What is the Future of EdTech?
To gain insights into the future of EdTech, we asked CEOs, engineers, and content creators to share their predictions. From booming amid a competitive landscape to a growing role in eLearning, here are the top eight predictions these experts shared about the future of educational technology.
- Will Boom Amid a Competitive Landscape
- Ensures Online Test Integrity
- Personalizes and Enhances Learning
- Neuroscience and BCIs Revolutionize Education
- Boosts Homeschooling and Alternatives
- Use of Short-Form Video Content in Education
- Advancement in EdTech and Accessibility
- Growing Role in eLearning
Will Boom Amid a Competitive Landscape
The EdTech industry is primed to boom in the coming years. As college admissions get more competitive, students are looking to gain an edge over their classmates and are turning to EdTech learning courses to do so.
Similar to the competitive nature of admissions, job seekers looking to land their dream job are using online courses to learn new skills and gain credentials that will boost their resumes.
The future of EdTech is bright with the rising demand for intuitive and affordable options for exam takers, coupled with the increase in jobs requiring such tests and certifications.
Tyler York, CEO, Achievable
Ensures Online Test Integrity
These systems will use cameras, microphones, and even wearable gadgets to watch what students are doing. AI will be the brain behind these systems, analyzing loads of data to catch cheaters. For example, the system might use face scanning to make sure the right student is taking the test and track where they are looking.
Two mechanisms that these systems might use are typing pattern analysis and background noise checks. Typing pattern analysis means that the system knows how each student usually types and can spot if someone else is taking the test for them.
Background noise checks listen for voices or sounds that shouldn’t be there, like someone whispering answers. With these smart tools, online tests can be fair for everyone.
Marliis Reinkort, CEO, Code Galaxy
Personalizes and Enhances Learning
One prediction for the future of EdTech is that AI will make education more effective, and more engaging, and enable it to reach more people than ever before.
People learn in different ways, and AI can play a significant role in catering to individual learning needs. Large language models can summarize long texts instantly, rephrase explanations to boost comprehension, create new learning tools like diagrams, charts, and illustrations on the fly, and adapt content to suit the learner’s level, preferences, languages, and much more.
Through integrating AI-generated visuals, text-to-speech, and AI-powered video dubbing, educational material can be made more engaging and break down barriers to education. It will enable speakers of any language in the world to access any educational resource more easily.
AI can enhance attention and understanding by creating interactive and immersive experiences, making learning more enjoyable and effective.
Juan Castro-Varón, Software Engineer, castrovaron.com
Neuroscience and BCIs Revolutionize Education
One prediction for the future of EdTech is the integration of neuroscience and brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) into educational tools and platforms. As our understanding of the brain continues to advance, we may see the development of educational technologies that directly interface with the brain to enhance learning outcomes.
BCIs could measure brain activity and gather data on cognitive processes, attention levels, and memory retention. This data could then personalize and optimize learning experiences.
BCIs could be used for neurofeedback training, improving students’ focus and cognitive abilities. Neuroscience research could inform the design of educational tools that align with how the brain learns best, incorporating principles such as spaced repetition, interleaving, and retrieval practice.
By leveraging neuroscience and BCIs, EdTech has the potential to unlock new frontiers in education, revolutionizing the way we learn and maximizing our cognitive potential.
Tom Hamilton-Stubber, Managing Director, Tutor Cruncher
Boosts Homeschooling and Alternatives
One prediction I have for the future of EdTech stems from an observation I’ve made over the years, particularly in my studies during my MBA. As the quality of public schooling seems to fluctuate and educational technology surges forward, I believe homeschooling and alternative schooling will gain significant traction.
Take, for instance, immersive tech like Virtual Reality (VR). I expect an educational landscape where a student, from their living room, can virtually visit the Pyramids of Giza for a history lesson, or delve into a cell’s nucleus for biology class.
I witnessed a preview of this when my niece, being homeschooled during the pandemic, started using a language learning app. It offered her personalization and engagement that surpassed traditional classroom instruction, leading to faster and more enjoyable learning.
Remember, the goal of education is effective knowledge transfer, and if EdTech can enhance that process, it will revolutionize the way we learn.
John White, MBA in Sales, Manager, Golf Instructor, John Carlton White
Use of Short-Form Video Content in Education
There is a gap in classrooms and lecture halls for pre-recorded lectures, with live insights being offered by academics as they break down the research or course content in front of students.
We have seen the popularity of TikTok and YouTube shorts, highlighting a need for short-form content. And, in the 2023 YouTube Trends report, 54% of those surveyed prefer to watch a reaction video of someone breaking down an event over a video of the actual event itself.
A video lecture is easily repurposed into short, easily digestible video clips that can be shared and referred to when students are studying.
It would allow the time for students to see the resources they need to learn. In our 2023 global student survey (of 23,000 student respondents), 39% said ‘dedicated lecture time for discussion’ was an important program resource for them. If time was freed up through short videos supported by live commentaries, then more time could be dedicated to what students want to hear.
Francesca Fitzsimmons, Content Marketing Specialist, Keystone Education Group
Advancement in EdTech and Accessibility
I envision a future where EdTech will take its technology to the next level and continue to flourish over the coming years. Since EdTech’s boom during the pandemic and moving forward, we will have the time and data analytics to work on improving the learner experience.
We may also witness the beginnings of virtual reality and augmented reality. Along with data analytics and new VR technologies, EdTech will become more accessible and user-friendly than ever before for those with disabilities.
Adriana Persellin, Learning Experience Designer, Studio 5 – Learning and Development, Inc.
Growing Role in eLearning
In the eLearning industry, we are already seeing the increasing use of AI tools like ChatGPT by online course creators.
Whether these individuals are coaches, entrepreneurs, or training managers, they are interested in learning how to use ChatGPT more effectively in their line of work to create course content that is useful for their learners. In the future, I believe this is going to be amplified.
Kyriaki Raouna, Content Creator, LearnWorlds
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