IT Enabling Industry 4.0 in Education

With the fourth industrial revolution in education sector, the concept of education has been changed completely and some new trends appear that we were not aware of. The new education system is built on idea of success in life, not just in exams, focusing on the need for personal education. Here are some of the new features of Education 4.0 enabled by the IT techniques.

AI in Education

As an educational tool, artificial intelligence is never a substitute for teachers, but a very good companion. The advantage of having an AI system is that it can save a lot of data and information. This quantitative benefit can track student’s performance, which can help faculty better assess students’ academic progress and give them more attention when needed. Introducing children to modern technology such as artificial intelligence can make them tomorrow’s leaders who can make better and advanced decisions.

UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) reported that there is a scarce amount of well-trained teachers all around the world. By 2030, universal primary and secondary education institutes are going to hire 69 million more teachers. But this is where AI can help. It can allow to fill the gap between teacher-student ratios and achieve different educational targets globally.

Where are we now?

Educational technology is at a critical juncture today. More and more schools are taking steps to include AI in their curriculum. Incorporating STEM education (science, technology, engineering and math) through robots such as a company’s ROYBI robot can help children improve their cognitive abilities, which increases children’s thinking skills and curiosity. In China, Keeko robots have become more popular by providing storytelling and problem solving services to kindergarten students.

AI is also looking for a place in higher education. MobiMax K-8 uses AI to create personalized lesson plans and curricula for students. It also includes games and competitions to encourage and keep students engaged. Carnegie Learning has developed MATHiaU, an AI-based math teacher for higher education in mathematics. The company assures students of personal learning, which will increase student participation in the learning system.

Big data in Education

Big data has made significant changes in many aspects of education. According to a study published by the European Union’s Publications Office, the most important change in education through big data is the ability to monitor the education system.

Here is how it works:

Students create tons of data every day, and this data comes from a variety of sources. For example, some instructors incorporate social network adapting pedagogical practice (SNAPP) into the teaching process, read student blogs, and measure how much interest they have in a particular course. The system also measures how well a particular instructor performs in teaching the course.

With the introduction of Netlogo, error measurement has become more comfortable, a system that tracks clicks and measures how many errors each student makes in the test and allows students to perform each task with minimum mistakes. 

One of the most important achievements of big data in education sector is the creation of a learning management system. It allows teachers to assign and create tests using information that is already in place using online automation.

Apex Learning, for example, creates smart learning solutions that help the middle, high school and virtual learning environments. The system helps students to get more involved in developing their skills and learnability. Students can also continuously have an eye on their progress. Moreover, teachers have access to real-time data that helps access latest information to develop or modify lesson plans according to students’ needs.

This platform provides teachers with data on how they are developing students in all their classes. Whether they are trying to master a particular subject or need more attention, Apex helps teachers personalize the learning process.

Civitas Learning offers students Success Intelligence Platform that provides educational and career planning, student support, utility measurement and data-driven counseling.

Civitas platform collects data from all parts of the university or institution to help students make more specific decisions with arithmetic results. Solutions help teachers improve their huge amount of work and engage with students more effectively.

IoT in Education

Using IoT in education sector means availing smart building solutions in an educational ecosystem, such as school buildings, classrooms, buses etc.

With the growing popularity of devices such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home, consumers are rushing to integrate smart home solutions into their daily lives. As smart building solutions have evolved, educators and school administrators are beginning to recognize the benefits of using IoT technology on a large scale in school’s building and other settings.

IoT networks allow custom security plans that use connected devices such as color lights, digital signals, door locks and sensors.

Studies show that fluorescent lighting commonly found in schools can have a negative effect on student’s performance. Programming and Installing IoT-linked LED lighting is one way to enhance the student’s experience in the learning environment.

A computer science teacher Mary Claire Wright at Davidson High School situated in Alabama talked about her positive experiences using Igor’s IoT system in her classroom and the school. Wright tells how she uses IoT-powered lighting settings to make the light in her classroom bright or dim, warm or cold. These subtle changes help to attract students’ attention.

Cloud Computing in Education

Cloud computing is not just about “moving to the cloud” in terms of data storage and management. While this is a blessing, there are other benefits as well:

Lesser costs than before: A decade ago, educational institutions had to invest thousands of pounds per license for their software, and they had to repurchase the software whenever a new version was available. Today, software as a service makes it possible to pay a lower, expected monthly price rather than an expensive license.

