Top 5 Trends in Education for 2021 & How Video is at the Center of Them

Education has been averse to dramatic change, mainly because its traditional approach has been seen as effective. However, due to dramatic global changes brought on by unprecedented circumstances such as COVID-19, education establishments have been forced to reexamine how they teach their students, and how technology, especially video, can help.

Using video in education is one of the key ways teachers can impart knowledge to their students. 

Video’s role within education is arguably as important as it is in the corporate sector; facilitating effective communication in schools and colleges is vital.

female student books

Here are five of the top trends in education; No surprise, video is at the center of all of them:

1. Personalized learning

With over a billion students worldwide unable to go to school or university due to COVID-19, education institutions were forced to adapt, rapidly. With teachers unable to see students in person, they have had to devise ways to maintain the personalized approach towards learning.

Using educational videos for this purpose is ideal.

By using the right video hosting platforms, teachers can see which videos had the desired impact and optimize them accordingly.

These data-driven decisions are part of the four tenets of personalized learning:

  • Flexible content and tools
  • Target Instruction
  • Data-Driven Decisions
  • Student Reflection and Ownership

The use of video and video analytics in the first three of these tenets is vital, greatly assisting teachers meet their students’ unique needs.

Zoom private lesson

 

2. Hybrid homeschooling

Whether parents want to or not, COVID-19 has led to more use of hybrid homeschooling than ever before. From 1999 to 2012, the number of home-schooled children doubled from 850,000 to 1.8 million. This figure is  most likely due to increase after COVID-19, as parents will have had a chance to put it to the test.

Hybrid homeschooling entails combining a traditional school environment for part of the week, along with a homeschooling regiment the rest of the time.

This ratio can be set according to how much time parents have at home, or per the needs of a particular student. Using video in this scenario not only helps with learning, but it also keeps the student attentive, as video is a natural resource for most children nowadays. It is also important to note that visual learning is a lot more effective than that which is text-based. Students can get a lot more from video, or text with video than they can through text alone.

man looking at computer


3. Artificial intelligence learning

Artificial Intelligence (AI) learning is becoming a major part of modern life, and is expected to increase its holding within education in the coming years.

According to the US Education Sector report, artificial intelligence in U.S. education will grow by 47.5% by the end of 2021

 

Companies, such as Carnegie Learning, offer platforms that can adapt to student’s needs. They can ‘feel’ when a student is struggling and offer tips to steer them back onto the right track.

Videos play a major role here. They can easily accompany short text bubbles to enhance the point and improve understanding. They can also lead students to a video portal where they can get extra support and guidance.

Think of this approach as similar to product adoption. Combining a two-headed approach (video and text bubbles) will stimulate struggling students. Additionally, with robust analytics, one could optimize, by randomly presenting students with video or text bubbles when they face certain problems. If the platform identifies that a student’s success rate is higher after engaging with video, it will begin presenting said student with less text bubbles.

mobile woman

4. Bite-sized learning

Educators have begun incorporating an approach businesses have been using for a while – bite-sized learning. This way of training and teaching is hugely effective because it allows students to get the information they need in a way that is easy to digest.

According to the Journal of Applied Psychology, bite-sized learning makes the transfer of information from the classroom to the desk 17% more efficient. It also generates 50% more engagement as there is less information to take in at any one time.

Video naturally complements bite-sized learning. Using affordable webcams, teachers can record short explanation videos and send them to students to watch. Also, video hosting platforms offer features that enable students to binge-watch said videos and track their progress.

pointing at computer

5. Cost management in education

Schools, colleges, and universities are always looking for ways to reduce costs while still maintaining a high educational standards. COVID-19 has shot this trend into hyperdrive. With schools having been shut down for so long,  many are going to struggle to fulfill their financial goals. With many schools funded in some way by the state, they may find their budgets cut as the economy continues to struggle.

Education departments are now looking at new ways to educate their students; the kind that can be achieved with significantly stripped down budgets.

One way that this could be achieved, is by the total or partial transition to virtual classes, which would dramatically cut costs. Utilizing video conferencing and hosting platforms will greatly help this endeavor and it will also help to ensure that learning is easy to understand and effective. By adding features such as chapters and annotations, students can more easily engage with them.

black man computer

 

Final thoughts

The following months will pose serious financial challenges for businesses and government services. Many areas of modern life might be changed forever.

Education is the foundation of our future leaders and workers,  so the more students can achieve, the better they can become. With a more flexible approach to learning, which would include leveraging video-based solutions, education establishments can give their students the best chance to succeed during these trying times.

Originally published on May 25th, 2020, updated on December 30th, 2020
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Top 5 Trends in Education for 2021 & How Video is at the Center of Them

by Marc Bonne time to read: 4 min
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