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EdTech: The future of training for companies

Introduction to educational technology and eLearning

 
 

The digital transformation has found its way into all areas of life, and education is no exception. EdTech (educational technology) is a hot topic. Companies are dependent on skilled workers and need to offer them ongoing training opportunities, but budget cuts are eating into the resources needed to provide this training. EdTech is changing the way we learn and teach. Whether you run a small business, work in a large corporation, or in the education sector, EdTech offers you previously unimaginable opportunities to make your training measures more efficient and effective.

But what exactly does the term EdTech mean, and how does it differ from eLearning? In this article, we’ll give you a comprehensive overview of EdTech, explain the most important ways in which it differs from eLearning, and introduce you to various technologies that will take your training and education methods to the next level.

 

What exactly is EdTech?

EdTech, short for educational technology, refers to the use of digital technologies to improve and optimize learning and teaching processes. It involves not only the use of computers and tablets, but also a variety of technologies that make knowledge more accessible, learning content more interactive, and training measures more efficient.

 

The difference between EdTech and eLearning

EdTech and eLearning are closely linked, but they differ in terms of their scope and usage.

EdTech encompasses a much broader range of technologies and applications that support and enhance the entire learning and teaching process. In addition to eLearning solutions, EdTech also covers the tools and technologies used for managing learning processes, creating interactive learning content, encouraging collaboration, and customizing learning with artificial intelligence.

Examples of EdTech:

 

eLearning stands for ‘electronic learning’ and refers to all forms of learning that take place via electronic media and the internet. It focuses primarily on the provision and use of online courses, webinars, and digital learning content. eLearning is a part of the EdTech spectrum and provides a convenient and flexible way of imparting and acquiring knowledge—anytime, anywhere.

Examples of eLearning:

  • Online courses
  • Video courses
  • Digital coaching
  • Webinars
  • Virtual classrooms
  • Video conferencing

 

So eLearning is an important part of EdTech, but EdTech goes far beyond it by integrating a variety of other technologies that support learning. While eLearning focuses on the delivery of learning content over the internet, EdTech encompasses all the infrastructure and tools needed to create, manage, and deliver learning content, and track learner progress. By combining eLearning and EdTech, companies and educational institutions can create a comprehensive and effective learning environment that is tailored to the needs of its learners. By integrating both approaches, you can make the learning process more interactive, personalized, and efficient, which ultimately leads to better learning outcomes.

 

EdTech solutions

The variety of EdTech solutions out there offers companies a wide range of tools to improve their employee training. Here are some of the most important technologies you should consider.

Learning management systems (LMSs)

Learning management systems such as Knowledgeworker Share are central platforms that enable you to manage learning content, plan training courses, and track your learners’ progress. They act as a central hub for all of your company’s learning activities, and can be easily adapted to its specific needs.

Authoring tools for eLearning (LCMSs)

Software such as Knowledgeworker Create enables you to create engaging and interactive online courses that are tailored to your learners’ individual needs. Authoring tools offer extensive functions for creating modern and interactive online courses, quizzes, and tests that make learning more varied and effective.

Digital flashcards

Applications such as Knowledgeworker Cards use digital flashcards to impart and consolidate knowledge. These tools are based on the principle of repeated review, and enable learners to deepen and consolidate their knowledge through regular repetition.

Software for scenario-based learning

Tools such as Knowledgeworker Coach facilitate scenario-based learning, where learners are guided through realistic scenarios to improve their decision-making and problem-solving skills. This method is particularly effective for training that focuses on complex and practice-oriented subject areas.

Virtual classrooms and webinars

Tools such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams enable you to host interactive live lessons and meetings so employees can learn wherever they are. Virtual classrooms let learners interact with trainers and colleagues in real-time, which strengthens the sense of community and collaboration.

