We are living in an era of technology and a tech-centric world. Global connectivity, smart machines, new media are some of the key drivers which are reshaping the world. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is in the process of completely changing the scenario of the world through different innovations and developments in the society in general and the industry in particular; AI, Robotics, IOT being some of the well-recognized emerging technologies in the world today.

Technology is emerging in each sector whether it is education, real estate, retail, e-commerce, or any other and these technological advancements are much needed in the development process of a nation.

What is education 4.0 and how it is changing the “game of education”?

Education 4.0 is an institutional thought that encourages non-traditional thinking. The concept essentially uses technology-based tools and resources to drive education in non-traditional ways. Education 4.0 is completely changing the “Game of Education” by easing the ways of learning and improving our technical skills at the same time.

This would impact the comprehensively analytical jobs of the 21st century just as the manual labour input was transformed forever by the 19th-century Industrial revolution. Consequently, Education 4.0 will affect the roles of the universities and colleges which prepare students for real-world challenges. Educational institutions are admirably placed to help produce the workforce for this new world and the student experience to match it that includes adult learners as well as school leavers.

Innovations and general shifts in the world of learning – from school children to business executive – Here are some future trends that stand out:

Diverse time and place & Free learning choices: Students will have ample opportunities to learn what they want to learn at different levels, places and times. E-Learning is a more effective way of learning which facilitates numerous opportunities for remote, self-paced, self-motivated learning also. Practical education will score over theoretical education as the former shall be taught more effectively and interactively in classrooms.

Demonstrative learning: Learning will become personalized and students will get more hands-on and observational exposure. Students who are facing difficulties in any subject will get a chance to bring themselves up to the requisite level.

Gadgets as Learning Aids: Students will have more devices to learn from and will use them according to their personal skill enhancement requirement. Using different tools to study will be fruitful for the students as they will use their own devises and gadgets for their mental growth and will be free to innovate their own ideas. Blended learning, flipped classrooms and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) form important terminology within this change.

Project-based learning:

The students will make more projects and will use their own ideas practically so that they will easily get to know and learn about how to apply their skills in shorter terms and with variety of techniques in different situations.

Field Experience: Technology can facilitate more efficiency in certain realm; curricula will make room for skills that solely require human knowledge and face-to-face interaction.

Thus, experience in ‘the field’ will be reiterated within courses. Schools will provide more opportunities for students to obtain real-world skills that are representative to their jobs. This means curricula will create more room for students to fulfill internships, mentoring projects and teamwork projects.

Exams patterns will change completely: As courseware platforms will assess students’ capabilities at every step, measuring their skills through Q&A might become irrelevant, or might not be adequate. Many argue that exams are now designed in such a way, that students’ rote learnt heir subject materials and forget it the next day. Educators worry that exams might not validly measure what students should be capable of when they enter their first job. As the factual knowledge of a student can be measured during their learning process, the application of their knowledge is best tested when they work on projects in the field.

Student ownership: Students will create their own futuristic curriculum which will be up to date, contemporary, also much realistic when youngsters and professionals get involved in it.

Mentoring will be more decisive: Within the next two decades, students will consolidate so much independence into their learning process, that mentoring will become fundamental to student success. Teachers will form a central point in the wasteland of information that our students will be paving their way through. Though the future of education seems remote, the teacher and educational institution are imperative to academic performance.

These are some of the exciting, enlightening and proactive trends and challenges for the education system in the next 20 years. For individuals and society, new educational tools and resources hold the promise of empowering individuals to develop a fuller array of competencies, skills and knowledge and of unleashing their creative potential.

Indeed, many of the changes underway call to mind the evocative words of Irish poet William Butler Yeats that, “Education is not about filling a bucket but lighting a fire”.

The author is a professor at RICS School of Built Environment, Amity University.