Role of digital platforms in the education sector_An essay by Sabya Sachi Das

We are presenting the series of essays submitted for the 1st Annual Pharma Literati Essay contest. The opinions in the essay are by the authors and need to be endorsed by Pharma Literati team. 

Online education has evolved to such a degree that as a method of educating and as a platform or global branding, it bears little resemblance to what it was merely a few years ago. Institutional strategies for how to engage with these changes have evolved as well, given how colleges and universities worldwide have responded to some of the latest developments in online learning. Changing trends in educational technology are thus the driving force behind many of the educational strategies now introduce across the world.

Why Use Technology in Schools?

Technology is a tool, not an end in itself. The goal isn’t to create a digital version of business as usual but to empower teachers to make better use of instructional strategies such as: Case-based learning, helping students master abstract principles and skills through the analysis of real-world situations. The sharing of multiple, varied representations of concepts, helping students grasp complex material by showing them alternative forms of the same underlying idea. Collaborative learning, helping students to understand that their combined efforts are often greater than the sum of their individual knowledge and skills. Apprenticeships, which give context to schoolwork by introducing students to real-world challenges, responsibilities, colleagues, and mentors. Opportunities for self-directed learning, which foster academic engagement, self-efficacy, and tenacity by requiring students to define and pursue specific interests. Interdisciplinary studies, which help students see how differing fields can complement each other, offering a richer perspective on the world than any single discipline can provide Connected learning, which encourages students to pursue opportunities to study outside of their classrooms and campuses The use of diagnostic assessments that are embedded into learning and are formative for further learning and instruction. However, the trend towards online education is not without its critics. The disruptive  innovation that is online learning, many have argued, may offer lower costs and increased  revenue, but comes at the price of inferior quality and diminished performance.49 Critics of  moving away from standard practices and expanding both delivery methods and revenue generation model through  online  education  underscore  the risk‐averse  nature  of  traditional  postsecondary  institutions, and  those  currently  running  them.  Given  recent  financial troubles experienced by  for‐profit institutions, many in the non‐profit world feel validated in their skeptical position and have even argued that the troubles of for‐profit  educators  will  prove beneficial  for  non‐profit  education. In  addition,  there  remains  a  problem with the legitimacy that faculty grant to online education, and this may be the  lasting impediment to wider adoption.

CHANGING METHODS OF DELIVERY         

Within the broader realm of technology trends in higher education, online education is far from the most dynamic. Several new forms of content delivery that involve new technology have emerged that have the potential to change pedagogical norms. Among the most recent developments include concepts such as    the “flipped classroom,” adapted learning and experiential learning, and innovative approaches to instruction like “gamified” teaching  and  learning.  These trends  are  explored  further  below.  The  focus in  this  section  is,  however, on emerging technologies, as opposed to more established ones such as hybrid or  collaborative  teaching/learning  platforms,  multimedia‐driven  instruction,  and  other  technology employed to attract new students over the last few years. 

VARIOUS DEVELOPMENT AREA                                                                                               Development area 1: to extend the areas of excellence in digital education that already exist and to ensure that all departments and faculties regularly review how digital methods might enhance their teaching and learning provision.                                                                                             Development area 2: to use appropriate digital technologies to develop more inclusive provision for different learning needs.                                                                                                              Development area 3: to support academic staff as innovative teachers by developing the functionality and usability of key digital platforms.                                                                                            Development area 4: to support students by making collections of resources more accessible and relevant to their learning.                                                                                                                               Development area 5: to clarify and agree the resources needed to develop digital education, where these might be most effectively situated, and how best funded.

Digital education is understood to mean the employment of technology in the creation and curation of teaching materials in digital form, the design and delivery of teaching, and the engagement and interaction of students with learning through the medium of digital technology. 

This digital education strategy begins with the principles that (a) the traditional forms of teaching and learning, such as tutorials and small-group teaching, have always been at the heart of the degree programmes we offer, and we should continue to enhance and maximize them; (b) that academic staff should be supported in innovating in teaching methods; and (c) that students should benefit from the increased learning opportunities that digital education offers.

The higher education landscape is undergoing significant change as a result of technological innovations.  We are witnessing changes in the way higher education is taught and in the way students learn. While the conventional setting of the lecture hall will continue to form the bedrock of higher education systems, it will be enhanced by the integration of new tools and pedagogies, and it will be complemented by many more online learning opportunities and a greater variety of providers in higher education.

