Brijesh Kohli, Director, Xebia Academy Global (XAG)

Education 4.0 and the emerging education trends

Education isn’t simply about imparting knowledge; it’s about imparting knowledge in a manner that would help an individual find means to make a living and survive in this world. Every industrial revolution thus far has seen a subsequent revolution in the field of education. As we stand now on the cusp of the fourth industrial revolution, a similar paradigm shift is taking place in the sphere of education as well – it’s being called Education 4.0.

The cyber-world and the physical world aren’t separate entities anymore; they’ve coalesced together into one homogenous landscape. Smart technology, AI (Artificial Intelligence) and robotics are getting integrated into our daily lives at lightning speed. Therefore, to produce graduates who are ready for this ever-evolving world, educational institutions are bidding adieu to traditional methods of teaching and embracing methods backed by new-age technology.

This is being done by teaching students about these technologies as part of the curriculum as well as employing these technologies to revolutionize the teaching-learning experience altogether. Some of the emerging trends of Education 4.0 are summarized below:

Accelerated remote learning

This combines the best of both worlds – old and new. The students learn theoretical knowledge remotely, using digital means while practical skills are developed face to face as well as online as the industry is moving very rapidly and facing difficulties to bring students in one room. This equips students with a skill set that will help them overcome unprecedented situations – the likes of which they’ll face in the industry.

Northampton University in the UK has adopted this method under the name Active Blended Learning (ABL). This allows the students to engage in the learning process more actively and has taken learning beyond the classroom – which is the cornerstone of Education 4.0.

Personalised learning

Every student is unique and has his/her own pace of learning. While this has been widely understood for a while, proper infrastructure was not available to personalize learning, until now. But with the advancement in AI and Cloud Computing, it has become possible to mould the teaching process according to an individual student’s needs and learning pace.

Platforms like among the popular tech tools that are facilitating personalized learning.

Choice of education tools

Instead of forcing the same learning inventory on every student, the institutions are giving their students the opportunity to learn with the help of tools that they feel comfortable using. Students are still being taught the same things, but now, they have the opportunity to decide how to absorb that knowledge. Blended Learning, BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), and Flipped Classrooms are some techniques that are promoting this trend.

Project-based learning

To meet the growing demand in the industry for time management skills, organizational skills and collaboration skills, Education 4.0 has come up with project-based learning or capstone project-driven approach. Projects are a great way to involve students deeply in the learning process and it gives them an incentive to learn the necessary skills, all the while keeping the learning process fun and interesting.

Easy and accurate assessment 

The old examination pattern where a student was expected to memorize the entire syllabus blindly is going to be replaced by a more practical method of assessment. Herein, besides theoretical knowledge, the students will be tested on projects and fieldwork.

According to a 2016 report by the World Economic Forum, soft skills will comprise more than 30 per cent of the desired skill set for future occupations. This new process of evaluation and progress assessment will encourage and empower students to acquire the much needed soft skills which are going to become the prerequisite for the future workforce.

Education 4.0 will transform the teaching-learning experience forever and will produce students that are ready for the industry of the future.