While a lot has been said in regard to technology’s negative effects on learning, it’s undebatable that it has brought significant wins in education as well.
Technology has revolutionized learning by augmenting some traditional teaching processes that were not effective.
Here are a few notable ways in which technology has improved college education.
Digital Models and Simulations
Digital simulations are used to illustrate complex concepts and transmit them to students in a more engaging way.
For teachers, using digital models enables teach and explain concepts that would otherwise be difficult to teach in a classroom setting.
With these, an instructor can use activity models, different text and interactive controls to create an engaging lesson.
Collaborative Working
Collaborative working allows students to work together seamlessly.
Traditionally, this would have meant meeting up physically to accomplish Aim High Writing tasks. Not anymore.
Today, students only need to utilize collaborative working tools through which they can discuss course work, exchange notes, and files and finalize their projects without the need to meet physically.
It goes beyond this too. Students can use these same tools to reach out for help with their coursework.
For example, a statistics student might need homework help for statistics related study tasks. Such a student uses collaborative working tools to work alongside a professional tutor.
Improved Communication
Communication is central to learning.
Technology has bridged communication gaps and made the flow of knowledge and information much easier.
Teachers can now use email, group texts and even create online communities to relay information to students in a timely fashion.
This is useful in and outside class as well. Today, more and more institutions recognize the importance of mental health to their student’s performance.
To support this, more institutions are developing strategies to relay mental health messages to students and to provide much-needed help.
One avenue of providing help is by using digital applications where students can anonymously access a counselor at any time. This supports college education in that students are known to perform better when they are in good health.
Advanced Research
Technology has made research easier and more effective.
There was a time when several students would need to use the same limited copies of a book. This would waste time and frustrate students.
Cloud storage has eliminated this need and made things much easier for students today.
With reading resources being easily accessible online, a book can be accessed by an unlimited number of students at any time, from anywhere as long as they have internet access.
Another gain is the ability to acquire solutions to virtually any problem through a simple search engine query.
For students, this makes it easier to access information, complete assignments, find thesis topics, and so on.
Scheduling Assistance
It’s no doubt that today’s college students have a heavy workload. This aside, they also need to balance this out with sports, recreation and even self-care.
Technology has augmented this by providing online schedulers to help students schedule and manage their time better.
With a web-based scheduler, a student can access their schedule from anywhere, make adjustments and add more tasks as they arise.
This is important as it prevents scheduling clashes and helps students meet their deadlines.
Online Learning
This has been a significant win for students.
Online learning offers courses online, allowing students to access lectures, submit assignments and get graded online.
This eliminates the need to commute, is more affordable and does not lock out working students who want to attain more qualifications.
Online learning also allows learners to learn at their own pace and to attend their choice institutions without having to relocate. For example, if you want to expand your knowledge about economics and political science, you can look up for online courses and learn about Economics and Political Science at the comfort of your home and when it’s most convenient for you.
Technology Adds an Element of Fun
With technology comes storytelling and multimedia tools, gamification and epistemic games.
All these create platforms for students to learn in a more fun, engaging, and realistic way.
This improves understanding and retention.
