/ 17 March 2017

Can edtech replace the brick-and-mortar classroom?

Online courses can offer a blend of old and new teaching and learning techniques.
Online courses can offer a blend of old and new teaching and learning techniques.

Technology has and continues to revolutionise every industry and sector you can think of — and education is benefitting from this disruption in a massive way. The chalkboard is being put aside to make way for educational technology (edtech).

Think beyond tablets, ebooks and interactive whiteboards — edtech is enhancing the online learning experience for students and working professionals alike. With a focus on interpersonal, written, and visual communication, as well as interactive, technology-driven teaching methods, it’s changing the way the world approaches learning.

Online courses bridge the gap between edtech and traditional learning methods, blending the most relevant technologies with the opportunity for students to learn industry-relevant skills in their own time.

But will technology be enough to meet the demand for education and address the growing global skills gap?

One of the most valuable elements of the brick-and-mortar classroom or lecture hall are the people in it. Teachers and lecturers are paramount to the success of a student, and even edtech cannot afford to leave this feature of education unaccounted for.

If this kind of technology truly aims to lead the future in how we learn, it needs to consider what elements of the traditional classroom need to be retained — and then enhanced.

Sam Paddock, chief executive and co-founder of online education company GetSmarter believes there is another element that is vital to the online education sphere making any sort of real impact:

“If we were going to solve the problems in education with just technology, we would have done that already.“

He believes that GetSmarter’s human approach to online learning is more reflective of the defining features of successful edtech ventures. “Entrepreneurs in education need to home in on the very specific problems we’re trying to solve in the sector, and identify the solutions best suited to those challenges.

“I think a lot of edtech entrepreneurs come at this thinking: How can technology alone solve this problem? At GetSmarter, we’ve learned that a highly collaborative, people-mediated learning experience is what ultimately drives the unprecedented course completion rates our students achieve.”

Human resources executives worldwide reported the “skills gap” as the single greatest organisational challenge faced in 2014, and Forbes Magazine predicts that this trend will continue to gain ground until tertiary education curriculums are revised to better align with the demands of today’s job market.

Each of GetSmarter’s courses is presented by an industry expert who engages with students daily via the online discussion forum, and offers individual written feedback on all assignments submitted over the duration of the course. Further support comes from performance coaches who proactively monitor each student’s progress, with a 24/7 technical support team on hand to field any queries or concerns when it comes to navigating the online campus.

Essentially, they’ve combined human support with technology in order to create an immersive learning experience that results in verifiable skill gains.

“Support of this nature ensures that students remain motivated throughout their online learning journey,” explains Rob Paddock, co-founder and chief of education at GetSmarter. “In our experience, average completion rates are as high as 90%.”

If edtech is to fundamentally disrupt education, it needs to blend the best of traditional classrooms with the accessibility of technology.

Want to learn more about GetSmarter and explore their portfolio of over 60 online short courses, certified by the world’s leading universities? Visit getsmarter.com.