 
Nadine Pedro
[Translate to English:] Nadine Pedro, chemmedia AG

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Successfully implementing EdTech at your company

First steps towards the introduction of EdTech

The first step is to carry out a thorough needs analysis. Identify the specific learning objectives and skills that need to be improved, as well as your employees’ preferred learning methods. Involve all relevant stakeholders, including HR, IT, management, and the employees themselves. By gathering feedback from these groups, you’ll ensure that everyone’s needs and expectations are catered to.

 

Selecting the right technology for the company

Once the requirements have been determined, the next step is to select the appropriate technologies. Start with a market analysis to research the various EdTech solutions on the market. Take into account your specific requirements, budget, and technical capabilities. It is advisable to launch pilot projects first in order to test different technologies. Gather feedback from participants and evaluate the effectiveness and user-friendliness of the solutions. Based on these findings, you can then decide on the technologies that best suit your company, and develop a long-term plan for their implementation and integration into your existing systems.

 

Training and support for employees

Another important step is to train and support your employees. Organize introductory events, workshops, and training courses to familiarize your employees with the new technologies. It’s important that they understand the advantages and benefits of the new tools. Offer continued support to help employees use the new technologies effectively. Use internal or external experts to help with questions and problems. Establish open communication channels so that employees can give feedback and request support. This feedback is highly valuable when it comes to continuously improving the implementation.

 

Best practices and case studies

Finally, learn from the best practices and success stories of other companies that have already successfully implemented EdTech. Analyze their approaches and adapt them to your own needs. Use KPIs and other metrics to measure the success of your EdTech implementation. Use the data collected to continuously adapt and improve your strategies and technologies. Foster a culture of innovation and continuous learning in your company by encouraging your employees to try out new technologies and contribute ideas to improve training.

 

Criticisms of EdTech

Although EdTech offers numerous advantages, there are also some points of criticism and challenges that you need to consider. Here are the most important criticisms of EdTech:

Technological dependency
One major criticism of EdTech is its heavy dependency on technology. The success of EdTech solutions depends on the availability and reliability of the technical infrastructure. In regions or companies with a poor internet connection or outdated hardware, these solutions may be less effective or even unusable. Technology outages and cyberattacks can disrupt the learning process and cause serious problems.

Inequality of access
EdTech can reinforce the digital divide by disadvantaging those who do not have access to modern technologies or the internet. This refers not only those in developing countries, but also socially disadvantaged groups within wealthier countries. Without equal access to the necessary equipment and infrastructure, certain groups may be excluded from the benefits of EdTech.

Data protection and security
Handling large amounts of personal data in EdTech systems raises considerable data protection and security concerns. There is a risk that sensitive information could be stolen or misused. Companies and educational institutions must implement strict data protection measures to protect users’ privacy and ensure compliance with legal regulations.

Lack of personal interaction
Another point of criticism is the loss of personal interaction. Traditional educational institutions offer direct interaction between teachers and students, which contributes to their social and emotional development. In a purely digital learning environment, this interaction can be severely limited, which can lead to isolation and a reduced sense of community. This can be particularly problematic for younger learners and those who benefit greatly from personal support.

Quality and verification of content
The quality of the content used in EdTech can vary greatly. While some platforms offer high-quality and well-researched materials, there is also a lot of content that has not been sufficiently checked or is simply of low quality. This can lead to a poor learning experience and employees ‘gaining’ incorrect or incomplete knowledge. Reviewing content and performing quality assurance checks is an important aspect that is often neglected.

High implementation costs
Implementing EdTech solutions can be expensive, especially for smaller companies and educational institutions. The costs of the software, hardware, training, and maintenance can quickly add up. Additional, hidden costs, such as those associated with regular updates and technical support, can put further strain on the budget.

Difficulties adapting
The introduction of EdTech often involves adapting existing education and training processes. This can meet with resistance from teachers, trainers, and staff who are used to traditional methods. The transition to digital solutions requires training, time, and often a change in corporate culture, which is not always easy to accomplish.

