Is Edtech really solving the problem? If not, how they can?

Though the whole world is running digitally, we are witnessing a paradigm shift in the business environment where technology plays a vital role in delivering value to the customer. Has education been accepted in the same way - It seems like not? Just moving the classes from offline to online, adding MCQs, sharing a soft copy of notes/books is not enough to make sure same quality & learning outcomes.

An Education Industry Leader was asked – Among 7000+ edtech startups that have been registered in India, how many will survive for the next five years?

His answer was less than 5%

As per a leading transaction advisory firm report, the Edtech industry is expected to grow to $30 billion from the current market size of $700-800 million in the next ten years. EdTech, which was already clocking a healthy double-digit, year-on-year growth before Covid-19, suddenly got a massive boost with the inflow of investments, acquisition, up-gradation in offerings and more players quickly shifting and adding students thanks to one of the lowest Internet data charges.

Another leader, when asked to choose between pass out from offline residential program Vs online program for hiring, he instantly replied - Offline residential

India has emerged as a prominent EdTech hub globally with $4.1 Bn venture funding from 2010-20. But we are still far away from leading countries like China and the USA, where the funding in the same period stands at $26.8 Bn & $13 Bn. Looking at the numbers, COVID19 accelerated the investment but will the same fructify into some great education products and services is yet to be seen.

Are we going to witness a paradigm shift, or the growth will go back to the Pre COVID19 level once the pandemic is over?

Though, as per the website of various EdTech startups, they command 4+ ratings (Out of 5), when connected with the different users, it is difficult to say whether the product/service offering is creating enough value compared to the offline mode of learning. Online learning is good, but its effectiveness is still questionable. When the same question is asked how we should look at bringing online education either at par the offline or become more effective, various inputs were garnered:

1.????Are students engaged - Engagement is a big challenge as being virtual has its disadvantages with the ability to keep the screen off and remain on mute, numerous avenues to sneak out or stop paying attention. Smartphone/laptop with an internet connection, the gateway to whole another world of entertainment, social media and online games, is right there in front of their eyes. Without engagement, it is effortless for a child to switch off the screen stating low internet speed, background noise to go mute and switch the screen to a more entertaining internet world. Lack of discipline while learning, which was taken care of by the teacher in the classroom, Unavailability of the parent/guardian to overlook the child's activities is one of the critical challenges we cannot ignore.

2.????Infrastructure Issues - Students are confined at their home where they might not have a secluded, noise-free & specified place to attend classes. Despite best efforts by parents, The atmosphere of the classroom is difficult to be replicated at home. Despite the structural changes in the family structure, Indian's still live in a joint family or an extended nuclear family where at least one parent is still living with a married son and his family. Only 40% of elderly couples live without children or only with their unmarried children.

3.????Are we doing it right - Difficulty to gauge the ease & pace of understanding; teachers find themselves at a severe roadblock. Out of the total attendees, how many have paid attention in the?class? Of those, how many actually understood the lesson? Is my teaching pace all right? Are some getting left behind? Students' body language and eye contact were vital factors in adjusting their teaching mechanisms during offline classes. The same questions were there during offline classes, but they are now harder to address.

4.????Technology issues – There is significant growth in internet adoption, increased smartphone subscriber base, and a gradual drop in data charges, but is it enough to see a fantastic experience. Is a 4" - 5" smartphone screen sufficient to keep students ensure equal attention, which they used to pay in offline classes? Significant concerns include interrupted power supply, weak or non-existent internet connectivity, and unaffordability to buy necessary devices. Numerous students from humble backgrounds are seen attending their classes using a smartphone with a patchy internet speed. The data pack with 1 GB/day is available at Rs 300/month but does it ensure that the internet connection will be seamless to ensure uninterrupted synchronous classes, maybe or maybe not.

5.????Teacher training for online delivery – COVID19 just changed the teaching methodology within a few weeks, but the efforts done for teachers to teach students online are primarily self-driven. The leading companies are training their faculty to deliver classes online, but what about others. A concentrated effort has not been taken to ensure we bring all teachers to a minimum level on online delivery competency.

6.????Health Concerns – 55% of students from class 4-12 reported physical health problems like backache, headache, eyesight troubles, lethargy, fatigue & irritability. About 50% of students complained about stress, and 22% reported insomnia, but we still have to witness the long term health issues related to home confinement. Lack of natural light, improper ventilation, drop in physical activities, and long term health effects due to significantly high screen time will lead to exponential health issues. From 1-2 hours of screen time to suddenly increasing the same to 6-8 hours has taken a toll on learners health. Imagine the situation after a decade if we witness a considerable increase in health issues after just one year of pandemic.

