Digital Revolution And Its Impact On The Overall Learning Landscape

Digital revolution has taken the world by storm, and its impact is visible in every little aspect of our lives. It has brought about major transformation across every sector and industry. But before I dive in to discuss the impact of the digital revolution in education, let’s take you back in time.

There was a time when education was imparted through self-directed plays and simple explorations among the learners. Then gradually the traditional classroom culture began and from there on began a process of informing and instructing the learners. This practice, as many of you would agree with me here, is prevalent to this day.

Since I have been working in the education sector, I have noticed that the traditional learning landscape is again on the verge of experiencing a paradigm shift. When everyone today is vying for a prominent digital presence to gain leverage, the education sector isn’t far behind either. The digital transformation is spreading its wings not only in the mainstream education but also in corporate industry. More and more corporate houses are investing in educating and informing their workforce to keep them updated with the latest technological innovations.

The transformation of the traditional methods of teaching and learning through digital innovations:

As someone associated with the Edtech industry, I have noticed that digital innovation has presented with a lot of opportunities for acquiring new abilities and talents and also widened the potential for innovation.

During the initial days when people had only warmed up to the idea of technology, and all of us had just started using a cellphone, the options for learning something new used to be limited. The only obvious way of gaining valuable knowledge for us is by sitting in a classroom, listening and memorizing the lessons, then trying to use the knowledge gathered from the lesson to sail through an entire academic session. The second option, which has always been the go-to option for me, involves going to a library to procure the relevant books and resources that will provide the necessary assignment help or essay help. So these are the only prominent options to gain knowledge and valuable skills for many of us.

However, with the popularity of the digital revolution, accessibility to information is no longer an issue, which, in turn, has allowed people to hone their skills even further. Today if I want to gain a better understanding of any subject, I can gather the right kind of resources through a few dedicated searches on the internet. I no longer have to rush to the library, neither do I  have to be dependent on another person. I can choose to take an online course to enhance my knowledge. However, considering the whole process of education is still focused on sitting in a lecture, whether in case of elementary education or in case of higher studies, the need for turning the mundane classroom environment into a much-advanced digitally enabled setup, has increased.

I know like me we all today are incredibly receptive towards technology, and I find myself genuinely curious about learning new skills by harnessing the power that technology offers. So that’s why whenever I get an opportunity, I explore the digital space to keep myself abreast with all that it has to offer.

The implementation of digital technologies in project-based learning:

Through my interactions with many eminent experts in the education industry, I have noticed that all of these people are welcoming and emphasizing on the inclusion of technology in the sphere of education,  and the need to do away the traditional methods of classroom assessments. I have also been told by the experts in the Edtech industry, that project-based learning is far more effective than solely focusing on students’ performance in exams.

I know that the classroom assessments or tests cannot be disregarded as a process to judge a student’s credibility. But, in my opinion, teachers and professors must adopt an approach where the tests are used to determine how the student needs more help in learning the specific areas of education. Also, I believe the emphasis should be on the kind of skills, taught in the classroom, to prepare the youngsters for a digitally- advanced future, as those are the skills that will stay with them when they venture into the corporate world.

The digital revolution in the sphere of corporate education:

The need for the digital revolution in corporate training or education has increased because the sector needs people with much-advanced levels of skills. The accessibility to information has improved. So, today if I have to acquire corporate training, I don’t have to rely on a professor to guide me through, and I can do that at my own pace. So there’s a certain flexibility to the whole process.

For example, some days ago I wanted to gain a solid understanding of machine learning, so I used the search engines according to my convenience to accumulate the necessary resource materials on the subject. In fact, I had also searched for various online courses on content and search engine marketing, And I came across several MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) and also found several YouTube videos by seasoned experts imparting knowledge on the topic.

Bridging the evident skill gap in corporate education through digital learning:

As I pointed out earlier as well, the digital revolution is gaining momentum all across the world, so various organizations, society, and the economy are working towards bridging the skill gap. We are all witness to the emergence and development of different options when it comes to skill-based learning, with the popularity of online learning portals like Udemy, HubSpot, Coursera, Minerva, Udacity etc. In fact, I have come across a news report a few days ago that Microsoft has initiated its professional degree program in 2016 which focuses extensively on data science since the company can’t employ enough data scientists and neither can they depend on 4-year degree programs to produce more graduates quick enough or in huge numbers.

I have gone through numerous studies and reports on digital learning and development that have constantly highlighted how the startups and organizations are providing opportunities for open learning, proprietary learning, all of which are aimed to diminish the skill gap.

In my opinion, these learning and development opportunities are a viable option because they take a short period of time to impart valuable information. However, I have also heard many academicians talking about how this self-guided approach to education isn’t exactly helpful for enhancing the skills that the workplace requires, as they only offer a surface-level knowledge without any detailed information that will lose its significance if the digital space keeps evolving like it is.

I believe maintaining a modern approach in the education sector also means not being afraid to explore different fields of learning, and utilizing the potential of social media services instead of dismissing them, and thereby bridging the skill gap. I have come across numerous online learning portals that provide free interactive coding lessons. This makes a difference, even though it doesn’t yet count as formal education.

Again there are critics who have pointed out that the mathematics, coding, and soft-skill development at the K12 level isn’t sufficient and isn’t helping to strengthen the basis of knowledge for college-level learning, so we also need to focus on creating accessible modern approach education options at the K12 level. So there’s a clear need for digital education training facilities that aren’t limited to traditional bachelor’s and master’s degree.

But with the way digital revolution is making waves, I have a positive feeling some major transformations are in order to make education more solid and interactive. So the challenges of learning numerical analytics and empirical subjects can be dealt with by proper classification of content.

I have read that in many countries, digital education emerges as a premonition of “Digital Divide” and that’s why governments should implement the necessary changes to the process of imparting and receiving education inclusive and sustainable for everyone.

So I believe, as part of the Edtech industry, we need to build and nurture promising learning structures that emphasize skills for a digital economy. So it’s not only about having educational option to thrive and prosper in the competitive market, rather it’s about making education upskilling and learning accessible for everyone. Be it for the child or for the adult whose skills aren’t deemed as useful anymore.

So according to my observations, I’d like to point out that to reap the benefits of the digital revolution, and arguably helping an organization, we must adopt a more flexible, approachable method, and timely means of learning the skills. So now I think the education sector should focus on what more can be done to foster and create educational solutions to counter learning issues in the age of digital revolution.

Comments