Less reliance on hardware: Not only does the facility require expensive servers and end-user tools, but students and faculty as a whole rely less on their expensive hardware – cloud solutions are agnostic platforms and are available from anywhere.

Being able to reach other students: Students who are busy, unconventional, or in a remote location no longer have to go to school in allotted time slots. Switching to the cloud allows more remote work.

Getting more accurate lesson plans: Cloud computing makes it possible to quickly push updates to class materials and textbooks, ensuring that students are learning with their best content.

Making learning more flexible overall: Cloud computing means that students and teachers are able to learn and teach on their own time, thus making them more efficient and happy.

Other Benefits of using IT in Education Sector

We have learnt how IT technologies are evolving education systems worldwide. Let’s have a look at the benefits that these technologies are providing to the schools and students. 

Time and Space independency

Students can now learn or take classes whenever and wherever they want. Thanks to new interactive learning tools, education is now free from space and time. While theoretical aspects are learned outside the classroom, face-to-face practical learning is done in the classroom.

Students’ need and reliance on stone-walled buildings, which we call “class” or “school”, is diminishing. Similarly, taking advantage of the freedom of time, a student can get his education from his room through e-learning tools.

Personalised education

Students will receive personalized learning through specialized tools tailored to their abilities. Thus, a student who has difficulty understanding what other students can easily absorb will be able to improve at his own pace.

Intermediate software will not continue the lessons until the student is ready. This benefit of personalized learning means that students who have difficulty learning in school will feel more assisted in overcoming their challenges.

When performance graphs are obtained from this software and examined by teachers, it is possible to better understand the subjects to which the student is inclined. Teachers can then easily and effectively determine the subjects in which the student is strong or weak.

Learning flexibility.

The traditional education system applies the same model to each student. Education 4.0 believes that as long as it reaches the same goal, there is no shortage of trying different paths.

From Education 1.0 to Education 3.0, the same curriculum was presented to all students in the same teaching style. 

In Education 4.0, a flexible global education model is recommended for each student. Teachers can use online data to track and measure their students’ results and then provide personalized guidance based on their specific strengths and weaknesses.

With successful familiarity, each student will be more successful in the areas they are expected to address and develop their weaknesses through their own flexible educational plan. A successful student in mathematics can better his position in a weak verbal subject with the personal and flexible learning plan.

Project-based learning (MAKER)

To prepare students for future freelance work models, students need to be familiar with project-based learning and study models. In other words, students have the opportunity to apply what they have learned to a real project instead of writing answers on paper.

In the field of learning, which is called Maker, the individual becomes self-sufficient by using his abilities effectively and in many fields, especially in technology, in a fun way. Maker Culture aims to prepare children for the future through entertainment.

Interpretation of data

In the future, mathematics will retain its place in our lives, but this time robots will perform these operations instead of humans. 

The world is advancing technologically every day. Information technologies are the greatest opportunity of our future. When future graduates leave university, they will not know their professions, but they will know the technology very well and will be able to meet the global requirements of Industry 4.0.

It is important for people to learn, manage, develop, collect, process and interpret data. As one of the key requirements of Education 4.0, students should be able to identify trends in data and make data-based recommendations.

Continuous improvement!

In the current system, students are given a question and answer test. According to many teachers, this system is only successful in the short term. Students quickly forget memorized information after the exam.

In Education 4.0, the focus is on assessment rather than examinations. Students should use the knowledge they have acquired as soon as they start their professional life. The result of the assessment will be based on the entire academic period rather than an examination.

Similarly, students are expected to engage in continuous maker activities and put into practice what they have learned. Children learning the code can develop calculators or games that they can use in their daily lives, rather than just mastering theoretical knowledge. These projects will help transform theoretical knowledge into practical experience and preserve it in long-term memory.

Guidance-oriented

It is believed that in 20 years, students’ learning will become more independent. In this form, guidance will be important so that students can improve their education in a healthy way.

Students can achieve the highest academic performance under the guidance of teachers. According to long-term estimates, after 20 years, teachers will play a key role in education as guardians, rather than merely imparting knowledge.