10 EdTech Trends To Look Out For In 2022
Dhwani Shah
March 24, 2022
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5 min read
The COVID 19 pandemic transformed the world digitally in just two years and maximized the possibilities of incorporating technology in education. The growing demand for e-learning calls for greater evolution and diversification in the EdTech industry, that many people now call the future of education. 2022 will certainly witness the emergence of newer trends in the industry; so let's find out what’s around the corner!
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn” – Benjamin Franklin
Maintaining a student’s attention and focus during online classes is something most parents and teachers struggle with, especially in an age when we’re already seeing decreasing attention spans.
2022 will see a greater integration of XR (Extended Reality) – which involves Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR) – to make the learning experience more interactive and engaging, by allowing students to visualize and experience concepts in real time, bringing learning experiences to life. We’ve learnt so much about ancient civilizations through history textbooks, imagine the wonder of actually walking through a reconstructed Harappan site! According to a recent study by PwC, VR technology enables students to learn more materials faster. Additionally, XR technologies help specialists train in simulated “real world” environments while eliminating the risk of harm or damage to life and equipment. VR is used to train surgeons and firefighters, experiment with the new launch of a car’s latest version, or to practice something as simple as speaking in front of an audience.
The gamification of learning is the application of addictive gaming elements, like design, rewards and leaderboards, to studying. Gamification will become a pervasive part of teaching and learning as technology continues to be increasingly used in the field. Elements like scoreboards and offering badges will be used to drive student engagement and make learning a fun experience, while simultaneously enabling assessing a student's progress in real time. Apps like ClassDojo help adding points-based gamification to almost any subject.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Education Market size exceeded USD 1 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 40% between 2021 and 2027. AI has permeated every area of human activity, including education. AI enabled adaptive learning technologies keep track of learner behavior and consequently adapt to meet learners’ needs. AI will play a powerful role in automating repetitive tasks such as grading papers as well as in helping teachers with classroom management and presenting their lessons using AI-powered personal assistants, such as Merlyn, and teaching robots. Infact, schools in China have even implemented a system that uses facial recognition to check whether students are paying attention in class by scanning their faces with cameras equipped with computer vision algorithms.
The Covid 19 pandemic demanded that educational institutions switch to remote learning models. The market for online learning services and e-learning is forecast to grow by 15% annually between 2020 and 2025, reaching a value of $50 billion. Remote learning has several advantages. While students can now access courses and learn subjects and skills from across the world, as opposed to just locally, those with home and work responsibilities can adjust learning flexibly around their schedule. This is not limited just to formal education and professional training. There are several apps and websites which cater to those who wish to pursue their hobbies and interests, like learning a language (Duolingo) or learning how to cook (Tasty, Yummly).
As remote learning during the pandemic has taught us that learning can happen anywhere, blended and hybrid forms of learning will continue to shape education in 2022. Educational institutions have spent a lot of time, resources and effort on EdTech while making the switch to remote learning models and they are going to want to get the most out of their investment.
Blended - a mixture of online and face-to-face teaching, and hybrid - a mixture of in-person and online lessons, will become feasible learning models as there are several students who thrive in such learning environments, made finer now with an abundance of advanced digital resources. And schools will certainly want to retain the option of switching to hybrid lessons promptly if the need arises.
The pandemic ruthlessly underscored the inequities in education and brought to light the social and economic differences in our communities: inaccessibility to digital devices, unavailability of broadband networks and the lack of parental support. Mobile-first learning may be a step towards bridging the gap but it's not viable for many families to afford an additional mobile device and the data plan that goes with it. We will need tools to identify learner levels and provide both students and teachers the resources to identify and address these gaps. To reach these goals, more products and technologies will be developed and dedicated to making education more accessible and inclusive.
The application of blockchain technology is making its way headstrong in the education technology space. This technology, most popularly associated with Bitcoin, provides the ability to share data in a decentralized, secure way. Blockchain technology offers several benefits to students as well as institutions. Students can secure their degrees and certificates without safety concerns, access and get them verified whenever required. Blockchain also helps institutions secure various documents and records and streamlines verification procedures for admissions and transfers. Just like in many other sectors, blockchain will play a pivotal role in revolutionizing the EdTech space.
We've all aware that “Data is the new oil”. But data is now getting bigger. Big data is larger, more complex data sets that are too voluminous to be processed by traditional data processing software. These magnanimous quantities of data can be used to address and tackle problems and concerns. Big Data can assist institutions in identifying trends and patterns that indicate the most beneficial components of their programs and courses. Moreover, data analytics is already being used to identify students who may need additional support and to discover ways to improve student involvement and engagement.
Nano-learning, aka bite-sized learning, is a new EdTech concept. This methodology aims to provide ultra-bite-sized lessons in an engaging manner. With shrinking attention spans, the demand for shorter, precise content is growing, and is now being effectively delivered over platforms like Snapchat, Twitter or TikTok. In 2020, YouTube launched their short-form video-sharing platform, YouTube Shorts, to create and share content upto 60 seconds or less. Since its launch, YouTube Shorts has accumulated over 5 trillion views in total. Platforms like Arist are offering employee training via text messages, which is a pleasant change from hours of monotonous videos for most people. Nano-learning will certainly grow in 2022 as GenZ looks for knowledge in ways that are quick, crisp and compelling.
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Our world is increasingly competitive, with several people eyeing the same prizes. In today's ever growing, fast paced environment, it doesn't take long for skills to become redundant. So it's important to frequently update your skills and competencies to keep up with dynamic technological trends and working models. The past few years have seen tremendous growth for online learning aggregators such as Coursera or Udemy that offer not only traditional degrees and multi-year courses, but also numerous "micro-courses,” that can be completed within weeks or months. These methods of learning are likely to grow as people eye business success and find a flexible way to continue learning for life.
Global investment in educational technology, or EdTech, has risen from $500m to $16.1bn in the past decade and is expected to witness a compound annual growth rate of 19.9% from 2021 to 2028. EdTech has eliminated several fractures in the education space and is going to come up with new pedagogies. So while students, parents and teachers welcome the return of physical classes, the EdTech industry is here to come, see and conquer!