Ed-Tech is Not Optional

This illustration from Charles Dicken’s legendary novel Nicholas Nickleby which is set in the notorious Dotheboys Hall school. Although this is a work of fiction, it is a reflection of the overall framework of?modern education.??

The mass education as it happens in schools and colleges is a product of the industrial era. An environment for children in which they could be trained to be obedient, to follow orders, and to perform highly monotonous tasks without rebelling.

Cut to the present where the purpose of education in schools and other institutions of higher education is vastly different. However, the format in which the learning is imparted is still the same and little has changed in the last 250 years.

But there is no reason why it should continue to remain in the same state. Thanks to the development in research related to the science of learning, there various tools and methodologies at our disposal, which can be used by us to improve the effectiveness of learning.

Let’s Explore Why Ed-Tech is Essential for Educational Institutions

We now understand and explore learning as a phenomenon through learning theories, instructional design strategies and educational neuroscience. However, to rollout these strategies and techniques we not only need to have well trained faculty but also need a mechanism to support the faculty to do so effectively.

Today, rapidly evolving technology is resulting in the availability of a vast array of Ed-Tech tools many of which use Artificial Intelligence (AI). These can be used by the faculty to track, monitor, guide and coach each individual student at a personal level. Which is virtually impossible without the use of Ed-Tech.

A Learning Management System (LMS) has now become an integral part of University, College and Corporate Learning & Development (L & D) ecosystems. An LMS which supports Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) can incorporate and integrate these tools seamlessly to provide a richer learning experience, which can address the requirements of the stakeholders:

• The students
• The faculty members
• The administrators of the learning ecosystem at the institute ?

However, this often does not happen because a proper process of solutioning is not followed. This would essentially consist of:

Business Requirement Identification - Requirements describe the project's requirements in order to maximize its utility and benefits. No matter how amazing the concept and design are, if they aren't clear or the analysis isn't done effectively, the project may fail.

Just as a system is composed of various functionalities, requirements too are identified in various forms. This categorization of criteria simplifies and clarifies the analytical process for all stakeholders involved.

Solution Identification - A solution is an implementation of people, processes, information and technologies in a distinct system to support a set of business or technical capabilities that solve one or more business problems. Identifying solutions is an iterative process. And we need to go through the iterations and arrive at the solution which addresses the business requirements of the stakeholders. ?

A Technology Enable Learning ecosystem that is implemented by following a proper solutioning process and maps features in the Learning Management System (LMS) to the business requirements identified through its existing functionality or by adding third party Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) compliant tools, can really transform the complete learning experience and help achieve so much that we can possibly dream of in a conventional classroom environment, like: ?

• Provide access to resources and material not available/possible in the classroom
• Enable focused evaluation, support and analysis of each individual student performance
• Personalize the learning experience as per the individual students learning style, preference and competency level.

No doubt his will mean incurring of some expenditure, but when you look at the advantages that Technology Enhanced learning will bring to the table, these expenses will be more than justified.

Exploring A Learning Ecosystem

To understand how a learning ecosystem is enhanced significantly and lot more is achieved beyond what is humanly possible, let us walkthrough the implementation of a solution in a University Environment.

To be Continued.........