Today, digital devices have become very common in classrooms and among teachers and students. Be it lectures or meetings, taking notes is important to keep track of what was discussed. Using traditional paper to take notes can be messy, and tend to be disorganized. But thanks to technology, various digital devices are available to take notes, store and organize them it in a better way. Notes that are already in paper format can be digitized and stored in digital devices with the help of data conversion services.
Although digital classes are beneficial for students, majority of the schools still follow the conventional way of conducting class. However, the outbreak of COVID-19 has changed the way classes are conducted. The education sector has undergone a significant change during the crisis. When schools and universities around the world were forced to close their doors to prevent the spread of the virus, the alternative method was to embrace digital learning overnight.
Increase in Digital Learning
Before the pandemic, some schools and universities used digital learning for part-time or foreign students seeking more flexible learning arrangements. Even though this change was a forced one due to the pandemic, it was a much-needed disruption. Unlike the traditional method of learning, digital learning helps students to learn at their own pace. It helps to meet the requirements of learners who need additional support. There are no studies or research that shows which method of study is effective. Post pandemic, a hybrid model may be most attractive for educational institutions and students.
Here are three predictions for the year 2021 in the education sector:
- Rise in Blended Learning: Today, the professors and students are practicing remote learning with the help of advanced technology. To ensure good quality of online learning, high input operations are needed that require both time and investment to develop. Some worry that the sudden shift to remote learning may damage the reputation of online education. The biggest future benefits of remote learning and virtual instruction will come after our professors and students return to their physical classrooms. Once the world comes out of the COVID-19 threat, there will be widely shared understanding that digital tools are complements, not substitutes, for the intimacy and immediacy of face-to-face learning.
- Online Learning will be a Strategic Priority: While a few colleges were already familiar with online learning, some schools and colleges had nothing to do with it and considered it as an institution’s strategic plan. But with COVID-19, most schools and university authorities have realized that online education is an excellent tool for the academic continuity. Management of online learning will be integrated into the existing academic leadership structures and processes.
- OPM (Online Program Management) will be Rethought: We all know that outsourcing core educational capabilities is a mistake. Teaching and learning are core capabilities of every educational institution. Schools that invested in their learning design resources by hiring instructional designers as well as by reorganizing campus learning organizations into integrated units, were able to handle the transition to remote teaching and learning during COVID-19. But schools that were dependent on online program management providers to run online programs had a difficult time during the transition. This does not mean that educational institutions must stop partnering with OPMs. OPMs have expertise in market research and digital marketing for online programs that few schools can, or even should, attempt to replicate.
Students need strategies that can help them acquire knowledge but no research or studies justify that students should strictly use either digital devices or traditional books. The education sector has now realized the significance of digital tools and data conversion services that help students convert their notes into digital form and engage with ideas, synthesize concepts and build the critical thinking that would become useful in the future. It helps students focus on building skills such as the ability to collect, analyze and understand data and information, and supports good decision-making, which is the key to success.
