Technology Trends in the Education Industry

Over the past two years, the educational sector's digital transformation rate has increased enormously. Digital and cloud-based education systems are now the norms for all levels of education, including K–12, higher education, professional development, and training at all levels. In addition, the connection between older students and institutions offering higher education, such as colleges and universities, underwent a significant transition due to the shifting demands of business and the workplace.

Many institutions and universities had to move to a virtual learning paradigm due to the coronavirus outbreak. This was only an escalation of a tendency already underway for a while, like many other developments, though. Numerous benefits have been observed with the onset of virtual education. The benefits for higher education students include easily fitting their studies around other obligations like employment or familial responsibilities.

The current technological trends in the educational sector include Remote Learning, implementation of AI and automation in classrooms, Nano Learning, learning through immersive technologies (Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality), Gamification of studies, Video-based learning, Subscription-based learning and Asynchronous learning (Education Technology Trends, 2022). These developments provide students with a plethora of options concerning the kind of education, the courses, timings, grading systems, and more. The advancement of technology in the educational sector has also led students to access specific education programs that they would not have been able to obtain locally. Certain developments in the sector, such as AI, Nano learning, Subscription-based learning, etc., can be named inevitable. The ongoing use of software fuelled by self-learning algorithms, capable of steadily improving at whichever task it is given, will have far-reaching effects. In addition to automating tedious tasks that educators must perform, like grading papers, it can be used to offer more individualised educational opportunities or remote learning. Further, the trend of Nano learning is related to the dwindling duration of attention and the constant competition for human time. We can receive tiny-sized courses precisely where and when we require them, thanks to the new EdTech idea called nano-learning. In this model, it doesn't matter if we forget what we've learnt for longer than 10 minutes as we can just re-learn it when we need to use the information again (Marr, 2022).

Our current employment scenario showcases a substantial change from that of our parents. Due to the swift pace of technological innovation, abilities can soon become obsolete. Hence continuing to learn new skills has become an essential strategy for job

advancement.

In the face of this tsunami of change, educators and students are shifting to a continuous education model, perhaps taking ideas from the growing popularity of subscription services in other aspects of life. Another impetus is the rise of virtual learning aggregators like Coursera, which offer hundreds of ‘micro-courses’ in addition to standard degrees and multi-year courses. These are designed to break learning into manageable portions that can be completed in weeks or months. This is done through online courses, webinars, panel discussions, etc., made available even to international students.

the recent developments in technology and the trends it brings are only the beginning of the huge change in education systems worldwide

Symbiosis Centre for European Studies (SCES) introduced various such programs to promote virtual learning methods, ensuring students receive the relevant opportunities and upskill and equip themselves during the challenging time of the COVID outbreak. The Symbiosis ‘E-Academies on Internationalization for Students’ and the special editions ‘Your Gateway to Europe’ helped students in higher education to take a leap toward their dreams in higher education in India or abroad and helped them to build skills and a strong professional network, which will go a long way in their career. Apart from this through the E-Academies on internationalization workshops for higher education professors, educators and administrators, the participants brainstormed and discussed best practices which can be adapted to improve the learning experience of students.

A panel discussion ‘Conversations for Communities’, provided food for thought to academia, wherein each episode focused on a different aspect of the internationalization of higher education. Each episode also had different members in the panel concerning the topic of discussion.

The SCES planned and organized numerous E-Symposiums during the pandemic and continues to do so. These E-Symposiums involved numerous distinguished dignitaries from different countries who virtually presented their views on the given themes. Events such as these help students get different perspectives regarding international issues.

Another initiative of SCES the ‘Beyond Borders Work from Home International Internship Program’ provided an opportunity for national and international students to work together virtually on different research projects during and after 2020.

In conclusion, the recent developments in technology and the trends it brings are only the beginning of the huge change in education systems worldwide. Converting most of our education systems from traditional methods to more technologically advanced ways is inevitable. The only way forward is to adapt; walking with this change is necessary (Bhatia, 2022).