These new technologies and approaches to education are already having a clear and positive impact on higher education provision, and they are already starting to facilitate better quality learning and teaching for both on-campus and online provision, as educational resources from around the globe become more freely accessible and more interactive media for learning are employed. Methods of teaching can be better tailored to individual students’ needs and advances in learning analytics are enabling quicker feedback on students’ performance.

There is enormous potential for widening access to higher education and increasing the diversity of the student population. Online technologies provide opportunities to learn anywhere, anytime and from anyone. This flexibility is essential for non-traditional learners and will enable a shichange in the engagement of higher education institutions in lifelong learning and continuing professional development. This will provide an important tool to governments in ensuring a diversity of provision within higher education systems to meet the needs of all learners. It also provides a platform for reaching international markets and complements existing developments in cross-border education.

Finally, new technologies can facilitate greater collaboration, both with global partners and at a more local level. Developing educational partnerships is an important element of India’s strategy for cooperation with other parts of the world and also provides a mechanism for enhancing educational attainment rates in emerging economies. At the local level, technologies can underpin national eff orts to drive greater collaboration between institutions, combining expertise and delivering greater critical mass.

The benefits are clear and needs to take concerted action to ensure that the potential is fully realized. While the debate on digital learning has been dominated in recent times by the impact of technology and will be much wider. Governments must strongly encourage and support a greater integration of new technologies and associated pedagogical approaches in conventional provision. Traditional providers must diversify their offering and provide more courses online, especially targeting continuing professional development and lifelong learning. They should also be encouraged and incentivized to engage with newer forms of open, online courses as these become more established. The momentum towards openness and freely accessible education resources needs to be maintained and built on. The goal should be to ensure that all publicly funded education resources are openly available.

Realizing these ambitions is not a straightforward task. It will involve significant changes in how higher education institutions operate, as well as a change in culture and mindset. The challenges will require targeted actions and support.

New models of provision such as open online courses bring specific challenges. But given the opportunities that they offer for lifelong learning, continuing professional development and internationalization, it is imperative that public authorities consider how these learning opportunities can be brought more fully into the higher education system. There are many anxieties about the quality and wider acceptance of these learning experiences, and action is needed to quell these concerns. Guidelines around quality assurance and developing a means of providing credit and recognition for these forms of learning will advance efforts to instill them as a credible alternative to the traditional degree programme. Online learning has also brought with it the ability to collect and analyze learner data that has not been possible before. This brings great potential for personalized learning and enhanced retention, although the utmost care must be taken to ensure students are fully aware of and give full consent for the collection and use of their personal data.

While accepting that higher education institutions and, more particularly, teaching staff  are the main actors in delivering these pedagogical changes, it is the responsibility of public authorities to create the environment and incentive for action. Support can also be made available for peer learning and collaborative cross-border initiatives, for example, infrastructures, quality assurance guidelines and credit recognition. We stand on the cusp of real transformative change in higher education. This must be embraced fully to ensure that we provide the best learning experience for all students across the globe.

Digital Teaching Platforms Digital teaching platforms (DTPs) are a new kind of classroom learning infrastructure enabled by advances in theory, research, and one-to-one computing initiatives. This system is designed to operate in a teacher-led classroom as the major carrier of the curriculum content and to function as the primary instructional environment. Note that DTPs are not meant to replace teachers or control their work. Attempts since the dawn of computing to build “teacher-in-a-box” instructional systems have produced only simplistic learning environments that have limited effectiveness (with the exception of intelligent tutoring systems limited to a narrow range of subject matter .The focus in educational technology has appropriately turned from artificial intelligence to amplifying the intelligence of teachers and students.

