Student-centric, hybrid, and adaptive: How technology will be deeply embedded in future classrooms

The impact of technology on consumers' lives over the past two decades has been phenomenal. Technology has embedded itself deeply not just in people's lives but into the global economy by fueling our ability to communicate, learn, and make advancements in engineering and medicine. Digital breakthroughs are also reshaping industries, altering how products and services are manufactured, sold, and consumed.

But, it is education where technology has perhaps the most meaningful scope of impact. We can already see this in instances where digital solutions have been skillfully harnessed to connect students to teachers, resources, content, expertise, and learning experiences that empower and inspire them. By supporting students, parents, schools, and teachers with edtech resources, not only do we foster more collaboration, but also extend learning well beyond the classroom.

With quality education poised to dictate the growth story of nations worldwide, let's take a look at how disruptive learning tools will transform classrooms of the future.

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The Hybrid Model

With greater autonomy come greater outcomes – as hybrid education trends since 2020 have demonstrated. Hybrid learning models greatly help both students and teachers obtain the most out of a classroom, fully leveraging the benefits of tech on multiple levels. Students' outcomes are improved by these tech-driven, blended learning models as it gives them more personalized mobility. It also allows them to learn at their own pace and get past learning insecurities. Students also have the option of revisiting recorded lectures and learning complex topics at their own pace.

Addressing Teacher Supply

A major barrier to scaling up high-quality education has been the lack of skilled teachers. Technology is solving this problem by ensuring the quality of education provided by teachers globally and by increasing the pool of quality teachers. For instance, BYJU’S Tuition Centre has expanded to 140 cities just within a year of its launch and has provided quality education through more than 2,000 teachers by utilising technology in the way each class is designed and taught. Technology is also enabling quick review and feedback of any teaching gaps and addressing them on an immediate and on data-led basis.

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Increase in the usage of adaptive learning methods

What is taught in classrooms must keep pace with what is going on in the world around us. This necessitates a shift in both what and how students are taught. Adaptive learning methods leverage technology to deliver customised solutions that meet the specific learning needs of students. While ‘what’ is taught in classrooms focuses on the subjects itself, ‘how’ it is taught focuses on connecting those subjects to the actual world around us and incorporating skills that students already use in other aspects of their lives. The classrooms of the future will be more diverse and tech-equipped than today. Access to adaptive learning technology will free teachers from administrative tasks to instead focus on creating more meaningful student relationships. The benefits of digital learning are recognised by the UN too, which is on a global mission to expand digital learning and skills and target marginalized students, in a bid to connect every child and youth – some 3.5 billion by 2030 – to digital learning. Every student deserves an equal opportunity to learn regardless of their socio-economic standing,

geography, or level of education, and it is virtual classrooms that can put students in the driver’s seat of their education by helping them learn through rich, visual, and personalised methods.

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Focus on human-led learning

Innovations in pedagogical strategies are making learning more engaging, enhancing the level of interaction and attention, and making it a holistic human experience. Immersive learning through videos, hands-on tools, AI-based environments, and so on allows learners to visualise as well as interact with various concepts. This ensures clarity of thought and also retention. The careful application of technology in education allows us to transform the nature of learning so that it makes the most of students' time and their capabilities.

Teachers, too, are no longer just facilitators of learning; they are becoming coaches, mentors, and leader figures for students to look up to. Automation will continue to transform schools as more smart tools get incorporated, including face recognition technology to mark attendance, and autonomous data analysis to inform learning decisions. This level of automation can allow teachers to focus more on human-led learning.

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Edtech’s growth is set to continue

Newer formats of education are fast evolving to match the changing needs of students. Combined with technology, education has provided powerful opportunities for educators to create an impact. Additionally, due to its capacity to provide sustainable solutions and adapt swiftly to changes, the edtech sector has the potential to keep evolving. The next decade will be defined by research and development in tech-driven delivery of education and the growth of hybrid learning. This is part of a trend that we are already seeing, where educators are increasingly supported by technology. The future of education is bright, but the key lies in constantly innovating and improving on our traditional educational systems and frameworks, as well as making them agile to support these rapid innovations with technology.

(The author is the Head of BYJU’S Tuition Centre)