Dr Manasvi M. Kamat
The most recent survey published by ‘EduCause’ in early 2019 assessed 49 Information technologies (IT) Trends and 77 Strategic Technologies, and made a shocking revelation. It is found that emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and Social Media failed to make it either on the medium or high impact lists of Education Technology (EdTech).
Higher education spheres of late have wholeheartedly embraced tech to reshape their teaching-learning experiences. Better connectivity, cheaper technologies, adaptable innovations, and right attitude by educationists has led to deep and far reach of technology in higher education.
Educational institutions are increasingly realising that just the chalk a talk method of teaching and purely based on human element is not enough to generate and retain student interests. Students today are abreast with technological developments. The way students learn and consume information today is way varied from the past. Thus the realization that learning through technological medium reduces learning monotony, fatigue of teachers that it is scalable and customable, has done a lot good for propagation of EdTech.
The use of EdTech to complement higher education contributes to efficiency and transparency in many ways. In the context of higher education the technology interface can be used in three different perspectives; in imparting instructions and training teachers to enhance user experiences, to improve efficiency in process of conducting examinations and assessments, and thirdly bring in effectiveness in dealing with and managing data.
At its most basic, EdTech can help deliver high-quality lessons in a variety of formats “ text, graphics, animation, games and interactive tutorials. Once effort is made it is scalable and its cost can be apportioned over time irrespective of the number of users. This knowledge sharing can be supplemented with self-assessment modes and makes provision of feedback instantaneous. This kind of pedagogy invites teachers to spark learning through one-on-one interactions, real-world projects, and content that is aligned with student interests or backgrounds.
EdTech has provided a lot of data analytics tools leading digital transformation for institutions in a way the data is managed and used for decision making. Edtech has led to creating standardization in how data is collected, cleansed, stored and uploaded for reporting to the administrator’s ensuring better decision making.
A number of educational institutions are seen investing in technologies that allow them to make some systematic processes like admissions, collating student attendance, student feedback and examination evaluations simpler saving by saving consumable time and human effort. Automated text messages to students and parents about learning performance increases interest, attendance, and exam performance. Usage of EdTech in administration of educational institutions including evaluation of teacher performance, conducting Academic and Administrative Audit etc have become simpler with enhanced benefits of better cyber security, IT governance, management of data risk and timely compliance.
A deeper benefit of EdTech is the ability to tailor lessons as per the progress of the student and helps free teachers from mundane repetitive tasks leaving them with more time to invest in knowledge creation, one-on-one mentoring and working in small groups, thereby developing a deep personal relationships with students, and helping them to develop long-lasting habits for success.
In the above context the above-mentioned report by ‘EduCause Center for Analysis & Research’ finds that institutions investing in EdTech spend the most time in tracking the related trends that could influence institutional IT strategy. To benefit such institutions the report identifies three major ‘themes’ as ‘empowering students’, ‘generating trusted data’, and ‘creation of 21st-century business strategies’ for implementing EdTech in their organisations. EduCause identifies the IT trends for each such theme and suggest contemporary technological strategies for implementation suitable with the changing times.
Accordingly the first theme connected with empowering students would have IT issues related to serving students to ensure their success and to understand role of technology in optimizing student experiences. Increased student success focus, demand for online degree or certificate programs and evaluation of technology-based instructional innovations are identified as the new trends for this theme. The research suggests active learning classrooms, incorporation of mobile devices in teaching and learning and more use of open educational resources as the strategies to address such challenges.
The second important issue related to EdTech is about institutions attempt in securing, integrating, and standardizing data and preparing the institution to use data meaningfully. Developing a risk-based security strategy, safeguarding privacy issues and in ensuring integration of data are identified as key IT issues for this theme. IT trends that identify these issues are growing complexity of security threats, demand for high compliance, and decision-making that is driven by data. It is suggested that in such cases high usage of APIs, blending data centers (on-premises and cloud based) and better application performance monitoring are the new technological strategies that can be used.
The third theme is about the 21st-century business strategies, which symbolizes the journey of leadership in which institutions addresses today’s funding challenges and prepare for tomorrow’s more competitive ecosystem. Here it goes without saying that increasing affordability of the systems and looking for sustainable funding are the key IT issues related this theme. The aspects of looking for diversity, equity, and inclusion and recognizing IT as an agent of institutional transformation and innovation
The report by EduCause focuses first on the 2019 Trend Watch, a summary of survey responses to a list of trends and their anticipated level of institutional influence. The second section of the report focuses on strategic technologies and the degree to which institutions are paying attention to and implementing these technologies. This survey of usage of EdTech in higher education finds that there is more demand for tech-enabled public spaces and tools to support classroom equity. Surprisingly it is found that two technologies the uses of APIs, and active learning classrooms remain at the top of the list in 2019 while the most hyped trends in higher education like adaptive learning, the IoT, alternative credentialing models, and AI may have only a limited impact in the classrooms in 2019.
The EduCause report has rightly helps us to separate the reality from the illusions in the context of applying and deploying EdTech in India.
