Abstract
An examination of the educational system during the last decade reveals that changes have gradually permeated all aspects of teaching and learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the pace of change, affecting all areas of teaching and learning through most of the 2020 school year and beyond. A digital learning modality quadrant is presented to provide educators and enterprises with a tool to determine the most optimal modality that meets the need of the curriculum as well as learners. Also, this chapter introduces the quadrantal teaching and learning framework (QTLF) designed to assist in redefining the meaning of learning and, by extension, reshaping the future of learning. It outlines four areas of the educational system that must change: how we teach, how we learn, what we teach, and what we learn. This chapter endeavors to address the challenges related to these four areas and proposes strategies that could be used to prepare educational institutions to operate within a redefined meaning of learning.
TopThe Educational Landscape
For decades the field of education has remained unchallenged and its value universally accepted as desirable. Rooted in traditional values, imbued with longstanding cultures, educational institutions that were ironically supposed to be the bastion of intellectualism and analytical thinking, were lacking internal mechanisms for self-evaluation, and absent from their midst were strategic tools for self-assessment (Urban, Wagoner, & Gaither, 2019). These factors were compounded with the fact that educational institutions enjoyed the benefits of granting social recognition and positive financial impact. As a result, the educational system had no compelling reason to change, with no motivation to be accountable and stay relevant. The educational system has been among the most entrenched organizational entities, relying on teaching paradigms and learning modalities that have proved overtime to be ineffective (Bok, 2013). One striking example is the long-held tradition of establishing a strong reliance on long drawn lectures as the quasi-totality vehicle to educate learners.
Among other factors, drastic societal changes, globalization, and technological advances greatly affected an educational system once highly regarded and disrupted an institution that felt too comfortable with the status quo (Lucas Jr, 2016). Higher education is at a crossroad where it must choose to adapt, innovate, reinvent itself, or become obsolete and perish. Overtime the value of a college diploma, once highly regarded, has been questioned. The educational system became plagued with systemic problems, among these were lack of relevancy to meet industry needs, job relevancy of college degrees, and a skyrocketing cost of education with students facing uncertain job prospects and massive student loans (Levin, McEwan, Belfield, Bowden, & Shand, 2017). On the positive side, several positive new shifts must be noted indicating that there is a notable movement towards embracing new pedagogical approaches.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Education 3.0: An educational ecosystem that is digitally enabled, socially constructed, and contextually reinvented.
Artificial Intelligence: The simulation of human intelligence in machines programmed to think like humans and replicate their actions.
Edutainment: The use of elements usually associated with entertainment to build a learning experience permeated with educational aims by leveraging technology, interactive components, and technology.
Machine Learning: A subset of AI that leverages computer algorithms that improve from one iteration to the other through the analysis and processing of data.
Gamification: The use of game mechanics in traditionally nongame activities.
Society 5.0: A human-centered society characterized by cyber-physical-social dynamics that seeks to implement a continuous improvement process for an increased quality of life.
Facial Recognition: The recognition and identification of a human face based on biometric indicators that are unique to an individual.
Industry 4.0: The Fourth Industrial Revolution characterized by a continued trend of automating traditional manufacturing and industrial practices by leveraging more advanced and smart technology.