The digital age requires the adoption of innovative techniques in all spheres of life including education. In a similar vein, the Industrial Revolution called for innovative workforce skills centered around strong service orientation, creativity, collaboration, and a high level of emotional intelligence. In the education 5.0 era during and post-COVID, instructors had the challenge of adopting diverse pedagogical innovations preparing the learners for the opportunities of the future. Education 5.0 is a revolutionary approach to education and offers an engaging, all-encompassing, and self-paced learning environment that tests students and teachers alike. Its potential is evident, even if there are still obstacles to be addressed. This chapter outlines the transition in education and its alignment with the development of internet services, which acts as a catalyst in adapting learning and assessment to the needs of society 5.0 through a multitude of appropriate digital tools. It also cautions readers against the challenges of education 5.0, and provides future research avenues.
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The tremendous growth of technology artifacts and their devices has significantly transformed the world. These are becoming more and more commonplace, as seen by the numerous industries that provide customers with tech-savvy solutions while they are at home or work (Shiau et al., 2019; Doargajudhur & Hosanoo, 2023). There is almost no need to physically contact service providers because a great deal of services is available online and may be used remotely. With a simple mouse click or tap on a smartphone, one can access online banking services, power payments, income tax returns, corporate taxes, clothing, consumer durables, property taxes, groceries, veggies, and meals, among other things. Similarly, education is now accessible remotely and can be facilitated online (Barlette et al., 2021; Doargajudhur & Hosanoo, 2023).
The COVID-19 pandemic unexpectedly broke out in December 2019 and caught everyone by surprise. Due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus's influence on numerous sectors and industries, there have been business closures and limitations on transportation. According to Diong et al. (2023), there were strict laws governing the functioning of only a limited number of critical services, including banking, telecommunications, utilities, health, cleaning, and food supply. Thus, one of the industries that suffered greatly during the shutdown was the education industry. Despite having a severe impact on the economy as well as the education sector, the latter was mostly dependent on technology support rather than being entirely driven by it like other industries. The government imposed severe measures to limit the spread of the virus, forcing many schools and higher education institutions to close. According to statistics, school closures have impacted over one billion learners worldwide, or more than 98% of the student population (Chiu, 2022). Educational establishments had to postpone or cancel in-person classes because of the pandemic to ensure the safety of all parties involved (teachers, students, and support personnel).
Learners and instructors found the lockdown as a nerve-wracking experience. Teachers who had grown comfortable with teaching in-person classes had to switch to online instruction abruptly and drastically. Additionally, while a considerable number of learners in higher education had previously encountered online distance learning, a large number had never experienced this style of delivery. The pre-covid limited adoption of diverse learning management systems tools such as WebCT, Moodle, or Blackboard (Al-Azawei et al., 2017; Fathema, Shannon and Ross, 2015) inevitably became a necessity, and an integral part of the teaching and learning experience overnight. Yet, due to the imminence of the lockdown, little instruction on online pedagogies, software, and teaching tools was given to most of them. Furthermore, regardless of experience with online distance learning, the COVID-19 pandemic compelled educators and students to promptly adopt various technologies in the teaching and learning process. This forced instructors to reflect on diverse teaching pedagogies, and subsequently led to an increase in pedagogical innovation in the digital age with a blend of modern teaching methods coupled with technology enhancing the learning experience (Bahar et al., 2020; Huzooree & Doargajudhur, 2023).
Education 5.0 has the power to change the way learning is conducted by providing a completely new and fascinating way to engage with and comprehend the world around us, provided we have the proper resources and surroundings. Likewise, it permits instructors to use cutting-edge technology to create a personalised and immersive learning environment that challenges and engages learners. This is because, in the 5.0 era, the learners are put at the center of the curriculum where they gain a deeper grasp of not only their subjects in the context of their experiences but also their unique learning style and how to utilise it through immersive and accessible technologies effectively. It can therefore be argued that Education 5.0 places a high value on practical experience and permits learning to occur anywhere irrespective of time and location. Hence, through interactive, real-world activities, students may delve deeply into topics with the help of Education 5.0, which makes learning more approachable and interesting (Thiyagarajan & Harish, 2023).