7.????Child care and monitoring – The most challenging task parents who are working professionals face is that it becomes nearly impossible to attend office work and simultaneously overlook their child's class. Pandemic has made us realise that schools were not just learning institutions; it is the best child care program running in the shadows. After the child gets settled in school, parents used to work peacefully in the office, worrying about their learning was minimum, and safety was almost negligible. Pandemic has just turned the tables upside down; now, parents not only have to take care, but they also have to ensure the child is taking proper meals and attending to class instructions. Ensuring the child attends online classes efficiently, conduct activities, complete assignments/homework, uploading the same on the school app, eating proper meals has swelled from being a side hustle to a full-time job.

Pandemic has made us realise that schools were not just institutions of learning; it is the best childcare program running in the shadows.

We must address these critical issues of the learning process rather than just providing a technology solution to the masses to attend live classes, watch videos, mark attendance and take assessments. Technology can help to address these above issues:

1.????Engagement – Most critical and not possible to ignore, technology can address the engagement issues. We should use AI to develop the student persona. Content should be delivered to ensure that students can learn in all possible ways, whether developing content keeping Kirkpatrick model of learning, theory of multiple intelligence or VARK learning style as a potential development framework. Engagement should be the bedrock of every content development or delivery, whether developing audio lessons or videos. Merely developing content to deliver will defeat the whole purpose. Student persona development will assist the teacher in structuring their content delivery in the most engaging & effective way. Low data usage proctoring can also be implemented during classes. The AI engine can notify the teacher about the status of the engagement level of students, and necessary corrective action can be taken.

2.????Infrastructure issues – Again, new-age devices developed to bring the virtual environment in front of student's eyes can take care of infrastructural issues. How can we create devices that ensure that the learning environment is created despite the people in the room? Develop high-quality hardware components subsidised by the government and directly sold to students to help them study more peacefully. Mass produce noise-cancelling devices currently available at a high cost primarily to cater to student fraternity. Developing a wireless micro-sized projector that can project the screen on any small surface will reduce the direct exposure to an electronic screen. Over and above this, we should look at subsidised low-cost products primarily designed for educational purposes like Amazon Kindle. These new devices will ensure that the student uses the device only for educational purposes and not for entertainment. Another usage can be to use software like antivirus, which will allow students to access education-related content only; no games or entertainment media can be accessed on the device. This software's can be similar to the ones used by firms to make sure no unnecessary content is accessed unless related to work.

3.????Are we doing it right – This is the most critical challenge to solve, and again AI can help. The new-age technology can identify the attention level of the students. This is similar to proctoring but only accessed by AI engine, and the outcome is the necessary notification to teach to pay attention to detail. Over and above, using the AI, diagnostic assessment, and formative assessment can quickly develop a complete report about the class and showcase whether everyone in the class has understood the concept correctly and if anyone needs to undergo a revision of the same concept. Though it seems challenging when diagnostic assessment is brought into the picture, this solves the problem and will also enhance the quality of teaching. Diagnostic assessment will also help teachers figure out what their content delivery is missing and give them accurate feedback to recalibrate themselves.

4.????Technology Issues – Low cost and mass-produced tablets specifically designed for educational purposes when sold as a bundle with data-enabled sim cards. This device should have at least an 8-inch screen, if not more. New avenues should be identified on how the live videos or recorded sessions can be accessed while reducing the data requirement. When produced on a mass scale, these devices can help students face constant internet access issues. The government should address the problem and work on delivering adequate speed internet pan India coverage. Already we are spending a humongous amount of money on maintaining the government-run schools. Diverting a portion of funds to give uninterrupted access to content to students will reap much more benefits than expected. Though this calls for a substantial effort, having more knowledgeable and learned children is better than a lower fiscal deficit.

Government should work on declaring Internet Access as a fundamental right like food and water. If preemptive action is not taken, we will witness a digital divide difficult to manage

5.????Teacher Training – All efforts will fail if our teachers are not trained to use the technology and infrastructure. Transformation and development seeds should be sown at the beginning when the artefact is raw and in the form of clay. This practice should be initiated at the time of their education, i.e. B.Ed. As widely believed, the transformations start in the formative years. Similar to the fact that the training of any professional doesn't start after they get selected, it begins when they start preparing for the opportunity. When we talk about the teacher who is already into the job, a portion of their KPIs should be aligned to the progress they make in teaching online, and an incentive structure should be built in their compensation so that they are motivated to learn. When someone has passed their formative years, they should have the willingness and incentive to learn. If the same is replaced by fear and imposed upon them, it will only lead to disastrous results.

