Smart education is more than just advanced learning methods

Smart learning aims at providing holistic learning to students using modern technology to fully prepare them for a fast-changing world where adaptability is crucial.

Smart education offers a paradigm shift in the way students access education. It is not just a change in the delivery of education, it is much more than that. With radical changes in technology, the teachers of today, can have a hard time in processing what the future will be like 20 years from now.

Smart education solves this conundrum by using state-of-the-art technology helping both learners and teachers prepare themselves for tomorrow.

A smart education can be done in a virtual or physical environment. It could also be a blended version of both. Smart education can also be summarised as the use of smart devices to augment the learning outcome of traditional education.

By using advanced learning methods such as online virtual classrooms, virtual learning environment, cloud servers, smart phones etc. a teacher can help students gain more out of their learning.

Smart learning aims at providing holistic learning to students using modern technology to fully prepare them for a fast-changing world where adaptability is crucial.

It hones them with the skills needed for a digital future that will have newer ways of living and working. Teachers also need to adapt to the modern skills like analytics and assessment methods and learn how to apply them in their traditional classrooms with the use of information technology.

Aids reachability for students who can access education remotely

Modern age learning methods allow a person to interact with fellow students around the world. Students can collaborate with others on virtual learning platforms, partake in online discussion threads to solve their queries, take up Massive Online Open Courses (MOOC) from the best universities around the world while sitting right on their couch, amongst other benefits. They can also assess themselves vis-à-vis other students within their domain and see if their learning outcome is satisfactory by global standards.

Creates transparency by keeping parents updated

Smart education benefits parents as well. Teachers can record the data of students regarding their attendance, examination scores, etc and communicate the same to the parents. The data recording methods and communication tools together allow for parents to get involved in the learning process of their children.

They are frequently updated about their child’s progress, attendance record, events at school etc. It opens up a transparent channel of communication between the parents and the teachers.

Smarter way of curating curriculum and assessing the outcome of learning

As a training method, smart education starts with the learner. Rooted in learning analytics, it utilises the information collected from a motley of students on individual learning styles, student motivation behind learning, their understanding on the subject before course begins etc. In traditional education, these things are not captured precisely mainly due to lack of tools. Smart education makes it possible for all this information to be collected and analysed. It helps learners in crafting better teaching styles to fit the student needs. Smart education keeps in mind the objective of the training being imparted and assesses it accordingly. It provides continuous improvement by checking the progress against individual learning needs. This constant adaptation, also known as ‘adaptive learning’ is the highlight of all smart digital learning programs.

Smart education can be shared

Smart education is also making learning accessible to many. ‘Mobile learning’ or learning through the use of mobile phones is democratising the process of learning. Being common to all, it is great tool for knowledge transfer. It provides acceleration to the process of learning through its constant accessibility and adds a social dimension as it can also be shared, discussed and debated now. This aspect is called ‘social learning’.

Microblogging sites like Twitter are being used by students along with the traditional ways of learning. A research study done at Yeungnam University in Korea has concluded that smart tools contribute to efficacy of education communication as long as students and teachers are considerably involved in the process.

This proves that smart education is more than just a bunch of advanced learning methods. It has to be imbibed as a way of life in the process of learning. Smart learning thus is an amalgamation of human intellect aided by tools and devices to bring precision to the learning process – from start to finish.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)