4 Ways That Covid Has Permanently Changed The Education Industry
The advent of COVID-19 has seen an unprecedented shift in how people manage their lives. This includes how one approaches learning, education and skills development, which has largely moved online.
Learning is no longer confined to a classroom setting and can be delivered through a virtual environment. The pandemic is accelerating the adoption of technologies such as AI and automation, with many processes now automated using algorithms.
Learning has Largely Moved Online
Online learning is cheaper than traditional classroom-based courses. It’s also more convenient and accessible to those who want to learn at their own pace without travelling across town or paying for childcare or transportation costs.
Plus, there are no interruptions from classmates, colleagues or teachers—you entirely control what you learn when you want it.
Online learning is flexible enough for you to fit into your schedule—whether that means making your kids attend classes at a time that suits you best, for working professionals taking time off work during dinner hours so you can eat dinner as a family unit or starting a course before work begins to fit in with your commute.
Read: How to Make Extra Cash As An Online Tutor
Innovation in Teaching and Learning
With the advent of the pandemic, educators have been compelled to experiment with how they impart education to their students. This has led to innovation in the ways lessons are taught. Teachers are now using various online platforms and tools to ensure students can learn most efficiently.
Consequently, many credible platforms have come up to help bridge the gap between the teaching and learning experience in the education industry.
Online Assessments are on the Rise
The pandemic has helped improve the education industry by making it possible for students to learn at their own pace. Teachers are now conducting assessments online anywhere, anytime, and students can take these assessments on any device they can access. This allows students to learn in a way that is tailored to their schedule, as well as their needs.
Delivering adaptable and trustworthy exams that correspond to candidates’ contemporary, daily digital experiences has sped up the exam procedure. Exams can be created and set up in as little as 30 minutes, and results can be marked and delivered in as little as 24 hours. Various ways of conducting assessments online have made evaluation and assessment more efficient as the methods have been designed specifically for this mode of delivery.
The playing field is leveled by providing each candidate with a standardised, controlled exam experience. With real-time quality checks on the marking teams, fairness is guaranteed. Online assessments can guide important educational decisions made in real-time with useful analytics. Effective educational results can also be derived by identifying pupils’ areas that need improvement and extra attention.
Accelerating Technologies Such as AI and Automation
The adoption of technologies such as AI and automation, with many processes now automated using algorithms, has accelerated with the coming of the pandemic. This will be a crucial enabler for a future where learning is delivered online, with learners accessing great content from anywhere in the world at any time.
AI and automation can help address some of the challenges of data privacy and security, for example, by providing tools for monitoring access levels across an organisation’s network. They can also improve scalability by automating routine tasks so that staff can focus their time on higher-value activities such as advisory support or face-to-face interaction with learners.
The use of AI and automation is already having an impact on how organisations deliver their learning programmes: it has made it possible to offer courses in multiple languages simultaneously; it has also enabled greater flexibility around when students study; and who gets access to courses (e.g., through MOOCs).
Conclusion
The world is changing. The importance of education has never been greater, but the cost has never been higher. Traditional classrooms are expensive to run, but they don’t need to be!
Due to the advent of the pandemic, the education industry is adapting, and education now is more affordable and accessible to everyone because of technological innovation.
The increasing use of AI technology to automatically assess students’ knowledge while ensuring that only those who have paid become eligible for assessment results has opened new avenues for education worldwide.