Technology Trends Pushing Indian Education System
Benjamin Franklin rightly said, “Tell me & I’ll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me & I learn”.
Education system worldwide is trying to follow the same trend. Many new technologies have spurted up which are playing a pivotal role in redefining the age-old tutoring methods. Augmented Reality, MOOC’s, flipped classrooms etc are some of the potent tools used to better the learning experience of students.
Big data has also proved to be a shot in the arm for the education system. With internet users growing at an unprecedented rate in India, the Indian education system has also tried to leverage technology for its benefit. Gone are the days when rote learning and the rule of perform or perish were in vogue.
Recent years have experienced a positive drift in revolutionising of the Indian education system. Technology in education can be the solution to the problem of education for all. Hence, listed below are some key technology trends which are changing the education system scenario in India.
1. MOOC’s
Massive online open course or MOOC is a facility of online course having no limit on the number of enrolments and having free access. With India trailing only behind China in the number of internet users, online learning is going strong and has a very bright future in the upcoming years. Most of these courses are aimed at upgrading the skills of students for improving their chances of employment. Not only students but teachers as well can benefit from MOOC’s.
The Indian government seeing the advantage of MOOC’s also launched its own platform under the name of SWAYAM. The portal has many online undergraduate and postgraduate courses taught by some of India’s renowned faculties. The steady rise of many EdTech start-ups is also a testament to the fact that MOOC’s are gaining popularity in India.
2. AI and Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has gained immense popularity. It will revolutionise every sector be it finance, marketing etc. The education sector has also successfully implemented AI for its benefit. AI has helped personalized learning to come to the fore. AI can give a detailed analysis of a student’s ability based on his past performance. Based on this, the course module for each student can be customized as per his or her needs.
We, at EduGorilla, also use AI and machine learning to analyse data of several schools and coaching centres to provide standard search results to students. EduGorilla works in the direction of serving as a bridge between students and teachers. There are a lot of other areas of the education sector to which application of AI can produce excellent results. One such is finding out such areas of our country where there is an unhealthy student to teacher ratio.
3. Virtual Reality (VR)
Not only popular for gaming VR is becoming a viable option for education purposes as well. Suppose a student of chemistry has just learned what is redox reaction from his or her textbook. Now with the help of VR, the student can even perceive in a virtual environment how does the redox reaction take place.
The logic behind using VR in education is that the mind can retain much better what it sees practically happening. This can also help teachers in teaching pupils’ topics that matter. With cost-effective methods available to develop VR system it needs to be incorporated more and more in day to day teaching. Very few schools have adopted VR in their teaching curriculum. The M.G. Patel School for Girls has set up India’s first VR based classrooms. The use of VR in education would be seeing good growth in the coming years.
4. Blockchain Technology
Ever wondered that certificates, degrees can be validated online and stored. There is no need for physically maintaining student records. Blockchain technology can help in storing digital student transcripts in a collaborative manner. Also, validation of documents can be done online by the university which can act as the nodal agency using blockchain technology.
Globsyn business school of Kolkata uses blockchain technology to issue digital diplomas to its students. One of the major benefits of using blockchain technology is that it ensures complete transparency. With ongoing advances in blockchain technology, it can be put to several uses in the education sector.
The list is long if we come to talk about emerging technologies in the education sector in India but the above four stand out among the rest. But the adoption of these technologies in the education sector is still in a nascent stage in India. We need to make sure that such technologies reach out to the untouched parts of India as those areas will be the real beneficiaries. To realise the goal of “Education for All” this must be done.