Neha has 16+ years of qualitative experience across education and development sectors and has held leadership roles driving overall business strategy and building cross-functional teams. She has closely witnessed the evolving trends in education and career choices. Her heart lies in service and is passionate about nurturing and shaping future talent. Neha is a Post Graduate in International Business from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi.
We are in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, also referred to as Industry 4.0, where technological innovations and digitization are fundamentally altering and transforming workplaces, human connections and the way of life, as a whole.
The boundaries between the physical and digital world are fast dissolving. Our workplaces and organizations are becoming “smarter” and more efficient as machines, and humans start to work together.
To make the most of the opportunity created by advanced technology, we need a similar revolution in education, Education 4.0. This means students will need to be taught about this technology as part of the curriculum, and institutions will be required to change the approach to learning altogether and identify ways to utilizing this technology to better improve the university experience for students.
Furthermore, the disruptions caused by the pandemic are also driving educational institutions and their leaders, as well as governments and regulatory bodies around the world to reimagine the educational framework and pedagogical approaches encompassing curriculums, teaching methodologies, assessments and more.
It is now, therefore, imperative for institutions to shift from teaching to facilitating, from an instruction-based to a student-centric approach, from producing rote learners to creating more engaged and active learners. Institutions need to focus on teaching the curriculum of the future, one that combines futuristic subjects with traditional ones, and prepares students for meeting the changing demands of Industry 4.0 and facing the grand challenges of the future.
As a subset of Education 4.0, Curriculum 4.0 emphasizes modern techniques such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) that can be used across education processes, such as grading and assessments, personalized communication, student enrolment, plagiarism and much more, allowing educators more time to work with students on developing 21st century skills as well as to focus on individual students who would benefit from their guidance. Such tools would also provide valuable insights into a student’s strengths and weaknesses.
Evolving Trends in Education 4.0
According to research by McKinsey Digital, 60 percent of all vocations might potentially have at least a third of their tasks automated because of the fourth industrial revolution. However, there are a lot more factors to consider than only the possible disruption to the hard skills needed for different work roles. The soft skills that students will require in the future will also be impacted by the fourth industrial revolution. The list includes social skills, process skills, and complicated problem solving as some of the soft talents that will soon be considered essential.
In such a scenario, let’s discuss the various evolving trends in Education 4.0:
More individualized mode of learning
Every student is valued individually, and each learns at their own speed, according to Education 4.0. A more individualized approach to education can help learners attain their goals more quickly. Numerous solutions are now available, thanks to artificial intelligence and cloud computing that can adapt the entire teaching process to each learner’s needs and rate of learning.
Importance of project-based learning
There will be more project-based learning opportunities for students: Short-term projects give students the opportunity to exercise their organisational, collaborative, and time management skills, all of which are important for their academic careers. Students utilise their knowledge and skills to complete these projects.
AI and Data Analytics
Students will learn about data interpretation, where they must apply their technical or ethical knowledge to statistics and use their critical thinking abilities to draw conclusions based on logic and trends from sets of data that are provided. The manual component of mathematical literacy will be rendered obsolete as statistical analysis and trend prediction are carried out by computers and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Simple and precise assessment
The traditional method of evaluating students may become outdated or insufficient. When students are working on their field projects, they can be tested on their application of knowledge in addition to their factual knowledge.
Conclusion
Education 4.0 is all about innovation and enhancing 21st skills like Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Growth Mindset. Faculty members should invest time to study deeply about the important technological trends and how they can be used to transform teaching and learning processes. When examining and considering change, trends in Education 4.0 should not be disregarded. Early adoption of technology and timely intervention of new-age techniques can also foster a viable ground for academia-industry partnerships providing opportunities for organizations in the EdTech space to think of developing innovative educational solutions for institutions.