Is education entering its greatest period of change since the industrial revolution? On the demand side, tech companies have been decrying the tech skill gap for years. While on the supply side, new platforms are providing new modes of teaching and new ways to access global talent. Now, COVID-19 has been added to the mix. Has education finally reached a tipping point with technology?

A digital revolution

Many have predicted a technological transformation in the education system since at least the 1970s. The silicon chip and then the internet was to be the catalysts of a new era. But look in any classroom pre-pandemic and besides the replacement of paper notebooks with electronic notebooks, little had really changed.

COVID-19 now promises to kickstart a real revolution in education. 

Teachers, lecturers, schools, and universities everywhere have been forced to try a new way of teaching and to use new online tools. 

For some, this has just meant Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Classroom but others have expanded their thinking. They have tried new approaches. More organic, less hierarchical, more experiential, and less didactic. Approaches aligned with the latest findings from neuroscience and psychology. Paulo Freire would be impressed.

Student chat groups have replaced teacher-led discussions, spaced-learning apps have replaced simple repetition, games have replaced textbook exercises, and chatbots now handle routine student questions. 

An example of a new service that was piloted during the pandemic is Cadence Learning. Thousands of students are shown a lesson by some of the best teachers in the country along with a small group of students asking questions. Students then break out into online groups with their regular teachers to discuss the lesson.

Students and workers have also explored less traditional modes of learning independent of traditional institutions. Youtube has been popular during the pandemic but so have courses from online course portals and online course platforms. 

Workers and students love the flexibility of online learning. It is perfect for a work-life-study balance. They have also embraced the freedom of choice to pick and choose relevant topics and to have their learning experience customized for them.

Micro-credentials has been a popular topic in recent years without gaining critical traction. The pandemic may have changed this by changing the attitudes of students and companies. 

Venture Capitalists have seized upon the general trend and have been throwing money at promising edtech startups. They too see a revolution in education. Over $2.2bn was invested in 2020, up 30% from 2019.

However, it is also important to note the growing pains with the changes. Teachers in some countries have complained about an increased administrative burden and burnout during the pandemic. There is also general technology fatigue.

Building up to the tipping-point

The lack of change pre-pandemic is not because of an absence of pressure.

On the demand side, software and database companies emerged in the 1980s followed by the dot-com boom, the social network explosion, and the rise of eCommerce. Software developers, database administrators, network architects, web developers, etc have never been in more demand. And demand keeps outstripping supply. 

CEOs have constantly bemoaned a skill gap, and while tech skills top this list, it is not the only area. A recent report by McKinsey found that 87% of executives across industries have or expect a skills gap in the next few years. 

On the supply side, globalization and new talent platforms have increased access to top talent from around the world. America has long drawn the best talent through immigration but now American students are facing ever-increasing competition from freelancers who have never set foot in America. In its latest annual research report, online freelancing platform Upwork found that 48% of hiring managers are now working with independent talent.

The rising cost of education in the US, total student loan debt is now $1.7tr, has also forced some tertiary students to choose shorter and more specialized courses over college. 

Until now, The education system has reacted slowly to these pressures. It has been evolution rather than revolution.

Universities, vocational institutes, and schools have added coding and other technical subjects to their curricula but there has been little change to the mode and approach in teaching. 

The pandemic has now tipped the scales and as has been the case in many industries it has accelerated the pre-existing trends.

What comes next

The real test however is what happens when the pandemic finally ends and schools and universities return to normal. Everyone is predicting that remote work will continue post-pandemic to varying degrees. But what about remote education and the new tools, platforms, and approaches that have been tried during the pandemic?

Will it be the case that the textbook has now simply been replaced by an online platform and games? Or has there been a fundamental shift in education?

There are certainly a lot of Venture Capitalists and founders who believe there has been a permanent change. 

Universities, colleges, and schools however are not likely to disappear anytime soon. But history teaches us that little is permanent in the long run. Medieval craft guilds dominated Europe for over 500 years but eventually lost their importance. Maybe in 200 years, people will be looking at our educational institutions in the same way.