The traditional crowded classroom setup and bulky textbooks are now becoming a “thing in the past” with the growing popularity and usage of online learning. Online learning has allowed anyone to learn and study from anywhere at any time. This trend has become so popular, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic when it was difficult for people to get together in person, so learning had to be moved online.
With the help of technology, a lot of students can now learn remotely and they can also connect with their teachers and classmates from anywhere. This is important, especially in the field of information technology, it is, after all about the use of technology. In this article, we’ll explore the new trends in this area and we’ll see how educators are adapting existing online learning methods to make them work better for IT subjects.
Adaptations in Online IT Education
Learning online is great and has its own convenience, but how do educators actually manage them and deliver lessons? This is where Learning Management Systems (LMS) come in.
Increased Use of Learning Management Systems (LMS)
An LMS is a software platform that acts as a central hub for courses that are taken online. It helps educators with:
- Content Delivery: With an internet connection, students can easily get lessons, presentations, and other learning materials that are in the LMS.
- Assessment Tools: With LMS, quizzes, exams, and assignments can now be created online. LMS tools also often come with features like automatic grading and feedback.
- Communication Platforms: Online forums, chat rooms, and messaging functions allow the students and educators to discuss, interact, and collaborate.
LMS platforms are now more user-friendly and interactive. No more outdated interfaces and limited functions, instead, they now offer features like:
- Drag-and-Drop Content Organization: Add and arrange learning materials easily for a smooth learning experience.
- Multimedia Integration: Include videos, audio recordings, and interactive simulations to make learning more engaging.
- Mobile Accessibility: Access course materials and join in discussions on the go with mobile apps.
These features make LMS ideal for IT education. Educators can adapt them to:
- Incorporate Coding Exercises: A lot of platforms allow for in-built coding environments where students can write and test their code directly within the LMS.
- Set Up Virtual Labs: Software can be linked within the LMS to provide students with access to virtual environments for practicing IT skills, like network configuration or system troubleshooting.
Rethinking Assessment Strategies
Compared to the traditional classroom setup, cheating is more likely to happen on online exams and quizzes. Educators are looking for ways to solve and adapt to these challenges.
Challenges of Online Assessments:
- Online assessments are more prone to students using outside resources or cheating with each other during exams.
- Multiple-choice questions might not correctly assess a student’s ability to apply their knowledge in real-life situations.
Adaptation of Assessment Methods for IT Education:
- Online Proctoring: Using services that allow live tracking of students during exams with webcams and screen recording software to avoid cheating. ExamSoft for example, has real-time monitoring and a secure exam delivery system. It also has features that include offline exam capabilities.
- Project-Based Evaluations: Giving IT projects that allow students to show their problem-solving and technical skills by building applications, configuring networks, or designing solutions.
- Peer Review: To encourage critical thinking and cooperation among students, educators make them check each other’s work, this also helps educators gain additional insights.
Automated Grading Tools: To give educators more time for personal feedback on projects and essays, grading tools can help with tasks that need repetitive action such as grading multiple-choice quizzes. NearPod is an example of these automated grading tools, this tool grades quizzes and polls but keep in mind that these tools can’t accurately assess complex skills or open-ended questions.
Fostering Collaboration and Interaction
Student interactions are essential for learning successfully, and just because students learn online doesn’t mean that it has to be a lonely experience for them. Participating in discussions and in group projects can help the students learn from one another, it also helps them develop communication skills.
Adaptations to Promote Collaboration:
- Online Discussion Forums: Make online forums for students to talk about course topics, share ideas, and answer each other’s questions.
- Group Projects with Shared Workspaces: Assigning projects where students would work together virtually. LMS platforms often incorporate online collaboration tools that allow students to work on documents, presentations, or code together remotely.
Synchronous and Asynchronous Communication Tools:
- Synchronous: Interactions like live video lectures, webinars, or online chat sessions where students can interact with instructors and classmates in real time.
- Asynchronous: Communication that happens at different times, like forum threads, email exchanges, or pre-recorded lectures that students can access at their own time.
Innovations in Online IT Education
The online learning industry continuously evolves, with new technologies emerging to make a more engaging and effective learning experience. In this section, we’ll look at some innovations that are improving the way students learn IT skills online:
Emerging Technologies: VR/AR and Gamification
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) were first known for gaming, but these things are now transforming IT education by creating fun and captivating learning experiences:
- VR for Immersive Learning: Imagine going into a virtual network server room or troubleshooting a computer system in 3D space. VR headsets can create realistic experiences that allow students to experience IT concepts more interactively. This can be good for learning complex topics like network architecture, cybersecurity protocols, or hardware configuration.
- AR for Hands-on Training: Augmented reality overlays digital information onto the real world. These AR applications can give learning assistance with the students’ IT lessons and practices. For example, students could use AR apps to see network connections overlaid on their physical workspace or watch step-by-step instructions for hardware troubleshooting on their tablets while working on their real equipment.
- Gamification for Motivation: Gamification works by adding game-like elements into non-game things, and this can be a great tool for improving engagement in online learning. Like earning points for finishing a coding challenge, unlocking badges for mastering IT concepts, or competing on leaderboards with classmates. Gamification can make learning fun and even encourage students to do better.
Personalized Learning with Adaptive Learning Technologies
The “one size fits all” does not work well in education, even in online learning. Adaptive learning platforms personalize the learning experience based on each student’s individual needs.
Adaptive Learning Explained: These platforms use algorithms to assess student performance on quizzes, assignments, and other activities. With the data collected, the platform adjusts the level of difficulty of a certain lesson or course and recommends additional resources or activities that match the student’s specific strengths and weaknesses.
Adapting Content for IT Courses: IT courses usually start with basic coding lessons. Since the adaptive learning platform tracks the student’s progress, if a student is having a hard time with a lesson, the platform may suggest some practice exercises or give a more in-depth explanation. Still, if a student learns the lesson fast, the platform might give more difficult problems or advanced topics.
AI and Personalized Learning: Artificial intelligence (AI) has a big role in adaptive learning platforms but it still has its limits and that it is not fully developed. AI depends on the data it collects and the system it uses, which is why human instructors are still important in providing support, guidance, and feedback that is beyond what AI can offer.
Microlearning and Blended Learning Approaches
Microlearning/Bite-Sized Knowledge: Microlearning offers solutions to the growing number of people with short attention spans. With a learning module that is mostly 5-15 minutes short, these bite-sized lessons can be ideal for IT education with lessons and skills that need step-by-step and regular practice.
Benefits for IT Education: The focus lessons that Microlearning modules can teach, like configuring software or troubleshooting a common hardware issue, can easily be understood and are perfect for on-the-go lessons for busy IT professionals who need a refresher on a certain topic.
Blended Learning – Combining Strengths: Blended learning is a mix of traditional online learning with Microlearning modules. An online IT course may include video lectures, quizzes, and assignments. When added with microlearning modules for focused skill development, this approach gives a full learning experience.
Continuous Skill Development: In a field that is always changing and evolving, Microlearning promotes continuous skill development in the IT industry. Professionals can take short, focused modules to learn new technologies, refresh their skills, or prepare for certifications.
Wrapping Up
Educators are adjusting to the changes that online learning has made in the field of education by using tools like Learning Management Systems (LMS) to make IT courses more engaging. New technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) have also made learning IT lessons more fun and realistic. These trends are just a peek at the future of online IT education, where it’s possible to learn IT skills from anywhere at any time, even at your own pace. We can expect more amazing and helpful tools to come as technology continues to evolve, making online IT education a more powerful tool for anyone who wants to thrive in the digital world.