The evolution of the E in learning

The future of hybrid education

There’s no getting away how deeply, how fundamentally, the pandemic has changed education. In South Africa, in Africa, and across the rest of the world, traditional education models have been challenged and changed by lockdowns, regulations and stringent safety parameters. For some education institutions, the move has been relatively seamless thanks to accessible infrastructure and technology; for others it’s been an uphill battle against limited resources and complex conditions.

According to UNESCO, more than 14 million learners in South Africa were affected by school closures. The organisation also found that 89% of learners don’t have access to computers at home and that 82% don’t have access to the internet across sub-Saharan Africa. This is a hurdle that has to be leapt by the education system because the move to a blended or hybrid learning environment is likely to become the norm.

A recent report released by McKinsey asked that education be reimagined. That it become more ‘equitable and resilient’, taking the learnings of the past pandemic months and using them to evolve education and its capabilities. With the right infrastructure and technology in place, education in South Africa can thrive. It can transform. And it can make education even more accessible to thousands of people who wouldn’t have had the resources or ability to get to school.

Imagine cutting the 10km walk to school without a decent breakfast or access to water down to simply sitting down at the table?

The hybrid difference

Traditional classroom style learning put the teacher at the centre of the education equation. They stood in the classroom and waved a ruler or waggled a board cleaner while expounding on the virtues of exposition. With the online learning or blended learning model, the student sits at the centre of the story. Experts, educators, insights and resources are accessible from a central point of contact, from one portal to an entire world of education.

This is a fundamental change that empowers both educator and learner. It allows for the educator to tap into so many more resources in order to teach ideas, to transform thinking and to showcase concepts. And it gives the learner access to tools and resources that inspire them to learn for themselves, to explore ideas, and to become increasingly engaged with the content that’s available to them.

This is an extraordinary advantage that plays out its benefits not just in the classroom at a tertiary institution, but in providing the global student pool with access to exceptional university education opportunities.

The education benefit

Now, with a student pool that can access information on demand and learn new concepts with a click, there is another extraordinary benefit attached to hybrid learning – careers and successful futures. The world of work is constantly changing, as are the roles that industry needs to fill and the skills it desperately needs to survive. Traditional education hasn’t caught up to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and learners are emerging into a world that doesn’t need what they have.

Some statistics from the IMF highlight the challenges that lie ahead: 85 million jobs will likely be displaced by automation over the next five years; 43% of organisations will reduce their workforces because of technology integration; robots will also create 97 million new jobs; these jobs will rely on analytical and creative thinking and an attitude of constant learning; and 84% of employers are digitising their work processes and 44% are creating remote or hybrid workforces.

Learners that have evolved their skills within hybrid education environments already have the skills required to thrive within hybrid working environments. They are also likely to adapt quickly to ongoing skills development, to embrace analytical thinking, and to have the necessary intellectual agility to evolve their own careers as market and industry need.

Welcome to the future, it has arrived

The country sits on the cusp of educational change that could lift it into a brighter future, a future that puts all learners on a solid footing and provides all with access to essential educational tools. What lies ahead is a journey that needs to pull both public and private schools into the hybrid future and that puts learners at the centre of a world of information. This is the right time to focus on investing into technologies such as artificial intelligence, predictive learning analytics, virtual reality, cloud services, connectivity, technology infrastructure and innovative learning systems so that the South African student can stand on the global stage with confidence.