The online and open education world is changing how education is resourced, delivered and taken up. Over the next 10 years, e-learning is projected to grow 30% of all educational provision. But this transformation should be shaped by educators and policy-makers, rather than something that simply happens to them. And the benefits of these developments should be available to all across the world. The government needs to set out a framework for enhancing learning and teaching through new technologies and open digital content at all levels of education. Within higher education, new technologies have enormous potential to effect change. They enable universities to meet a broader range of learners’ needs, adapting traditional teaching methods and offering a mix of face to face and online learning possibilities that allow individuals to learn anywhere, anytime. They also create openings to engage in new kinds of collaboration and offer opportunities to distribute resources more effectively. Given the social and economic potential that can come from harnessing technological innovation in higher education. But many universities are not yet ready for this change – and governments have been slow to take the lead. While there are instances of innovation, the landscape is fragmented, various barriers prevent widespread uptake, and fully-fl edged institutional or national strategies for adopting new modes of learning and teaching are few and far between. T he higher education landscape is undergoing significant change as a result of technological innovations. We are witnessing changes in the way higher education is taught and in the way students learn. While the conventional setting of the lecture hall will continue to form the bedrock of higher education systems, it will be enhanced by the integration of new tools and pedagogies, and it will be complemented by many more online learning opportunities and a greater variety of providers in higher education. These new technologies and approaches to education are already having a clear and positive impact on higher education provision. And they are already starting to facilitate better quality learning and teaching for both on-campus and online provision, as educational resources from around the globe become more freely accessible and more interactive media for learning are employed. Methods of teaching can be better tailored to individual students’ needs and advances in learning analytics are enabling quicker feedback on students’ performance. There is enormous potential for widening access to higher education and increasing the diversity of the student population. Online technologies provide opportunities to learn anywhere, anytime and from anyone. This flexibility is essential for non-traditional learners and will enable a change in the engagement of higher education institutions in lifelong learning and continuing professional development. This will provide an important tool to governments in ensuring a diversity of provision within higher education systems to meet the needs of all learners. It also provides a platform for reaching international markets and complements existing developments in cross-border education. Finally, new technologies can facilitate greater collaboration, both with global partners and at a more local level. Developing educational partnerships is an important element of India’s strategy for cooperation with other parts of the world and also provides a mechanism for enhancing educational attainment rates in emerging economies. At the local level, technologies can underpin national efforts to drive greater collaboration between institutions, combining expertise and delivering greater critical mass. The benefits are clear and India needs to take concerted action to ensure that the potential is fully realized. Governments must strongly encourage and support a greater integration of new technologies and associated pedagogical approaches in conventional provision. Traditional providers must diversify their offering and provide more courses online, especially targeting continuing professional development and lifelong learning. They should also be encouraged and incentivized to engage with newer forms of open, online courses as these become more established. The momentum towards openness and freely accessible education resources needs to be maintained and built on. The goal should be to ensure that all publicly funded education resources are openly available. Realizing these ambitions is not a straightforward task. It will involve signifi cant changes in how higher education institutions operate, as well as a change in culture and mindset. The challenges will require targeted actions and support. Executive summary There remains a culture of conservatism within Indiaan higher education which needs to change. This demands strong leadership and vision from both public authorities and institutional leaders. While a broad range of good practice is already emerging across India, this is happening to a large degree in an uncoordinated bottom-up approach. It is now time for governments and institutions to develop comprehensive strategies at both the national and institutional level for the adoption of new modes of learning and teaching within higher education. Governments need to decide on the mix of provision necessary across the system to meet the needs of all learners, and they must identify the support needed to deliver this. In particular, targeted financial incentives will be paramount in kick-starting initiatives. Dedicated centralized structures and supports within institutions can provide the engine for driving change and mainstreaming new approaches across the institution. Teaching staff are, of course, at the frontline of delivering these changes and they must be equipped with the skills and knowledge to allow them to fully utilize the range of new teaching tools available. Continuing professional development for teachers must become the norm across all Indian institutions. New models of provision such as open online courses bring specific challenges. But given the opportunities that they offer for lifelong learning, continuing professional development and internationalization, it is imperative that public authorities consider how these learning opportunities can be brought more fully into the higher education system. There are many anxieties about the quality and wider acceptance of these learning experiences, and action is needed to quell these concerns. Guidelines around quality assurance and developing a means of providing credit and recognition for these forms of learning will advance efforts to instill them as a credible alternative to the traditional degree programme. Online learning has also brought with it the ability to collect and analyze learner data that has not been possible before. This brings great potential for personalized learning and enhanced retention, although the utmost care must be taken to ensure students are fully aware of and give full consent for the collection and use of their personal data. Our message is clear. While accepting those higher education institutions and, more particularly, teaching staff are the main actors in delivering these pedagogical changes, it is the responsibility of public authorities to create the environment and incentive for action.

