Education 4.0

Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 is the name given to the new fourth industrial revolution that emerged with the control of production processes by data-supported scientific methods and intelligent production structures. Since the first industrial revolution, our view of the world has been constantly changing.

Industry 1.0(1784): Based on water and steam-powered mechanical production equipment.

Industry 2.0(1870): Based on the division of labour and mass production through the use of electrical energy.

Industry 3.0(1969): Based on the use of electronic and information technologies to further automate production.

Industry 4.0(nowadays): Based on the use of cyber-physical systems to lift the boundary between the real and the virtual world.

Education 4.0

Education 4.0 is a new experience-based education system that uses digital technologies instead of the rote-based system and responds to the needs of the new world through personalised education. This system, which envisions the training of new generations to meet the needs of Industry 4.0, brings together technology, individuality, and discovery-based learning. It also prepares students for their future jobs.

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Time and space-independent education

Students can learn wherever and whenever they want. Thanks to new interactive learning tools, education is now space and time independent. While the theoretical dimension is learned outside the classroom, face-to-face practical learning is carried out in the classroom.

Individuals who learn the theoretical part of their education on their own and in a digital environment can transform their knowledge into real-life experiences through practical project-based activities in the classroom.

Personalized learning

Students will receive personalized learning through special tools adjusted to their capabilities. In this way, a student who has difficulty in understanding what many children can easily absorb will be able to improve at their own pace.

Intermediary software will not advance lessons until the student is ready. This advantage of personalized learning means that students who experience learning difficulties at school will feel more supported in overcoming their challenges.

When performance graphs are obtained from this software and examined by teachers, it is possible to understand better the subjects that the student has a predisposition towards. Teachers can then easily and effectively determine the subjects in which the student is stronger or weaker.

Learning flexibility

Traditional education systems apply the same model for each student. Education 4.0 believes that there is no drawback in trying different paths if it reaches the same goal.

From Education 1.0 to Education 3.0, the same curriculum was offered to all students with the same teaching styles. Although more efficient methods were used in Education 3.0, the necessary flexibility could not be provided.

In Education 4.0, a flexible global education model is recommended for every student. Teachers can use online data to track and measure the results of their students and then provide personalized guidance based on their specific strengths and weaknesses.

With successful orientation, each child will become more successful in the areas they are predisposed towards and will develop their weaknesses through their own flexible education plan. A successful student in mathematics can complete their development in a weaker verbal field with a personalized and flexible learning plan.

Project-based learning (MAKER)

To prepare children for the future freelance work model, students need to become familiar with project-based learning and study models. In other words, students have the chance to apply what they have learned on a real project, instead of writing answers on paper.

In the field of learning called Maker, the individual is transformed into a self-sufficient person by using their talents effectively and in a fun way in many areas, especially technology. Maker culture aims to prepare children for the future via fun.

Through project-based learning, children can improve the below abilities and develop themselves in these areas of great importance throughout their academic career:

·????? Problem-solving

·????? Being solution-oriented

·????? Collaboration and teamwork

·????? Time management

An example of Maker work is programming-based robotic designs that students develop to perform a specific task.

Data interpretation

Mathematics will keep its place in our lives in the future, but this time robots will do these operations instead of humans. The task for people will be to draw insights based on the released data.

The world is developing technologically every day. Information technologies are the biggest opportunity of our future. When future graduates leave university, they may not know their professions, but they will know technology very well and be able to respond to the global needs of Industry 4.0.

It is necessary for people to learn competencies such as setting up, managing, developing, collecting, processing, and interpreting data. As one of the important requirements of Education 4.0, students should be able to recognize trends in data and develop recommendations based on the data.

As a result, students should learn to approach standard data from an unusual perspective.

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Not a single exam, continuous improvement!

In the current system, students are subjected to a question-and-answer exam. According to many educators, this system is only successful in the short-term. After the exam, students forget the memorized information very quickly.

In Education 4.0, the focus is on evaluation instead of exams. Students should use their acquired knowledge as soon as they begin their professional life. The evaluation result will be based on the entire education period instead of one exam.

Likewise, students are expected to produce continuous Maker activities and put what they have learned into practice. Children learning to code can develop a calculator or a game that they can use in their daily lives, instead of just mastering theoretical knowledge. These projects will contribute to transforming theoretical knowledge into practical experience and storing it in long-term memory.