These points of criticism show that despite the many advantages of EdTech, there are also some challenges and potential disadvantages you have to take into account. Careful planning and implementation—and maintaining a balance between digital and traditional educational approaches—can help to mitigate these problems.

 

EdTech: Opportunity or risk?

Of course, EdTech also offers numerous advantages. These include increased flexibility and accessibility, interactive and engaging learning content, personalization, efficiency, and scalability. These advantages make EdTech a valuable tool for companies and educational institutions that want to modernize and optimize their training and education measures, but of course there are also several points of criticism and challenges that you should be aware of. 

 

Advantages

  • flexible access
  • interactive and appealing learning content
  • personalized learning content
  • efficient implementation and execution
  • easy to adapt to requirements

Risks

  • technological dependency
  • risks associated with handling personal data
  • loss of direct contact between teachers and students
  • financial burdens associated with software, hardware, and training
  • resistance to the transition to digital solutions
 

When weighing up the advantages and criticisms of EdTech, it becomes clear that the potential and opportunities EdTech offers are, indeed, significant. Its flexibility, and personalization and interactivity options can make learning more efficient and effective, especially in an increasingly digitalized world. However, it is essential to take the criticisms seriously and take measures to address these challenges.

Companies and educational institutions should ensure that they have a reliable technological infrastructure to minimize dependence on technology. It is equally important to safeguard equal opportunities and ensure that all learners have access to the necessary equipment and the internet. Data protection and security must always have the highest priority to ensure your users’ privacy is preserved.

In addition, the value of personal interaction should not be underestimated. Hybrid models that combine digital and traditional approaches can help you get the best of both worlds. Quality control measures and regular reviews of the learning content are essential to ensure that the materials provided meet the highest standards.

Overall, the advantages of EdTech outweigh the disadvantages if the challenges we have highlighted are actively addressed. With the right strategy, companies and educational institutions can use the strengths of EdTech to improve their learning processes and achieve their goals more effectively.

 

5 EdTech trends for companies

EdTech trend 1: Adaptive learning

EdTech has the potential to revolutionize corporate training and education. By using innovative technologies and digital tools, companies can offer customized learning solutions that can be flexibly adapted to the individual needs of its employees. The following 5 EdTech trends are effective and easy to integrate into your modern personnel development strategy:

 

EdTech trend 1: Adaptive learning

Different abilities, learning preferences, and goals require different learning approaches and content. Logical, yes, but very difficult to implement to the fullest (if at all) with analog learning. While some staff almost fall asleep from boredom during training, others don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. Some are overchallenged, others underchallenged, and in the end most are unmotivated as a result.

However, pretty much every EdTech tool can adapt learning content and processes to individual requirements based on learning analytics—even without AI. There are many ways of customizing content. One way of doing it is by integrating pre-tests, which avoid the scenario described above by adapting learning content to each learner’s respective level based on tests they have to complete before the course begins. Learners with a lot of prior knowledge skip the basics, save time and cognitive resources, and are not bored by unnecessary repetition. Learners with no prior knowledge, on the other hand, cover the basics first so that they don’t feel overwhelmed or lose confidence.

 

Use cases for adaptive learning

Any type of training—from data protection training to complex courses—regardless of the learning method used or the EdTech chosen (extended reality can be just as adaptable as a traditional online course)

 

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EdTech trend 2: Extended reality

Want to visit ancient Greece, Mont Blanc, or the wreck of the Titanic? With extended reality, you can do it all without even leaving the couch. Already a firm fixture in the entertainment sector, it can be applied just as well to corporate training: Learning how to operate a machine? A tour of the company premises for new employees? Looking over the more experienced doctor’s shoulder during a procedure? Use cases like these open up a whole new way of learning. The advantages are quickly apparent: 

 

Employees can learn in a practical yet low-risk way. Extended reality provides deeper insights as the scenarios are so true-to-life, meaning that employees can gain confidence, knowledge and, to a certain extent, even experience before encountering these situations themselves in the real world.

