Digital Revolution Begins At Universities

Technology has been a game changer! It has changed the way we live, work and learn as well.If we look at the education sector, technology can provide both teachers and students with unique teaching and learning experiences through creative communication platforms to communicate, connect, and exchange information with one another. The onset of the pandemic accelerated the pace of technology adoption. Since then, traditional teaching methods have been replaced by online digital models.  As a result, universities gradually and steadily began to adopt online teaching. Students became more comfortable with digital learning, as it offered numerous benefits such as critical thinking, effective communication, and the development of digital literacy skills, among others.

As a consequence of the global pandemic, education systems all around the world have become more technology driven. Students in higher education are able to grasp topics more easily due to a high engagement rate and good teaching and learning methods. As a result, it would not be incorrect to state that technological advancements have increased educational quality. Hence, every university has begun to implement numerous digital activities in order to provide effective education. Though digitization has its advantages, classroom learning also has a certain benefit that cannot be replicated in the virtual model. Digitization Can only be successful if we focus on blended learning models that combine physical and online learning. The quality of education in India can be improved by redesigning the curriculum and methodology, as well as making education more flexible and inclusive. Individual schools and universities are attempting to make blended learning more accessible by introducing a fresh curriculum and modifying educational approaches.

Technology has been implemented in several universities' teaching-learning pedagogies and curricula to ensure that students are future-ready with required abilities.Below mentioned are the factors that are influencing digitization in universities:

High Quality Software for education professionals

Various higher education institutes are introducing various software that may connect and interact more efficiently in order to provide an effective and efficient teaching and learning experience. To provide appropriate learning current software includes unique chat functions, video conferencing, and file sharing facilities. These tools also aid in the management of work, the sharing of papers, the tracking of students' progress, and keeping in touch with one another.

The Emergence of Online Exams

If we talk about exams, most exams since the pandemic are being conducted online. It has many advantages, like it saves paper, time, money and it’s more secure. Thanks to digital platforms at various colleges, students can receive quality education even if they are isolated at home, where the learning platform can handle more than 100+ sessions in a day seamlessly, using digital communication tools and technologies.

Technologically advanced classroom

The conventional approach to teaching and learning is slipping away because the new age of technology is here to stay. Teachers are now aware of the advantages of using technology in the classroom. A computer, audio-visual equipment, and a sensible interactive whiteboard are all a part of today's modern and technology-equipped classrooms.

As smart classrooms become a blessing to the education industry, numerous companies, especially tech companies, have begun to offer technology-driven goods and solutions that will help improve India's smart education system. As a result, it's critical to develop an original, user–friendly, and high–end features product that fits with the smart class concept and caters to our end users.

Introduction of National Education Policy

The Indian government introduced the National Education Policy (NEP), which highlights the role of digitization and technology in education. Educational technology is sometimes discussed as a tool of boosting education, particularly in rural areas. This was a significant step forward in providing high-quality education across the country, particularly in rural areas.

Artificial intelligence developed as a useful tool

Modern technology like artificial intelligence has made learning very interactive and creative. It has emerged as a helping aid for teachers. It can help teachers in the coming years to develop immersive lessons that are fun and engaging for students.  Artificial intelligence also suggests that the learner works on his or her weak areas.

Some of the benefits of the digital education system are as follows:

Personalized learning experience: One of the fundamental flaws of the old educational system is that many students lose interest when they can't keep up with the rest of the class. Teachers can personalize study materials based on a student's learning pace and ability thanks to the modern digital format. With the digitalization of the education system, educational programs are having a greater impact.

Students get smarter: Students gain self-directed learning skills when they are exposed to new learning tools and technologies.Students can use the digital education system to examine what they need to know in order to seek and use online resources. It has a serious influence on their efficiency, production, and learning ability.

Abundant information: The internet is full of information, the majority of which is freely available. Students can now explore and apply this wealth of knowledge thanks to the advent of digital learning. Earlier students used to rely on limited sources of information, but due to the increasing popularity of the digital education system, the lack of essential information is no longer a barrier to knowledge acquisition.

Digitally updated: Practices and information can rapidly become outdated in a society that is always growing in terms of technology, as there is always something new going on. It is no longer optional to provide pupils with current information and other subject-related issues; it is now a requirement. Since students spend the majority of their time on their phones and laptops, they are bound to be technologically savvy.

High engagement Learning: Traditional education gives limited opportunities for engagement because its forces at work include limited factors such as textbooks, a teacher, and handwritten notes, whereas digitized education enables a wide range of learning options. Every session is incredibly unique and entertaining due to the endless availability of resources. Students are more engaged in participatory and game-based learning sessions.

Ease of sharing: Traditional education relied primarily on pupils keeping huge notebooks of handwritten notes containing knowledge offered by teachers in the classroom or obtained through considerable research in the library, but the modern digital education system has changed everything. Students can now save time and effort by conserving and sharing material with just a few clicks.

Recorded content: Many people who have taken online classes will tell about how beneficial it is to have some of the lectures recorded. It's simple to see why; if you miss something in the course, you can simply rewind and catch up at a later time. It also allows you to catch up on your studies on your own schedule. Let's say you didn't completely understand a point the teacher was making, but you need to understand it in order to understand the rest of the lecture. You can take the time after the lesson is recorded to elaborate on that point on your own, then return to the session to clarify what you missed. This is advantageous to students of all ages, particularly children.

24-hour resources: At any given time, not every student is the most productive. Some people are more productive in the mornings, while others have a late-night productivity spurt. The issue is that the traditional educational model does not account for this. You must be 'on' during your class time in the traditional learning approach. There is no such thing as a 'back of the class' with online learning. The student is liberal to learn at their own pace. Sure, there are times when people need to be present or available when they aren't feeling well; it's just part of life, but they can also catch up on their own time because they have access to all of the resources they require 24 hours a day.

Easy to track student progress: it's a lot easier for a teacher or assessor to mark a student's strengths and weaknesses in the digital learning environment, and it's also much easier for them to follow their overall progress. There is an online record of all completed work, as well as attendance and exam results. This information is easy to get and view at a glance in the digital world. You can see how far a student has progressed, what they need to work on, and how interested they are in the course content with just a few keystrokes.

 Accountability in Students: Real-time evaluation and system-generated performance reports are included in the digital education system, which improves assessment openness. It allows learners to independently examine their performance and come up with the necessary solutions. Students emerge from their shells as independent thinkers who know what to study, when to study, and how to study as a result of the digital education system. They are no longer reliant on their instructors and parents to provide them with information on a silver platter.

The future outlook

How we study and learn has totally changed in the last century - from chalkboards and parchment paper to i-pads and laptops. The most significant result of all of these developments is that today's students will enter the future with open minds and limitless opportunities. Our education system has undoubtedly been modified by digital technologies, though the significance of classroom learning cannot be undermined. The education models of the future should incorporate characteristics of both classroom and online learning. In the coming years, digitization of education will change how universities and colleges deliver education. Digitization has proven to be a cost-effective technique of protecting resources as well as a creative method of providing education to every corner of our country. The digitization of the education industry in the twenty-first century has proven to be a blessing to our society in this regard