The COVID-19 Campus: Top 5 Trends That Transformed Education During The Pandemic
It's no news that COVID-19 brought the world to a standstill. While the pandemic turned the world upside down for every sector, the most impacted industry was education. With all educational institutes being shut down, we witnessed a paradigm shift in the education sector.
A YoungMinds survey conducted in June 2020 revealed that 74 percent of teachers and school staff agreed that schools being closed harmed young people's mental health. But more recently, another survey revealed that around 80 percent of students know where to ask for help using technology, and a staggering 91 percent of respondents felt safe studying online.
This transition can largely be attributed to the innovation and adoption of education technology. Be it virtual tutoring, video conferencing, or online learning software; education has been made accessible for all. Here are the top five pandemic trends that will change the course of education from now on.
E-Learning Is the Way Forward
As schools and colleges shut down last year, the entire education system shifted online. Educators held classrooms on Zoom, and examinations were conducted online. After the initial skepticism, the increased health risks posed by physical interactions due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak increased the adoption rates.
It has been established that e-learning encourages students to focus on enhancing their knowledge and hone educational aptitude. Students can now take help from online writing agencies or homework questions database to finish assignments while concentrating on learning and grasping the subject matter.
For example, Biology is a nightmare for many, especially those assignments with elaborate diagrams and questions. But finding biology answers today is as simple as heading to a homework website and searching for the relevant questions. These assignment-assistance websites cover all topics and questions, making it easier for students to complete their homework quickly and accurately.
Mobile Learning Gains Traction
The population of the US in 2021 is estimated to be 332 million, and according to Statista, there were 270 million smartphone users in May 2021. This means a whopping 81.33 percent of the population uses a smartphone. Therefore, it came as no surprise when mobile learning became the most widely accepted trend during the pandemic.
With almost everyone owning a smartphone, course materials and classrooms became more accessible without going to colleges and universities. Apps like Zoom and MS Teams made face-to-face interaction and learning from any corner of the world possible without posing health risks for the tutor and students.
It has also been proven that learning through online media like YouTube Videos and podcasts is more effective and flexible. Mobile learning encourages high learning flexibility as students can access the course material any time and as many times as they want. Not to mention, it also saves on the cost of teaching materials and implementation times.
Artificial Intelligence Makes Education Smarter
Artificial Intelligence or AI is everywhere, and online education is no exception. During last year, AI has been utilized to maximize efficiency and improve the quality of online classes. Online education has made learning more accessible to those who would have struggled otherwise in a conventional classroom.
AI makes elevates accessibility by using language processing algorithms to subtitle live lectures and provide more dynamic descriptions of visual content. Additionally, AI also acts as a virtual assistant for learners and educators alike.
It helps students navigate course material, and educators get an idea of what students are looking for. The insights into what students are looking for can be further used to customize lessons and the content.
AI also helps detect plagiarism and whether the assignment was done by the student or someone else. This makes grading assignments simpler for educators and saves them a lot of time.
Virtual Reality Puts World Within Your Reach
We have established by now that the pandemic has propelled the education system into a digital world. Educators and educational institutions around the world have been pushed to implement innovations into the education sector.
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) have been slowly progressing into the education sector but steadily before the pandemic. However, the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak has made VR a necessity for e-learning despite the technological challenges.
The benefits of safe learning outweigh the technological challenges of implementing AR and VR during the pandemic. This is particularly true of education that requires practical implementation of knowledge like medical and engineering.
Tools like Google 3D and AR in Search let medical students take a virtual trip through the human body without having to leave their rooms. Such tools offer a visual representation of how different body parts work with labels up close. Google AR is just one such example, institutions around the world have come up with their AR solutions to make learning easier without compromising health.
Education Is No Longer a Task but Something Fun To Do
Lastly, education is not effective and enjoyable if there's no fun factor involved. Students should be able to enjoy the process of learning for maximum absorption of knowledge and skills. This is the reason why gamification has been one of the most important edutech trends over the last year.
Gamification of education means to devise learning methods that involve games and fun. This unlocks the active creativity of learners and promotes teamwork among them. Additionally, the element of fun increases involvement, leading to an improved grasp of aptitude and knowledge in that particular subject matter.
The key takeaway is that the pandemic opened doors of the education sector to advanced, modern learning solutions. As we move forward, the education system is likely to be more advanced tech-based and engaging for learners.
