The education market has changed a lot over the past 10 years, in 2022 there are also changes and active growth of companies. According to the Smart Ranking analytical agency, the revenue of the top 100 EdTech companies increased by 17.95% to 87 billion rubles last year. Eugene Stroynov, entrepreneur and product expert at EdTech, co-owner of SkillFactory, spoke about the trends of modern education and the future of EdTech technologies in training.
What is EdTech?
EdTech is an educational technology, representing a combination of various technologies and tools used to provide high-quality and modern education. They include aspects of online education such as online learning, platforms for its organization, games and gamification, mobile learning, adaptive learning, VR technologies and AI, as well as other tools such as adaptive technologies, educational applications and many others. This is a combination of the work of professionals and EdTech tools that are able to create an optimal environment for learning and education. They help students get access to quality education anytime, anywhere, and also provide convenience and flexibility of processes for teachers and students.
Trends in modern education
There are many details and aspects in the process of education, each of which can be delved into and trends can be identified. However , among them there are the most notable:
1. Artificial Inteligence
AI is the biggest innovation and trend that will appear in EdTech. Quite a lot of similar technologies have already been created. In particular, bots capable of writing text, translating it into voice, and editing videos are gaining popularity. For example, ChatGPT is able to create related things from an array of information. It is able to conduct a dialogue, create a coherent text at the junior level and even write poetry. In the future, neural networks will become indispensable assistants in online education and its optimization, and it is also likely that all technologies will be combined into one AI, with which it will be possible to have a full conversation, as in the 'Her' movie.
2. Personalization
The basic and eternal trend of education. Perhaps it is with the help of artificial intelligence that it will be possible to achieve complete personalization in education, in which each student will have a personally calculated trajectory of development from choosing a profession to entering his first job, changing jobs and selecting the company in which a person should work. Full distribution, like the 'Gattaca' movie.
3. Internship
A trend that is slightly behind in its development, but, nevertheless, is relevant. We are used to seeing an internship at a university as some kind of convention, in which no one sees the need. Although, in fact, a competent internship in a successful company that is interested in interns can give a student great opportunities. Previously, there were no internships in online training, but now they are becoming a necessity. For example, our schools send students for internships to real partner companies, where they work on tasks and subsequently defend their work in front of company representatives. The point is that after training, a person should have work experience and experience working on projects.
4. Mixed educational models
Mixed learning formats, also known as hybrid, combined or blended learning, combine elements of traditional in-person learning and online learning. This approach allows students to have more flexible schedule and increases the availability of courses and educational resources. This format provides many advantages for both students and educational institutions. Students get what they lack in online courses - this is society and the opportunity to communicate directly with the teacher, work in groups, more intensive study and assimilation of material. And teachers can work in more convenient formats that allow them to effectively convey knowledge to students. Mixed learning formats imply social responsibility, optimization of resources and acceleration of the program. They are becoming increasingly popular in the educational field and represent an effective tool for learning at all levels - from schools to universities and vocational training.
5. Cross-platform
Learning is always a high cognitive load on a person, so he is happy to be distracted from new knowledge in favor of entertainment. One of the tasks in teaching people is to reach their attention at any possible moment. If earlier in training it was possible to reach a student only in the classroom and a little through a textbook, now we have a wide range of tools. Cross-platform is the use of LMS systems, chats, social networks that allow you to manage the educational process. It provides freedom of choice of device and operating system, which increases flexibility and convenience in obtaining knowledge.
6. Digitalization
Digitization is one of the main trends in education, which is associated with the use of digital technologies in the learning process. Digitization of education means that technologies are applied in every aspect of the educational process: from online courses and electronic textbooks to digital learning management systems (LMS), online testing, automated task verification and distance learning. All this makes it possible for students to study the material at their own pace and in any place where there is Internet access. In addition, EdTech helps to draw more accurate conclusions about how students are engaged and how much their attention is focused on their studies. For example, using special tools, teachers can analyze data about the time that students spend in training, how they answer questions and what mistakes they make, whether they are satisfied with the teaching materials and the teacher or not.
Possible problems
With all the positive impact of technology on modern education and the establishment of processes in online education, there are disadvantages:
1. Lack of society and live communication. Online communication can never replace a personal meeting.
2. In online training, the load per person per week is projected at the rate of 5 to 12 hours. Often people combine training with work or other employment, so even 10 hours of training is a serious burden. A person has time to hear new information for himself and even try to put it into practice, but there is rarely time to take a break and think about the information received a little longer or practice, since you already need to study the next topic.
3. Distractions. Online learning involves working at computer in a comfortable environment, but with this approach, a person can be surrounded by a variety of distractions: from bright advertising and messages on social networks to a barking neighbor's dog.
What is the future of technology?
EdTech technologies are in the stage of rapid development, and now their future looks very bright. Currently, many educational institutions are already using these technologies to improve the educational process. However, this is only the beginning and further growth and development of technology will lead to even deeper penetration of technology into education.
Among the most promising areas of EdTech technologies are the following: the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for personalized learning, virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) to create more interactive learning materials, blockchain to create more secure and transparent data storage and transmission system, interactive educational platforms to create a community of students.
At this stage of technological development, EdTech is most actively developing in the online education segment. Modern developments help to establish educational processes and make the learning process more comfortable and convenient for both students and teachers. All of the above trends are relevant, so we can say with confidence that online education is gaining popularity and we should expect even more technological development in the future.
