The pandemic EdTech and WorkTech trends that are here to stay
New digital habits emerged during the pandemic. While some of these will fade away as the COVID-19 crisis subsides, many are expected to stick.
Digital technology adoption accelerated by several years during the pandemic, and as people went online to learn, work, stay connected and entertain themselves, new digital habits emerged. While some of these changes will fade away as the COVID-19 crisis subsides, many are expected to stick¹.
The rapid acceleration in e-learning has prompted public and private sectors to undertake ambitious plans pertaining to online tutoring and digital content delivery. Although digital usage is expected to drop once the pandemic eases, many students still want the option to study online. We can therefore envisage a hybrid model of education, with a continually growing online learning component giving learners a “phygital” experience with flexible online access to learning, while teachers continue to facilitate human interaction and inquiry in the classroom.
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which offer free online courses from top universities and microcredentials — stackable learning units that can be combined into a degree — saw enrolments surge during the pandemic as learners sought alternative learning options when campuses closed. One third of the learners that ever registered on a MOOC platform joined in 2020², a trend that is likely to continue even after the pandemic passes. The trend has been further heightened by organisations prioritising the closing of skill gaps, with 2021 seeing a five-fold increase in employer provision of online learning opportunities for employees³. Critical skills have become the new workplace currency, promoting an increasing trend towards continuous learning.
These digital learning experiences set a good precedent in preparing students for the new ‘remote first’ world of work. With many companies forced to adopt a hybrid or fully remote policy during lockdowns, many business leaders have embraced the associated benefits and declared remote work a permanent part of their company strategy. Large corporations including Twitter and Slack have already given employees the option to work from home permanently. The remote workforce has brought with it advantages from both a hiring and business continuity standpoint. According to Forbes, 74% of professionals expect remote work to become standard. For employers, adopting a hybrid model of work is going to be critical in attracting and retaining talent in the future.
Covid-19’s legacy has changed how we will learn and work. Crucially, employers and online learning providers must now ensure they focus on the key areas that offer true value to their stakeholders by providing an improved and personalised user experience, safety and privacy assurances, and, most importantly, a premium phygital experience.
(1)McKinsey (2)ClassCentral Report (3)World Economic Forum
Originally published in the X Report — Home of all news, key trends, market activity, and the latest stars of today and tomorrow impacting education and training.
