09 Nov 2023
The dynamics of employment and education are changing, urging institutes to adopt new strategies and methodologies. The primary reason for this can be attributed to the growing skills and competency demands in response to the evolving industries and varied organisational needs.
Industrial Revolution 4.0 has led to a surge of new technological solutions and a set of new job criteria. Therefore, students and job aspirants must update themselves with the latest knowledge and skills; that is what institutes strive to do with the help of LMS software.
Let's Find How the LMS Software fits into the Future of Learning
1. Learning For Life
"A degree is equal to a bright and secure future" is a notion that has lost its validity and relevance, especially in the present competitive environment. Employers or organisations do not merely look at a degree or percentage received at graduation.
The standards for measuring a candidate’s eligibility have changed in recent years; they test whether or not the candidate has the required skills. More importantly, the individual must possess the right attitude and eagerness to learn.
However, it is the educational institute’s duty to sow the seeds of lifelong learning and they can do so through various mechanisms. They can create adaptable learning habits by implementing the following ways:
- Encourage learners to establish self-learning schedules and follow them dedicatedly.
- Students can keep tabs on the information about the latest updates related to various fields, including, science, technology, space, etc.
- Institutes must do their part by facilitating sufficient resources through strategic partnerships with laboratories and inviting experts, helping learners to engage in real-time activities.
2. Microlearning
Settling in a job after completing graduation is the ideal scenario for most individuals; however, to ensure career and personal growth many pursue higher studies. Therefore, they strive to work and learn simultaneously, while attempting to maintain the schedule for both.
However, deadlines at work and personal commitments can prove to be obstacles in their learning process. On the other hand, individuals have different learning styles and all cannot follow the same flow or pace of the classroom.
Therefore, teachers can implement unique approaches such as microlearning to make education more adaptable for students. In fact, a learning management system is an appropriate tool to implement such methodologies smoothly.
For instance, teachers can deliver educational content into small, bite-sized focused units, enabling them to break concepts into small and easy chunks.
Students can benefit immensely from this in the following ways:
- It helps them to focus on specific topics or skills that require improvement.
- They can continue the learning process anytime they want; for instance, they can complete a learning task while they are on a short break at work.
Hence, future LMS platforms will focus on delivering specific and easily consumable content and modules.
3. Upskilling Opportunities
"Learning and knowledge acquisition never ends"- the quote finds its relevance increasingly in today’s scenario wherein individuals must have in-demand competencies. However, institutes have been following traditional approaches, including exam-oriented learning and backdated teaching methodologies.
However, the education sector has witnessed a gradual shift by emphasising skills and competencies through an outcome-based educational system. To put it simply, students have a clear idea about the goals that they are supposed to reach by the end of the term.
Hence, curriculum development and lesson planning will integrate crucial skills by aligning them with core subjects through applications such as the LMS software. As a result, students get an in-depth understanding of a concept and learn their practical applications.
The crucial skills that will contribute to future productivity are as follows:
- Digital Literacy
- Automation and AI skills
- Data-based decision making
- A growth mindset
- Interpersonal communication skills
4. Social Learning and Collaboration
There is no growth in isolation, especially when the success and productivity of an individual and an organisation rely on communication. In fact, remote and hybrid work systems, which will increase in the future depend on well-organised cooperation.
To ensure that students don’t face difficulty navigating workplace challenges, institutes must incorporate social learning and collaboration. There are plenty of ways, for instance, discussion, debates and peer reviews allow students to collaborate effectively.
Teachers will conduct new methods of interactive sessions apart from the traditional face-to-face setting. In fact, that is where they can use the best LMS software in India, which facilitates social learning through its built-in social features such as discussion forums, chat, peer reviews, etc.
Furthermore, the software is an essential assistive tool that helps students efficiently in group work, collaboration, and exchange of ideas. Also, while working on such assignments, students are able to foster their social and collaboration skills.
5. Maximising Productivity
Ensuring to not repeat the same mistakes over and over again and executing the operations seamlessly is key to productivity. However, another critical aspect is problem-solving skills and innovative thinking capability that come in handy to resolve issues on time.
Institutes contribute immensely in this aspect, by creating an engaging and experiential learning environment. For instance, teachers will continue to include project-based learning exercises within the classroom sessions, enabling students to work on real-world issues.
They can also include brainstorming sessions by pairing up students, allowing them to self-study, research and come up with relevant solutions. The LMS software has an online tool, which the students can use.
Consequently, it will boost their problem-solving skills and help them learn different ways of tackling issues.
6. Data Analytics and Learning Analytics
Currently, organisations, including educational institutes rely greatly on data to make informed decisions, which will only expand in the future. For instance, they will take a closer look at classroom performance through a more convenient approach.
Paper-based and outdated approaches have already been replaced by modern mechanisms, which in the future will only strive to expand. For example, software data analytics provides insight into student performance.
Teachers can gain in-depth reports about students’ performance in exams, attendance patterns, homework and assignment completion habits, etc. Consequently, the system will become a significant part of the learning process just as it is now.
To Wrap It Up,
The future of learning and working are interdependent; therefore, the more effective the former is the more it will contribute to the latter. The LMS software will play an instrumental role in both cases by allowing individuals to upskill and update their knowledge.
Gaurav Somani,
Academic Consultant