It’s conspicuous that technology will have a prominent role to play in the future of higher education in the world. Students of all levels have found technology to be a powerful tool in the classroom, be it as a means of delving deeper into the material, or as a way of forming relationships with peers and professors from all over the world. This is a trend that will only continue to manifest in the years to come.
In the recent past, the way we gain information has drastically changed, mostly due to the development of online learning platforms. Though traditional brick and mortar campuses are still a very big part of the higher education experience, the ways people can earn a degree are vastly different from the ways that early professors initially envisioned.
The infiltration of personal computers, mobile phones, and internet access has made higher education drastically more accessible to a larger variety of students. Receiving and submitting assigned tasks can also be done remotely and easily because of the use of technology. Working assignments have also been made easier because with all the information available online and websites like homework doer
available, students get their assignments done quickly and easily.
Currently, students don’t have to travel many miles to campus, to live in dormitories, or to have physical textbooks in order to get meaningful knowledge and educational experiences from their college years.
The vast accessibility of mobile devices has helped to ensure that busy individuals can remotely keep up with their coursework throughout the day. Online learning platforms have also made it easier for students all over the world to access high-quality college courses, whereas educators have also had more tools at their disposal to engage in high-quality research and teaching tools.
Distance learning has become popular, in part, because of the flexibility that online learning over the internet brings to students’ lives. However, the benefits of technology in the classroom may be more impactful than one would initially think.
One reason could be because courses that are delivered in an online environment may be more conducive to individual students’ personal learning styles. Moreover, students are free and flexible to work full time or part-time, depending on their convenience, meaning they have time to absorb the material and have more productive discussions about course material.
More complicated changes, however, are the ways in which technology continues to change the educational environment. Gamification is rapidly changing the way that students experience their classwork. It allows them to explore advanced concepts in active and adaptive learning environments. Interactive videos and recorded lectures allow students to experience new information in a fun and convenient way.
Also, with the use of technology, even the most reserved students can become active members of group discussions. Online course forums give these students the unique opportunity to create dialogues with their classmates, providing links to videos, studies, and think pieces to further move the discussion forward even if they have reserved characters. These discussions are usually very dynamic. For example, you may find that a discussion question among a class of 12 people can have up to a hundred different comments. The students are able to actively provide links to videos or write-ups that support their arguments in real-time, something which is impossible in an ordinary classroom.
Some professors note that they have a stronger connection with their online students than they have with the students in their physical classrooms. This is due to the frequent interactions and discussions in the online platforms.
As this technology continues to grow, students will be able to experience education in a richer and more immersive manner. The new technologies will soon give students the chance to experience the classroom in virtual and augmented reality, creating a dynamic learning environment that will only enhance the learning experience for students of all ages.
