Unleashing the Untapped Potential of Digital Learning
/A free report from KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd.
Across most levels of education, students now expect learning experiences to be broadly in-line with their fast moving, digitally native, on-the-go lifestyles. And the pressure to cater to this need and deliver learning in a dynamic way is something which educational institutions feel on a daily basis. Innovation in this area has unfortunately not always evolved quickly enough to match the expectations of this new generation of learners, who now require digital curriculums which embrace quick and easy access, cross device capabilities and multimedia elements.
Digital learning is fast becoming a driving force in education, particularly across the K12 and higher education sectors, with Intelligence firm Research and Markets predicting the industry to be worth $325 billion by 2025. Our recently published report Six Approaches to Effective Digital Learning highlights some of the most exciting trends, transformations and technological developments in this booming sector, and in this post we explore just a few of the report’s findings.
Driven to distraction
As digital infrastructure for the classroom improves and technology becomes more affordable and readily available, we are likely to see a rise in experimentation with Blended Learning. Already a popular, growth area in the corporate world, blended learning approaches reinforce traditional learning methods with interactive and immersive digital elements, such as video content, gaming and animation. Institutions and educators are increasingly finding that merging face-to-face support with the digital tools with which students are already engaged, can be a powerful combination.
A study in a Canadian education journal recently acknowledged that almost half of students were distracted by “off-task” technology. In this world, where time is an increasingly valuable commodity, where we process vast amounts of information in our waking hours, and where many of us now work and study in quick bursts before our attention is drawn away, MicroLearning has become a significant trend. MicroLearning enables learners to focus on the concepts they need to understand most so they can make the best use of their time and attention. This fresh approach has proven to be very effective at helping students to engage with learning and retain key information.
Fun and games
While many bemoan the impact of gaming on student productivity and educational outcomes, gamification in the classroom actually has many advantages. As Cenveo’s Sonny Regelman comments: “Learners love games because they get multiple chances to master a stage or concept, and if we can make learning more like a game, learners might be more willing to engage. And greater engagement will help them retain more knowledge.”
It is estimated that experience can increase knowledge retention by as much as 85 percent, which is why experiential learning technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are a particularly exciting prospect to the education sector. Apps and tools which incorporate VR and AR are capable of bringing the educational experience to life for learners like nothing else, while providing levels of immersion and engagement the sector has never seen before. Although these technologies are not yet widely adopted and still in their infancies, many are predicting that over the next two years they will start to play a leading role in the digital learning landscape.
The pros, and pros, of digital learning
Whether using digital tools to enhance and complement traditional teaching methods or incorporating classroom game-based tools, there are multiple, well documented benefits to an increased adoption of digital learning strategies.
With students spending far more time on their phones, tablets and laptops than in the classroom or library, ready access to educational content across multiple devices is of paramount importance. These methods drive deep engagement through interactive and immersive content, which in turn leas to improved cognition and information retention.
Digital learning can also provide a more enriching educational experience for a broad range of different learner types, as Regelman explains: “There are multiple types of learners. Some people are kinesthetic learners: they learn better if they work with their hands. Some people are auditory learners. Some are visual learners. Digital is a way for students to encounter multiple modes of learning.”
And these benefits inevitably bring about a range of positive takeaways for education providers and institutions who can leverage digital learning to increase student recruitment, boost attendance and improve results and graduation figures.
KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd. (formerly Cenveo Publisher Services) provides comprehensive corporate learning for key growth industries as well as curriculum-aligned programs for K-12 and higher education that support every step in the learning life cycle. Email us at info@kwglobal.com.
