The edtech industry has experienced a massive boom since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. The education system changed overnight with the traditional classroom model replaced by digital learning platforms. This massive shift not only impacted what students study but also how they study.

Many edtech companies innovated technologies that catered to the shift. As remote learning became the new normal, learning tools were introduced that were accessible, efficient and user-friendly. However, technology could not replace the ultimate need of the human element in education.

Education at its heart is about human connections between teachers, students, parents, principals, caregivers and the community at large. However, since digital learning includes content-heavy study material, there is a massive need for humanisation of the learning experience. Since the student-teacher duo is challenged by distance, the human element plays a very important role in making education interactive and engaging.

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Edtech platforms have a clear purpose of enhancing quality of education, empowering teachers, connecting them with a large number of students, creating an effective and efficient online ecosystem and consistently using data to learn strategies, policies and programmes effectively to maximise student learning. However, the biggest challenge is to bridge the gap of face-to-face connection and of developing students’ interpersonal skills.

Personalisation learning plays an important role in bridging the physical gap. Many edtech platforms have focused on shifting their approach and learning curve to one on one personalised learning and customisation for better and more seamless education solutions. This, as human interaction, is key to developing students’ personalities and ensuring they manage digital learning in an effective and productive manner.

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This learning model assists teachers in co-creating the learning process by understanding the individual needs, performance and progress of students. Based on each student’s progress, teachers can use online tools and create a customised learning programme, thereby reducing the risk of comparison between students.

Humans need humans. Edtech platforms are creating a space wherein they can empower teachers by providing them with additional income, flexibility and a wider reach. It is very important to understand that technology cannot replace teachers, instead, it helps them better their teaching style.

Moreover, research shows students cannot gather proper knowledge from textbooks without knowing the background and having a rich language base, which teachers can help them develop. Conversational learning is crucial for personality development, which is essential for a student’s overall development and knowledge enhancement.

Keeping this in mind, customised learning solutions are designed that are in line with current trends. The focus of these platforms is to provide a sense of empowerment to teachers where they can focus on teaching the application of concepts, and guide students who may feel overwhelmed in the content-heavy learning age. This ensures that the teacher not only assists in knowledge grasping and personality development but also puts in more time to develop the mindset of an individual.

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The edtech space has primarily focused on creating an environment that is accessible, affordable and most convenient for the student-teacher dynamic. Students largely face time constraints as they struggle with preparation time and understanding applications of difficult concepts. However, with the human element in place, students feel a sense of belonging and get proper guidance in the competitive world.

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Though the edtech space is revolutionising learning, teachers still remain the backbone of the education system, providing high-quality education to the learning population of the world.

The author Divya Tej Pereira is founder of Tutrrd, an edtech focused on one-on-one learning. The views expressed are personal.

(Edited by : Kanishka Sarkar)

First Published:Nov 13, 2021 4:29 PM IST