Emerging Educational Trends and its Drawbacks in 2021

The importance of evolving educational trends is undeniable. As we know, education has always existed as the most fundamental element of any society. A person’s growth level depicts the degree of civilization of the nation. That is why it is constantly advancing. Though, in the wake of the current pandemic situation, we came across multiple challenges emerging from these tech educational trends. We will discuss both the emerging educational trends and the challenges in this article.

Everyday Evolving Tech Educational Trends

Technological advancement has been fascinating to human beings since its inception. No one can negate the marvels of science. One of the vital contributions of science is in the education sector that is increasing at a higher pace. The focus should be on generating humans capable of higher intellect to solve day-to-day issues. As mentioned in —OECD, Trends Shaping Education report:

“The future will be about pairing the artificial intelligence of computers with the cognitive, social and emotional capabilities of humans, so that we educate first-class humans, not second-class robots”

Some of the most popular educational trends these days are following:

Block Chain

Blockchain is known for its complex security protocols, and people are using these protocols for money and data transfer. It provides protected data traffic for individuals and as well as for organizations. Multiple universities use this technology to transfer crucial data. Through blockchain, the digital storage of data provides security and makes data accessible to authorized people.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is the most modernized version of educational trends. It is valuable for both ends, which are teachers and students. It helps to represent more personalized study proposals for students based on their interests and capabilities. In the wake of this pandemic situation, student’s online performance can assess through this tool because it supports features like video and audio proctoring, facial recognition, and object detection. AI system can provide a facility to track records for paper corrections and check the ratio of plagiarism in research papers.

From STEM to STEAM

The traditional educational system referred to as STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, while A in STEAM is stands for arts. The most trending educational trend nowadays is the development of critical thinking because the need of the time is more persons with problem-solving skills. The institutions are preferring people having leadership, team-building, and communication skills. So the priority is to make people more prone to a problem-solving mindset. The philosopher and futurist Alvin Toffler once said:

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

Source: How to Think Critically

Hyper-Personalized Learning

In the traditional learning system wherein one classroom, a student has to go through multiple subjects he is outstanding in a few while poor in others. The modern educational trend is self-based and hyper-personalized work according to the learner’s ability to excel in a particular area. It examines a person’s existing knowledge and interest in a specific subject and provides knowledge accordingly. This trend will alter the whole new concept of knowledge and will be able to prepare the area-specific experts more efficiently.

Immersive Learning: AR, VR and Chatbots

In the traditional learning system, the students have to memorize details of an event. While in this new era of emerging educational trends, learners can experience past events in reality via AR and VR technology. A student can go back to a historical place and feel every bit of the environment in surrounding at that time. This experience can give a more virtual and lasting impression. Similarly, chatbots exist in almost every higher education website, where students can ask queries. It is also a very innovative idea, which reduces student’s effort and saves the administration’s energy.

Source: Project-based Learning

Gamification

It is an extensively popular educational trend that engages students in a learning environment through fun and games. It also increases social interaction and group collaboration. It got both the fans and critics. The number of positive remarks is increasing day by day. Gaming gives the sense of self-challenge and reward that leads to better outcomes.

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1319157813000384

Effects of these Educational Trends

Despite having tremendous success in the education sector, these educational trends are negatively affecting society’s lives. Following are the opposing scenarios existing due to technological advancements:

Haves and Have-nots: Educational Trends widening the Gap

Similarly, the academic community across the globe is facing this issue. And due to these tech educational trends, society is falling somewhere in between two ends and not gaining what is essential for survival as a whole. Even in Western societies, there is much to achieve yet. Society stratification exists in western countries, and also in developing countries, it is a substantial concern. It can be resolve by making people-centric policies that focus on community betterment rather than just a race towards undefined fate. As LOUISA HEINRICH said:

“There is a gap between the rate at which technology develops and the rate at which society develops. We need to take care not to fall into that gap.”

Misinformation: Challenge for Academic People

Among all the issues the community of this time is facing, the most challenging is the misuse of information. A human can survive without knowledge sometimes, but with false information, humanity is in grave threat. All the people who are devoted to the service of academia are actually in a difficult situation where on one side, these educational trends are making things more exciting and innovative, while on the other hand, misinformation is ruining the time and reliability of these tech educational trends.

Privacy Issues: Threat for Research Work

A Lot of people are worried about privacy issues and showing more suspicion and skepticism about tech educational trends. In this ever-increasing advancement era, both the security and violations of security have increasingly been challenging for this generation. With the invention of hacking tools, people are worried about sharing their sensitive data or assignments online. It is also needed a solution.

Disconnects Community: Increasing Pressure for Innovation

This whole desire for new ideologies and innovation is throwing people into a virtual world that isolates them from the real. People are spending more time in front of screens. And this competition-driven environment is bounding people into a hectic routine without bringing any apt change into the existing order. They are ruining their health and, the community around them which has to be transformed.

Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344498877_Emerging_Trends_of_Education_During_Post_COVID_19_A_New_Challenge

What to do About These Issues?

The educational trends should resolve these existing issues at an equal pace, not like resolving the one issue producing the other, which is the scenario now. The state governments can play a crucial role regarding these issues. Policies can be generated and implemented on national and international levels to counter and regulate these educational trends. Also, measures can take place t increase adaptability through different channels. Gabriel Kahn, former bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal wrote that:

“We are not facing a ‘Terminator’-like scenario. Nor are we facing a tech-driven social utopia. Humans are catching up and understanding the pernicious impact of technology and how to mitigate it.”

Source: https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/students-computers-and-learning/implications-of-digital-technology-for-education-policy-and-practice_9789264239555-11-en#page8

Conclusion

With all these everyday increasing educational trends, the fear of the gap between superhumans and average humans is increasing. At the same time, human replacement by these technologies is also threatening for some people. The need for time is to increase adaptability at the same pace or decrease a technological speed to overcome fears for a while, for better outcomes. Step by step approach to harmonize these technologies can be promising.