Last week I was invited to speak at TiE Conference at Cochin where entrepreneurs, venture capitalist, angle investors, geeks, startup mentors and senior executives assembled to foster the sprite of entrepreneurship. I was asked to focus my presentation on “The future of Learning Innovation”.
As a digital strategist closely associated with learning technology space, part of my work is to studying disruptive digital technology and its impact on learning. I also study how disruptive technologies affect consumer behavior. As this allows me to connect what is possible with what will get consumer adoption.
Education technology industry is not new. The eLearning sector has been around for several decades. What is different now is the scale of technology being applied, together with sharp elbowed low priced Internet business models. This is why the MOOC revolution has witnessed an unprecedented adoption in the recent past. Let’s see how the future of learning is shaping up.
Learning” part of education will increasingly be free
With the rise of MOOCs and resources like Khan Academy, it is possible to learn for free. So far this phenomena was restricted to sort skill based learning modules. This is set to change soon. Starting early 2014, MOOC provider Udacity will offer full masters program in computer science in partnership with Georgia Tech University, at only 10% of what is costs if you take in on campus. More interestingly, it is open to public for absolutely free. Given the encouraging initial response, Udacity has now partnered with UC Berkley to offer a UG Program in Computer Science on similar lines.
“School” will take many forms; sometimes it will be self organised
Leading education researcher and strong supporter of self-learning Dr. Sugata Mitra is experimenting with “School in Cloud”, where children can learn from each other with resources available in the cloud. His vision of self-organised learning environment is inspiring.
Similarly Barack Obama supported code.org is on a mission to teach every kid how to code. We are sure such initiatives are steps that will re-imagine schooling as we know it.
Learners will create their own playlist, reflecting their own interests and goals
There are a lot of options available today for adult learners, and they are making full use of it. Most of the young people I know are enrolled in several courses. This will lead us to a scenario of personalized learning lists. This list, at some point, might include accredited institutions, but most of it will be digitally mediated experiences.
The classroom will learn to help tailor instructions to learners needs.
Radical “personalisation” will become a norm. As we collect more data by tracking learning behaviours in their online classes, we will be able to tailor the learning experience for each learner. For example, this data is already being used to predict dropouts and prevent it. Startups like ClassDojo are working on making it simple to keep students alert. It is not a coincidence that most of the MOOC leaders come with data science background. They now have all the resources to realise their dreams of personalised education.
Educators’ will diversify as new learning agent roles emerge
The innovations in the learning space are giving birth to a new form of educators. They come from all kinds of professional background. Now we increasingly see professionals, industry experts and entrepreneurs contribute to online platforms as teachers. Similarly as learning becomes more technology led, we will need more mentors who can guide the learners only when they need it.
A wide variety of learning resource networks will emerge to connect the learners and the learning agents
Social media creates new opportunities for learners to connect with each other and with teachers. We’ve already see a host of such networks like Edmodo, Lore, Learnist and LurnQ get quick adoption. Then we have platforms like Skillshare and Udemy, who aim for anyone to teach or learn anything. These networks will play a very important role in bridging the skills gap and supporting lifelong learning. In the near future, we will see these networks take the ownership of learning while physical classrooms will become the support system.
New wave of social innovation will help address resource and other challenges
Everyone knows the impact of Khan Academy. Now we see a host of other open resources like CK12, BetterLesson and Boundless, who are working relentlessly to solve problems like digital textbooks, lesson plans and much more.
Diverse forms of credentials and reputation makers will reflect the many ways people learn and demonstrate mastery
In a recent post, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman observed “We need to take what now exists as a dumb, static document and turn it into a richer, updateable, more connected record of a person’s skills, expertise, and experience. And then we need to take that record and make it part of a fully networked certification platform.”
This aptly resonates with the efforts of a host of startups such as Degreed, who are on the mission to disrupt the traditional credentialing. In this age of rapid changes in skills required in the workplace, when life long learning options are exploding, the static degree is fast losing its relevance. Slowly but surely we are moving towards a time when we will have a credential that is similar to a LinkedIn profile.
Education and associated industries, such as textbook publishing have historically resisted technology led innovations. Now, software based business models are challenging it. It took just 2 years for MOOCs to transcend from an experiment to mainstream. Though the traditional system has a long history and entrenched cultural norms on their side, it looks like we are on a fast track to re imagine every part of learning through disruptive innovation.
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