6.????Health Concerns – Every school should structure their sessions so that students and the teacher can have enough time to relax. Every session should start with a set of exercises such as stretching, eye exercises etc. There should be weekly sessions with a counsellor to understand the behavioural changes seen in students and work with every student. Parent-Teacher interaction is required at more frequent intervals and detailed discussion regarding behavioural changes, which parents can see but the teacher cannot due to virtual interaction. Some issues which the only parent can notice as they are with the child 24*7:

• Not paying enough attention as they used to
• Showing any new behaviour like getting irritated on small rejections
• They started spending more time alone than they used to
• Suddenly addiction towards gadgets has increased tremendously

A balance of physical as well as mental activities and tasks should be given as homework. Parents should focus on getting more physical activities that can be done with the child, such as cycling, skating, setting up a time for indoor games such as carrom and chess, etc., to make sure they are focussing their energy in the right direction. Since it calls for more involvement from parents, schools should conduct and enlighten parents towards a concentrated time spent with the child. A stronger bond between parent and child supplemented by the teacher's guidance will make the learning process more meaningful and fun.

7.????Childcare and monitoring – This operational challenge needs much more innovative thinking than technology intervention. A parent should invest time and energy to make the child self-sufficient in attending their online classes. Parents should conduct small pieces of training on operating the platform, whether it is Team, Zoom, Webex or any other medium, at regular intervals. As soon as a significant software update, refresher training is necessary to ensure the child is at ease with the platform's new features. Schools should also share all the required worksheets; material required for activities is shared on Friday to allow parents to arrange everything on weekends. A detailed curriculum and activity chart is shared at the end of every month to ensure parents know the following month's learning plan. Parents can also train their parents or house help, acting as their alternate and sitting alongside the child when they have important office meetings or tasks. There is an unmet need for gamified video platform suitable for young children aged from four to ten years intuitive enough for children to operate individually. Another key learning from this pandemic is that we should start training our children to become independent early.

There is an unmet need for gamified video platform suitable for young children aged from four to ten years intuitive enough for children to operate individually

If the whole ecosystem, including schools, teachers, parents, children and technology companies, think through and take necessary action. Along with the above action points on critical issues, additionally, we should look at the following factors that will help to reap all benefits of online education:

1.????Sense of participation and influence - People are more motivated and engaged when they know they can control a portion of the engagement. When students are participative, they go beyond their means to learn and go deeper into aspects of the subject. Self-assessments, feedback and group projects are a few critical action items that can make the learning process more participative.

2.????Correlating the topic with learner life – Once we link the concept with the learner's life, the subject becomes very interesting such as if we teach science and how velocity and force are applied in sports. Similarly, suppose while teaching language, sharing why Urdu is written from left to right is fascinating. While teaching history, share the story of the origin of various staple items like parantha to delicacies like jalebi & laddoo. In that case, this correlation will increase their interest manifold and better learning outcomes.

3.????Defining accountability – Scheduling and notifying at regular intervals in case of inconsistencies will increase accountability. Reaching out to students to know about the issues and resolving the same will help. Using automation to make sure every student is actively involved and not ignored will help them increase engagement. Creating groups where each student encourages others to do well is a great initiative, and this will help students feel a sense of internal accountability.

4.????Warm call – Warm call informs the student that questions will be directed towards them in the upcoming session. This teacher should connect with students and tell them about the next session topic and questions. Once the student is informed upfront, they will do the pre-session reading and pay as much attention as possible during the session. During the session, this can also be done while telling a student that I will ask you next, and please be ready.

5.????New technologies like AR, VR & Simulators – Experimenting with the latest technology is necessary to ensure that we can make a visible impact.?The rise in demand for experiential learning pushes forward the development of learning with VR and AR. Learning has become much more interactive than traditional methods. While VR provides a constructed reality, AR gives an enhanced view of an actual image. These two technologies can help explain complex concepts that explicit images or even a lab's hands-on experiments could not show students. For example, VR is helpful when you are attending a medical training course. In detail, VR creates a chance for students to experience real-world surgeries in a low-risk environment. Simulators to train students pursuing flying lessons are used for long. Similar simulators have made inroads to other courses where the actual experiments are too costly to go wrong.

Edtech tools and solutions quickly overtake traditional learning methods to become the go-to way of teaching - and learning - new ideas. Technology allows for tangible, real-life learning experiences and in a digital age, using these new tools in the classroom makes much sense. We need to be mindful to harness all technology advantages and ensure the learning experience is phenomenal.?

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