The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted normal life in many different ways, but it also gave us a gift in the form of online learning. Although distance learning has been used for many decades, the past two years have made it a primary medium for imparting knowledge and gaining it. Both organizations and educational institutions are looking to implement stronger and more robust measures to facilitate the flow of learning while also keeping social distancing protocols intact.
Since 2022 is upon us, we can only wait and see which turn this pandemic will take and what effect it will have on our lives. One thing is for sure: online learning will be mainstream and much more common. With that said, let’s have a look at our predictions regarding online lessons for this year.
1. Microlearning
Most students, regardless of their age, can become quite anxious and intimidated when they are faced with a huge project or course content at the same. This hinders their ability to retain the learning material effectively and also progress in their learning. Thanks to online lessons, a new trend has emerged, known as microlearning. It involves breaking down the course or project into smaller and more manageable chunks or pieces.
Microlearning is the perfect solution for online learning, as there are various resources that help lecturers divide their course into smaller pieces, thus making it more accessible and comprehensive for the students. We believe this trend will continue to catch on as the year 2022 progresses.
2. Live Online Classes
When it comes to online lessons, there are two modes of teaching – one involves disseminating information through video lectures, which are pre-recorded and uploaded to online learning portals for students to access at any time. The second method involves teaching in a live online session, where each student signs up to an application and joins a classroom or online meeting. The teacher proceeds to deliver their lectures live while also taking input and questions from the students.
While comparing the two modes, we believe live sessions are much more effective for teaching students as compared to video lectures. Whether you are taking online piano lessons or Physics lectures, it is always wise to have an instructor available to address your queries in real-time.
3. Social Learning
Although online learning has boomed in the wake of the coronavirus, it can’t exactly replace face-to-face interaction. In a typical classroom, students can actually engage and collaborate with each other, which facilitates the learning process as well. Thanks to online learning platforms and collaborative applications like Google Docs, Slack, Zoom, and several others, it has become easier for students to engage in social learning online as well. Even in live classes, students can share ideas and help each other out.
4. Project-Based Learning
Project-based learning has been a common practice in both physical and online learning, and it is known to provide students with increased academic benefits. It differs from traditional learning because it engages students in several small projects throughout the term instead of giving them one big project at the end of the year. Not only does it help students engage better in their entire coursework, but it also facilitates collaboration between them. Since online lessons are going to increase in frequency this year, there is no doubt that project-based learning will also be implemented on a larger scale.
5. AI-Based Learning
Artificial intelligence has been a promising catalyst for any industry, including the education sector. AI has been used by several industries to provide personalized recommendations to their users. For instance, Netflix uses it to suggest movies and TV shows, while Amazon uses it to recommend the best products to their shoppers. In a similar way, artificial intelligence can be used to gauge every student’s performance, including their strengths and weaknesses. By doing so, online learning platforms can provide each student with a tailored learning solution.
6. Gamification
Gamification refers to the process of converting online lessons into interactive games, and this trend has also caught on in the past two years. Teachers help students go through their lessons like levels in a game, and it also includes features like leaderboards, badges, rewards for achieving milestones, and much more. This really helps in capturing the students’ attention and holding on to it. Moreover, it gives them an incentive to focus on their lessons, which also keeps them motivated. In fact, gamification drives up student engagement by up to 35%, and more than half of the students who have attended such lectures find them much more interesting.
7. Augmented Reality
Another trend we predict will catch on in 2022 is augmented reality, which can work wonders for online learning. Through the use of special AR headsets and specially designed apps, students will be able to have a more immersive and engaging learning experience. Through AR and VR, they can study chemicals as if they are in the laboratory themselves, or teachers can recreate historical scenes in order to help them remember the event better. Although it seems like a thing of the future, we believe that augmented reality will be integrated into online lessons as soon as this year.
8. On-Demand Classes
Last but not least, we predict that another trend will emerge into the online learning spectrum this year, and that involves flexible and on-demand online classes. Generally, online lessons have been much more flexible than physical classes, but students have to choose between attending the live lecture at an inconvenient time or simply watching the video lecture later. Thanks to video meeting platforms and innovative learning technology, live classes are much more accessible for students, and teachers can set time windows to allow maximum engagement.
This concludes our guide on the top predictions in online learning for 2022. Generally, there will be an increased focus on optimized and advanced learning, but much more than that, the emphasis should be on personalized learning so that each student can learn with confidence and also seek help if they need it.
