A number of new industries have emerged due to the evolvement of technology and integration of it into different solutions, creating altogether a different industry and taking care of problems that we didn’t even realize existed. One such industry based on the premise of technology integration for overcoming problems is Edtech. Edtech industry witnessed a leisurely growth, but now this industry is getting its worth and recently due to the pandemic outbreak also witnessed a sudden surge in the growth rate in several areas. With zoom experiencing a solid 887% increase in the usage and being on the top of the list of edtech gainers, followed by Flipgrid and Mystery Science, edtech is finally getting its due, states Edweek. But not just during this period, edtech has been accredited under the limelight for quite some time now.

Edtech is the industry that makes use of technology for designing educational solutions that are highly advanced and output effective results. Anything ranging from digital study material in pdf form to an online class conducted on a web conference to use of digital displays for better classroom activities, all come under the umbrella of edtech. This industry has displayed its advancement and efficiency in offerings by innovating several state-of-the-art solutions and approaches that not only enhanced but also transformed the industry. In the next five years, i.e., by 2025, the global edtech market expenditure is expected to reach around $7.8 trillion, states a report by HolonIQ.

But why is it so? Why is edtech now being recognized? What are the reasons that have led to edtech being recognized?

Let us look at some of the main reasons why edtech is finally getting its due now.

1. Student-centric solutions

Traditionally education meant teachers teaching students and students following the lead of teachers. But with education technology, it is now all about the students, their understanding levels, their pace with the subject matter, their interests, and their most preferred methods and modes of learning. The solutions offered are adaptive to the nature of the learner where teachers are more like moderators and less like lecturers. This is one of the greatest reasons why edtech is gaining popularity, as these solutions are catering to the right customers and providing direct benefits to them. Keeping students at the heart of the product is the USP of edtech over the education sector.

2. The shift in focus to creations

The legacy systems and methodologies were mostly targeted on imparting theoretical knowledge and ensuring that students remember most of the topics. But with the growth of edtech, this focus shifted towards makings and creations by the students instead of just words and reading modules. Now, students are encouraged to make things and create meaningful projects that are not only innovative but also intended to solve real-life problems. This has given the industry, but more importantly the students a completely fresh outlook towards the way they learn, understand, and implement the teachings.

3. Fun Study

Today, studying is not about by-hearting certain concepts and sitting through hours and hours of oral lectures and blankly staring at powerpoints. The scenario is quite different now. With edtech evolving, gamification has become a highly-adopted integration in several solutions and institutions to allow students to have fun not only while learning but also while working on assignments and evaluations. There are a variety of games available in the industry that emphasize student learning by stimulating the brain via games and avatars, which have resulted in attracting a great deal of love and acceptance along with improved results among students. For example, a game where students learn about historical events by playing the characters in a game.

4. Remote Learning

We all know how the COVID-19 pandemic has now become a synonym of remote everything. Remote Learning is only now being recognized and appreciated and has become the holy grail of teachers for ensuring their students do not miss out on all the academics and knowledge as a resultant of limitations on social gatherings or locations. With edtech, students can connect with their teachers and teachers can easily conduct classes, all on virtual platforms and from anywhere in the world. The classes are real-time and can also be recorded and stored locally or on the cloud for being availed by the students whenever the need arises.

5. Constant Student Engagement

Edtech has made it possible for students and teachers to always stay connected and engaged in the process of learning. There are a number of tools that are designed to pique the interests of the students and keep them engaged by performing a variety of interactive tasks and activities. They can also connect to several student and learner communities to get regular updates or clarify any of their doubts at any given moment.

6. Unbiased Gradings

Biases in grades has been a lifelong complaint of so many students across the world. Edtech with the help of Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning has given the academic world several grading solutions that grade the works of students through automated systems and also use advanced functionalities for grading the work based on the understanding level and speed of the student. Here, gradings are more like feedback and not criticism-filled marks.

7. Deep Meaningful Insights

There are different types of students in a single class that have different attributes and react differently to things. It can be difficult for teachers to analyze the behavior and feelings of each and every for constructing a custom pathway for them. Edtech has introduced solutions utilizing sentiment analytics, predictive analytics, and advanced analytics to evaluate the behavior of the students and detect any problems that they might be facing, at the early stages. This helps in identifying the problem areas and designing tailor-made solutions that will support the students in combating their issues.

Edtech has come a long way and the spike in growth is a testament to it. It is also an indicator of the fact that growth is here to stay.