with a curriculum for teaching their students.
3. Immersive Technology
With the sudden growth of the metaverse, the application of advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Extended Reality (ER) will become inevitable in the field of education. The combined use of these technologies would provide a fully immersive learning experience that is unprecedented. Learning experiences that were once considered as science fiction or myths could become science and reality. These technologies are capable of creating highly immersive and interactive situations and surroundings to simulate all the senses of the learner, thereby giving the learner a learning experience that is currently impossible due to technological limitations; in fields such as medical sciences and surgery. These technologies can be used to create random medical emergencies that are identical to real-life situations. This would help medical students and professionals hone their doctors’ skills before taking up real-life situations.
4. Microlearning
Microlearning is another education technology trend we need to watch in 2022. Learning does not end once a career begins. For an individual to experience sound career growth, they have to improve their professional skills regularly. Employees who keep themselves updated on the latest trends in professional skill development have more chances of getting promoted. Recent studies show that employees can only dedicate 24 minutes out of their 40 hour work week to professional development. That is just 1% of their time per week. The answer to the question “how would employees experience career growth when they have limited time for professional development ?” is rather simple.
The answer to this long question is just one word, microlearning. Microlearning involves converting the knowledge into learning nuggets in content that can be completed in two to seven minutes. These are designed for employees to achieve specific learning outcomes in their learning path. Microlearning not only allows for efficient use of limited time but also makes the learning process seem more comprehensible to the learner. Another advantage of microlearning is for employers. Based on their assessments, employers can use microlearning to deliver purposeful knowledge to all employees in a manner tailored to each employee’s requirements. Microlearning does this in an unbiased manner. The fact that microlearning can be accessed on any platform is an added advantage because it eliminates the limitations put forward by time limits and short attention spans.