Curriculum with student participation

In Education 4.0, students will be involved in the creation of curricula. This is because maintaining a contemporary, up-to-date, and useful curriculum will be important to professionals, as well as students.

Students' critical input on the content of their courses will help create an all-inclusive study program that matches their interests. This means that in the future, learning curricula will be prepared by teachers and students together. Currently, learning curricula is only prepared by teachers and contains a significant amount of information that is inapplicable to real-world scenarios.

Guidance-oriented

It is believed that in 20 years, students' learning process will have a more independent form. In this form, mentoring will gain importance for students to improve their education in a healthy way.

Students can achieve the highest level of academic performance under the mentorship of teachers. According to long-term estimates, after 20 years, teachers will play a key role in education as mentors rather than simply distributors knowledge.

If we educate today's students as if they were living yesterday, we'd steal their tomorrow. — John Dewey

Virtual Reality (VR) in Education

PC-based VR learning experiences engage students in fully immersive, hands-on activities. These active learning opportunities ignite students’ imaginations and interest in new subjects and help them to acquire modern skills before joining the workforce.

VR is a fully immersive technology where users wear a head-mounted display or headset and experience a computer-generated world of imagery and sounds. With controllers that are connected to a powerful PC, users can manipulate objects and move around in environments that may be otherwise inaccessible to them. With VR, users can see life-size molecules and dinosaurs, visit the Louvre and the Pyramids, or experience a day in the life of an astronaut or heart surgeon.

VR as a learning tool

VR as a learning tool was initially adopted for workplace training scenarios, most notably for flight simulators. With advancements in graphics, spatial audio, animation, and greater accessibility due to lowering entry costs, VR is now being used for a wider variety of use cases, including education. Today, VR can help students engage more deeply with lesson content, practice real-life STEAM skills, and better retain information. In addition, using high-performing PCs with VR can offer an even more immersive learning experience with clear graphics and smooth animation.

Benefits of VR in Education

VR enables active learning, which is a teaching methodology that involves students’ full attention and participation as they learn by “doing” as opposed to learning through alternative passive methods, such as listening to a lecture.

Immersive Active Learning

With VR as a tool for learning, teachers can provide immersive, engaging, technology-enabled experiences for their students. As students learn hands on through VR, teachers can encourage them to use more of their senses to participate in learning activities. For example, students interested in biology and chemistry can explore a virtual, microscopic world, walking among atoms or building molecules by hand. Students who have a passion for history and art can step back in time to view the Great Library of Alexandria or the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in detail.

Access and Inclusion

With access limited only by the availability of VR-based content, students can engage in experiences that might otherwise be unavailable. Students can take field trips to museums and visit countries on the other side of the world without ever leaving their classroom or incurring the cost of travel. Virtual environments can support a range of learning styles and the needs of students with learning challenges. And students with physical limitations can participate in experiences that may not be possible for them in the nonvirtual world.

Practical STEAM Experiences

VR in schools can also help students who are interested in pursuing STEAM-related careers, enabling them to practice real-life skills before entering the workforce. As employers adapt to industries in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, educators can simultaneously prepare students during their education with VR-based learning. With VR, students can learn the inner mechanisms of a nuclear power plant without ever having to go inside one or identify the parts of a human heart from the perspective of a surgeon without having to step inside a hospital. By allowing students to be visually, audibly, and tactically engaged with specific industries and professions, educators can help give them a clearer idea of what they might experience when they enter the workforce.

Increased Information Retention

When students learn through hands-on activities, they are more likely to retain information. In VR-based learning, students are immersed in three-dimensional virtual environments where they can perform and act in targeted, realistic situations. The use of immersive VR-based lessons has been shown to promote improvements in comprehension, cognition, and overall fact retention across a range of subjects and activities, no matter the complexity.

The Future for VR-Based Learning

Years ago, students would get excited when teachers would roll out the “computer cart” that was stocked with laptops. Soon, teachers will be able to announce the “VR cart” where every student can have access to a VR headset and its respective PC and experience lessons in STEAM unlike ever before. By fueling curiosity and embracing active learning through innovative technologies, VR could measurably change the landscape of education over the next decade.