Education in a post-pandemic world

education

IN A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD

Whilst the pandemic accelerated the need and uplift of technology in education, higher education especially had long before recognised the need for change. EdTech not only enhances the learning experience, but it also prepares students for a digital workplace. Before the pandemic, only 42% of students in higher education felt their courses prepared them for the digital workplace1 .

Education environments have undergone extreme change in the past 12 months, even schools that were quick to adapt had obstacles to overcome. Technology stepped up to the plate to help put out fires, but what does education in a post-pandemic world look like, and have these solutions caused even more problems?

Over the last year, most students have been learning from their own devices, in their home. Whilst the cost and maintenance of EdTech is not possible for every family, those that can afford this, greatly reduce the strain on education budgets, meaning schools can provide tech to those that do need it going forwards.

Sharing and collaborating is easier when students work on personal devices. They can save work directly onto their hard drive without having to email files back and forth. Furthermore, a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) strategy allows students to access all the resources they need wherever they are, especially with course information readily available on the cloud.

42%42

of students in higher education felt their courses prepared them for the digital workplace, before the pandemic.

BYOD may seem like an easy solution, however classrooms need to be able to safely store these devices and provide places for them to charge. Classrooms will have to adapt as more students come back. Whilst lower schools may return to pencils and paper, higher and further education are unlikely to regress.

Classrooms aren’t built to enable students to plug devices into the mains for power, and with 30% of students having 4 or more devices they use to access education resources2, rising electricity bills are another issue institutions will have to face. Charge and store cabinets will likely become a staple in every classroom, creating a secure place for students to charge and securely store their devices.

Although the pandemic has posed advantages in education, the main being schools’ investment in EdTech, there have been some major disadvantages too. Before the pandemic, there had been major advancements in collaborative approaches to lessons. However, huddle spaces that force students to sit tight and work on the same display weren’t operative during the pandemic and schools had to come up with new ways to enable collaboration.

Lesson capture and video in classrooms is set to become a standard. Institutions need to upgrade classrooms and lecture theatres from just a room with a board into video enabled classrooms that encourage learning no matter if the students are in the room or not.

Introducing UC&C (unified communication and collaboration) technology in the classroom allows students to continue working together even if they are miles apart.

NDI cameras allow students and teachers to ‘step into’ classes via connecting to a LAN. This can provide a truly immersive remote experience, returning the feel of ‘walking up to a student’ rather than scheduling a Teams or Zoom meeting with them.

It is not just classrooms where UC&C technology needs to be installed. Remote students need to receive the same experience as those physically present. This means that institutions need to invest in technology for events such as graduations and school performances too.

Collaboration and accessibility will be the buzzwords in education technology for years to come. Investing in the classroom is surely an investment in the future, so we’re eager to see how the education sector will change.