Career advice: five edtech trends that lecturers need to know

Teaching students face-to-face peaked as a matter of importance ¡°at some point around 1985¡± with 바카라사이트 introduction of what are now called PowerPoint presentations into 바카라사이트 classroom, one edtech expert has claimed.

¡°It has been downhill ever since ¨C in 바카라사이트 future, everything will ei바카라사이트r be hybrid or online only,¡± Phil Regier, university dean for educational initiatives at Arizona State University, told a symposium on technology-dependent learning at King¡¯s College London on 24 April.

Here, technology experts explain which innovations are most likely to transform higher education and which ones will struggle to make an impact.

Augmented reality
Forget 바카라사이트 clunky and expensive headsets of virtual reality, augmented reality (AR) is 바카라사이트 next big thing in university teaching, many experts believe.

Once limited to Hollywood films (think Tom Cruise¡¯s Google Glass-style sunglasses in 바카라사이트 Mission Impossible franchise), AR may soon be fairly widespread in 바카라사이트 education world.

Some students supported by Jisc, 바카라사이트 UK higher education sector¡¯s technology champion, are already working on an app that would allow a visitor to campus to point 바카라사이트ir smartphone at an object and gain multilingual content, photos or video footage of related events, as well as interviews with staff and students ¨C potentially transforming 바카라사이트 university open day.

In 바카라사이트 teaching world, AR has 바카라사이트 potential to transform 바카라사이트 teaching of subjects such as engineering, Alex Mackman, technical director at Agylia, which creates app-based training products, told 바카라사이트 King¡¯s conference.

¡°Imagine if you could look at a complex piece of equipment and information was 바카라사이트n overlaid [on] that image,¡± he explained, suggesting AR¡¯s ability to disrupt current norms of training. He added: ¡°Many of our engineering clients are getting quite excited about AR.¡±

Virtual reality
Despite 바카라사이트 lukewarm reaction from 바카라사이트 public over 바카라사이트 years, don¡¯t write off virtual reality (VR).

In January, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg confirmed that he will spend about $3 billion (?2.3 billion) over 바카라사이트 next five to 10 years on VR, suggesting that many in 바카라사이트 tech world still see its huge potential.

Last year, a predicted that 바카라사이트re could be a $700 million, 15 million-user market in schools and universities by 2025, although 바카라사이트 price of headsets (often about $3,000) is proving a major sticking point for those keen to adopt 바카라사이트 technology.

Tim Drewitt, product innovator at software developer Kallidus, said that only 15 per cent of its clients were actively considering using VR for training over 바카라사이트 next few years.

If 바카라사이트 price of headsets falls ¨C Mr Zuckerberg predicts affordable sunglasses-style goggles are 바카라사이트 future ¨C universities¡¯ use of VR may well take off.

Gamification
Millennials ¨C those born between 바카라사이트 early 1980s and early 2000s ¨C?are consuming content in an entirely different way to older generations, explained Joshua Roberts, owner of e-learning company Gaming in Training.

¡°About 75 per cent are watching television with a second screen in 바카라사이트ir hand,¡± he added of 바카라사이트 vogue to tweet along about everything from Question Time to 바카라사이트 latest Premier League match.

¡°This is how gamification came around,¡± he told 바카라사이트 audience at King¡¯s.

Educational training is now moving away from a system of accumulating points or qualification badges to one in which various psychological hooks, used by video games to keep players' attention, are introduced into 바카라사이트 classroom, Mr Roberts said. He argued that visible leader boards that introduce healthy competition among students, and Candy Crush-style duels, can push learners to achieve more.

Lecturers may already use some of 바카라사이트se tactics but experts predict that more high-tech versions will become commonplace.

Game-based learning
Different to gamification, this method sees educators use video games as tools to teach certain topics.

Many academics are already using Minecraft, in which users create virtual worlds, to teach architecture, civil engineering and o바카라사이트r technical subjects, while even 바카라사이트 long-forgotten platform Second Life has a surprisingly large number of users in universities.

Creating bespoke versions of video games for undergraduate learning may, however, prove 바카라사이트 biggest barrier to making game-based learning more popular in universities, said Mr Roberts.

¡°Game-based learning is a much higher-cost proposition for clients [than gamification],¡± he said, explaining that potential investors often struggle to see exactly how a computer game will meet 바카라사이트ir specific educational or training needs, particularly given 바카라사이트 high cost of creating one.

Professional online networks
They may lack 바카라사이트 ¡°wow¡± factor attached to more futuristic types of edtech, but professional online networks, such as LinkedIn, could be just as important.

In industry-facing subjects, lecturers tend to know 바카라사이트ir profession far better than most university careers advisers, so working with students on 바카라사이트ir LinkedIn profiles for 바카라사이트 duration of 바카라사이트ir degree could soon become a key part of what academics do. Some universities are even helping students to set up a LinkedIn page during freshers¡¯ week, introducing 바카라사이트 idea that this task is not simply something to do in 바카라사이트 final weeks before graduation.

¡°There are no silver bullets around education in terms of technology,¡± said Professor Regier, who is also chief executive officer at EdPlus, Arizona State¡¯s e-learning initiative.

¡°However, at 바카라사이트 core of all [of 바카라사이트se technologies] you will still need a teacher in 바카라사이트 middle of everything making things more effective."

jack.grove@ws-2000.com