The advent of digital technology in the last two decades has changed the world dramatically, and will continue to do so. Technology is driving major changes in people’s professional and personal lives across India and the world, impacting every facet of society, and is now an integral part of how most people interact, work, learn and access knowledge and information. New and emerging technologies are already starting to have a transformative effect on higher education provision. There is every reason to harness the potential of these developments in the service of high quality higher education. But to do that                      effectively we need to both widen and deepen our understanding of how these new technologies and pedagogical tools can be an integral part of the way higher education is delivered, and identify what measures can be taken to further stimulate, facilitate and advance it. We have witnessed considerable - and ongoing - changes in higher education in recent years and the landscape is constantly evolving. This is being driven by many factors: the economic and social imperatives are calling for higher levels of skills, the student body is becoming more diverse, people are continuing to study throughout their working life and there is a growing desire for more flexible study opportunities. Furthermore, as digital technologies become ubiquitous, there is an emergent expectation from society for easier access, better quality, more flexible approaches and greater online opportunities in higher education provision.

Providing high quality, relevant and widely accessible higher education is a fundamental goal of the Indian Higher Education Area. Higher education systems and institutions have been engaged in a constant drive, both individually and collaboratively, to achieve this. But these goals have not yet been fully reached. New and emerging approaches to learning and teaching, made possible by new technologies, can complement, consolidate, support and further advance these efforts. The philosophy and motivation behind recent trends in online and open education are not new, and date back to earlier developments including the Open University movement, earlier technologies such as radio and TV, and open education resources. These “new” modes sought to expand the reach of higher education by creating more flexible opportunities and were very much driven by the principles of equality, diversity, quality and efficiency. These principles remain at the heart of current developments

Traditional higher education provision has never served all groups in society. While access has greatly increased in the last decades, the constraints of money, time and location continue to preclude groups of learners from participating in higher education. This is especially the case for adult and continuous learners. Our ambitions of becoming a knowledge-intensive society and economy hinge on the availability of a highly-skilled, flexible workforce. There is an urgent need to provide up skilling, re skilling and continuing professional development opportunities to ensure that all our citizens have the skills and attributes required by the labor market of today, and more importantly tomorrow. Governments will want their higher education institutions to become much more active providers of this type of education. This will necessitate changes in their offering to meet the needs of this type of learner. Digital technologies and online provision provide a means for doing so.

Digital technologies in themselves do not necessarily constitute an enhancement of the quality of learning and teaching, and it goes without saying that quality of content must remain paramount, but they are an enabler for such enhancement and can underpin efforts towards more student-centered teaching. Teachers now have the opportunity to draw on a wide range of materials in a variety of formats which can improve the quality and diversity of the curriculum.

National authorities should facilitate the development of a national competency framework for digital skills. This should be integrated into national professional development frameworks for higher education teachers. All staff teaching in higher education institutions should receive training in relevant digital technologies and pedagogies as part of initial training and continuous professional development. National funding frameworks should create incentives, especially in the context of new forms of performance based funding, for higher education institutions to open up education, develop more flexible modes of delivery and diversify their student population. National authorities should introduce dedicated funding to support efforts to integrate new modes of learning and teaching across higher education provision. Funding should encourage collaborative responses to infrastructural needs, pedagogical training and programme delivery. Higher education institutions should ensure that quality assurance arrangements apply to all forms of credit awarding provision in the institution. Institutions should use the quality assurance system to monitor retention rates and inform the development of appropriate supports. Governments and higher education institutions should work towards full open access of educational resources. In public tenders open licenses should be a mandatory condition, so that content can be altered, reproduced and used elsewhere. In publicly (co-)funded educational resources, the drive should be to make materials as widely available as possible.

Learners in the internet age don’t need more information, they need to know how to efficiently use the massive amount of information available at their fingertips – to determine what’s credible, what’s relevant, and when its useful to reference. The way of teaching is changing and updating every day. The traditional and old paradigm of education in not demanding anything now. So, we have equipped the classroom with new technology. It has its own advantage. At last but not the least I want to focus and also want others to think,                                                                                                                           "What is the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable.”