With extended reality, learners don’t just sit watching a stream, but instead become part of the learning experience by entering a realistic virtual space. This offers greater opportunities for identification and therefore greater motivation.

VR glasses are becoming increasingly affordable, and—thanks to AI—creating suitable learning content also now takes less time than it did a few years ago. The technology is increasingly moving away from the trade fair floor, where it was until recently seen as something of a novelty, and finally entering everyday business life. 

 

Use cases for extended reality

Any learning situation that requires hands-on practice involving watching and trying things out for yourself. 

 

EdTech trend 3: Gamification

Learning can be fun again. We probably last mentioned these two words together in a sentence as children, but now EdTech is bringing games back—even to in-house corporate training. Companies are integrating familiar gaming elements and principles from the world of computer games, such as scoring systems, levels, and quests, into their existing learning processes. The benefits of gamification are manifold. The following three are just a selection: 

 

They appeal to our competitiveness, our play instinct and our emotions. Participants subconsciously want to keep playing and therefore learn at the same time.

Fast responses motivate learners and keep them on track. Users receive immediate feedback on their decisions—in the form of points, badges, the progress bar filling up, or the ranking list when playing against/learning with other participants.

As a rule, gamification tools can easily be integrated into your own learning management system and can also be evaluated from there.

 

Use cases for gamification

Primarily for learning content that involves acquiring factual knowledge, as this is the easiest to measure and compare. You can then set things up to have your learners compete in game-like scenarios. Even without competition, gamification can be used almost everywhere, for example in traditional online courses by re-casting chapters as levels whose completion could be rewarded with digital or analog incentives. These could be virtual points that could then be used to compete with other learners and/or redeemed for a staff canteen voucher if a certain result is achieved.

 

EdTech trend 4: Cloud learning

Digital learning has one major disadvantage: The content requires an extremely large amount of storage capacity, which—when provided with conventional servers—can quickly become expensive. One solution, and perhaps the most efficient, is offered by SaaS providers: With software as a service, software and content are stored on the provider’s servers and accessed via the cloud. In addition to saving the (financial) expense of storing the content on your own servers, SaaS also enables learners to access the content at any time.

Data protection concerns with externally hosted software? With our data protection checklist, you’ll be on the safe side when choosing software.

 

Checklist

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EdTech trend 5: Scenario-based learning

Not every skill can be learned by reading books or via traditional online courses. In our everyday working lives, we repeatedly encounter situations that require us to have methodological, social, and personal skills—from internal discussions requiring sensitivity to requests for advice and sales pitches. Similar to extended reality, scenario-based learning simulates reality to create a safe but practical learning environment.

Even better, in scenario-based learning, the path forward is not fixed, but rather is determined by the learner’s reactions and responses. This means that a single situation can give rise to a range of scenarios, which are continually adjusted on the basis of learners’ reactions. Employees participating in this kind of coaching immediately recognize the pitfalls that can arise from an incorrect or not entirely appropriate response, and learn the best type of response: Practical, realistic and authentic, but without detriment your company.

 

Use cases for scenario-based learning

Any discussion that requires solid arguments, assertiveness, and empathy appropriate to the situation. For example, sales pitches, crisis communication, consulting meetings, emergency situations, feedback meetings…

 

Try it out

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The bottom line.

The EdTech era has only just begun, but it already offers us amazing tools and learning methods that make learning more engaging, and knowledge accessible wherever it is needed. Considering the fact that employees today constantly need new knowledge to keep up with ever faster (technological) changes, and that companies often have to train lateral entrants internally due to the shortage of skilled workers, EdTech is going to be key to any company’s future viability. It is the long-needed link between our modern use of media and learning itself, which is becoming increasingly difficult in its original, analog form and cannot keep up with our generation in terms of currency, scope, or individuality, nor in terms of ease.

 
Janet Beier | Senior Marketing Manager
Janet Beier
Copywriter
 

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