The past two years have been very difficult for everyone. Whether it is a student or a working person, everyone has been impacted by the pandemic. It has also created the need of satisfying people’s current requirements through the development in technology. It has changed the way we study or do our jobs. If not all, at least some of the working process has been impacted. The major change is a transformation from offline classes to online classes. In this blog, we will talk about the difficulties that teachers and students have faced, and how it has led to the creation of emerging trends in educational technology.
Changes in Educational Technology Trends
Technology trends in education change to keep students updated and also to keep the educational institutions upgraded with time. The changes are essential to cater for the current requirements of the students and educational institution. The pandemic has forced us to change the pattern of study and the current educational technology trends are different from the previous one in many ways.
Previously, the physical mode was the main medium of study and the online mode was kept as an alternative source of education. However, the time has changed and online study has become the new normal, making physical mode an option. However, other trends have emerged in the past two years.
Top 5 Emerging Education Technology Trends in 2021
Here is the list of the top 5 educational technology trends which has emerged in the past years. You will see how it has significantly impacted the whole process of teaching and evaluating the examination marks. Let us begin with our list.
1. Conversion from Traditional Classes to Online Classes
This is one of the major changed trends of educational institutions. The learning which used to take place in traditional classrooms has now shifted to the online mode. Different software has been developed or enhanced to helps educational institutions to provide effective learning to their students. Online learning platforms were available earlier also, but the demand rose significantly after the lockdown. For few months the education was completely stopped. But, to provide a better solution, many technological firms came forward to offer solutions. It was difficult for the institutions also to make adjustments with the e-learning, but better solutions have made the conversion process easy and simplified. Online learning takes place on various devices including, laptops, computers, smartphones, tablets etc. All the major activities from giving lectures to holding important meetings shifted to the online platform.
2. Not Only Schools and Colleges but Also Tuition and Coaching Centers Shifted Online
The conversion from traditional classes to online platforms didn’t take place in schools and colleges, but various tuition and coaching centres also adapted to this change. It is essential to note that tuition and coaching have become the emerging educational institutions for students throughout the world. Tuitions are as important as schools or colleges for many students. Given these facts, tuition and coaching centres also couldn’t afford to lose the opportunity to change into an online platform. So, to offer their students the best quality of education, private coaching and tuitions centres have also started to use online modes of education. By going virtually, private tuition institutions have taken the opportunity of departing education from remote mode only.
3. Changing Trends of Evaluating and Conducting Exams
In addition to the transformation from physical mode to virtual mode, another essential changing trend is the method of conducting and evaluating the answer sheet of the students. We all know that it is a difficult time, and the young mind gets affected the most. Likewise, to help evaluate the burden of exams from the students, many universities have adopted different and creative methods of conducting examinations. They have focused on making examinations a fun and stress-free learning process. The main focus is to create a safe and healthy environment for the students to grow without affecting their studies. And, to enhance the process of taking exams and tests is one of those motives. The assessment has included different evaluating factors, such as puzzles, MCQs, word games and short quizzes etc.
4. Importance of Social Media in Communication and Learning
Another significant educational technology trend change is the way of communicating to the students. Social media has become one of the best mediums to connect to students. Earlier, traditional colleges and classrooms were the places to organize some events and fests. Now, it has all shifted to social media. With the advanced features of various social media platforms, it has become easy to connect to the existing and new admission taking students. Educational institutions use social media for the following things:
- Updating students with important notices
- Giving live lectures
- Giving assignments
- Conducting various learning sessions
5. Education CRMs for Admission Automation
CRM system is used by almost every industry and recent changes have forced the education institutions to adopt this in their universities. It helps in bringing all major activities related to the admission automation and post application process to come to a single platform. Leadexamine, a leading post-application automation and educational CRM provider help higher education institutions to streamline activities from attracting candidates to converting them into valuable students. You get various benefits from education CRM such as:
- Social media enquiry management
- Automation of various tasks
- Easement in segmenting data
- Effective communication system
Educational Technology Future Trends
No one knows till when educational institutions have to face difficulty in adapting to the new model of education, but the emergence of recent trends have made it easy to transform into a better system. The recent changes in educational technology trends also show that the future holds more changes in the system of education. All we know is that the technology will be there to assist the educational institution to offer the best possible solution to the students.
Conclusion
Although these trends have been proving helpful considering the unordinary situation, it has also received criticism for not fulfilling the educational needs of the students. Everyone has a different opinion but, the significance of these trends can’t be ignored.
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