All about education technology (edtech) and how it can improve your institution
The higher education landscape is shifting to embrace and create more online environments. From offering distance learning through video conferencing to leveraging devices for streamlined instruction, colleges and universities are embracing new ways to enhance the learning experience and make learning more accessible.
Edtech is a developing field that is growing in prevalence in higher education, with experts anticipating an annual growth rate of 18.6 percent until 2030. These tools empower institutions to improve learning processes. As traditional instruction practices become less common in the classroom, the ability to implement, adapt to, and optimize these new technologies becomes more critical. Below, you can learn more about education technology and how it can benefit everyone on campus.
What is education technology?
Edtech refers to the tools and technology an institution uses to introduce information and enhance communication to create more inclusive, individualized, and engaging learning experiences. These tools change the traditional classroom by gamifying course content, leveraging virtual reality, creating virtual classes, and more to make learning easier and more fun for students.
An edtech stack can refer to a combination of learning management systems, social tools, media, knowledge databases, and other methods of collaboration. Many edtech stacks align student information systems, learning management systems, and learning objective repositories to enhance effectiveness and efficiency.
Benefits of leveraging edtech tools
The right technologies can benefit everyone on campus. There are many tools and applications that encourage collaboration, simplify administrative processes, aid in content creation, and more. Explore the benefits of edtech for your students, faculty, and institution:
Benefits for students
Edtech makes learning more accessible and engaging for students. Leveraging the right tools empowers students to experience benefits like:
Personalized learning: Holistic learning experiences are more impactful for students than cookie-cutter instruction. Personalized learning fosters academic excellence and personal growth, creating a more enriching learning experience. Edtech empowers this personalization. Video content tools, analytics, and assistance tools allow students to learn at their own pace and seek support when they need it.
Increased engagement: Edtech creates unique and engaging learning experiences. Instructors can leverage an array of tools and devices to grab learner attention and craft lessons that are interesting and educational. Options like gamifying problem-solving, allowing podcast or video assignment submissions, and broadening resource access give students new ways to interact with information and foster stronger connections with course content.
Enhanced resource accessibility: A significant advantage of edtech is the opportunity for 24/7 learning access. Students can access educational resources in the classroom, at home, or anywhere else they feel comfortable learning. This enhanced accessibility can make learning more manageable for students with obligations like full-time work or caring for a family member that could otherwise prevent them from stepping on campus during set meeting times.
Increased collaboration: Cloud-enabled devices foster collaboration in and out of the classroom. Online lessons, discussion boards, and social platforms allow students to connect and problem-solve. This process ensures students can interact with new perspectives outside of the classroom and in more meaningful ways.
Benefits for faculty
Your faculty can also benefit from a quality edtech solution. These tools can:
Simplify content creation: Instructors no longer need to create new assignments, materials, or course resources by hand. With thousands of digital applications, gaming sites, and AI tools, instructors can simplify and streamline content creation. Instructors can also use these tools to make a more diverse course that utilizes videos, audio clips, and digital content rather than relying on paper assignments.
Automate process: Grading is often essential but can be mundane for some instructors. New automation tools create new opportunities for streamlining these processes while reducing manual work for faculty. Using tools to assess objective assignments can free up hours for instructors, enabling them to engage in more preparation time, meaningful content creation, and collaboration time with students or other department members.
Improve teaching methods: Along with improving courses by implementing a more diverse range of resources and making learning more engaging for students, edtech can inform and improve teaching methods. Leveraging analytics about student engagement, resilience, and performance can guide decisions regarding curriculum mapping and highlight instruction effectiveness.
Benefits for institutions
Many times, when your students and faculty benefit from your decisions, your institution experiences positive growth as well. In the case of edtech, your institution could expect benefits like:
Improved student retention: Many factors impact student retention, including academic challenges and resource access. Implementing edtech solutions can help students overcome these challenges and create more meaningful educational experiences. The result is higher student retention, which positively highlights your institution’s ability to empower students and reach institutional objectives.
Enhanced operational efficiency: Automation reduces repetitive work for your administrators. Tasks like taking attendance, collecting student feedback, and reporting are crucial for operations but can be timely. Freeing up your team by automating these processes empowers you to accomplish more while enabling administrators to engage in more critical tasks and problem-solving.
Boosted reputation: The improvements you make and the changes you implement reflect your institution and ability to adapt to industry changes and meet each student’s needs. High retention rates, boosted satisfaction, and documented growth can boost your reputation, attracting more potential students, increasing campus diversity, and appealing to qualified, well-trained faculty and staff.
Types of edtech software and tools
There are many edtech tools circulating the educational landscape. These tools can aid several fundamental elements — infrastructure, instruction, and content. Take a look at some examples of edtech you can implement to drive change:
1. Infrastructure
Edtech infrastructure tools are those that create the foundation for virtual teaching and learning. These tools include physical devices, like tablets, and software platforms that enhance classroom experiences. Tools include:
Learning management systems (LMS): An LMS refers to the applications your institution uses to manage the learning process. This software can house course content, curriculum mapping information, grades, student assignments, and departmental objectives. Students can use your LMS to submit assignments, connect with educators, and access resources.
Student information systems (SIS): An SIS platform enables students and staff to input and access information relevant to institution interactions. For example, these platforms can enable student course registration, transcript access, and more.
Video conferencing platforms: Video conferencing allows students, educators, administrators, stakeholders, and other relevant parties to interact with your institution conveniently. Faculty members can use these tools to discuss departmental objectives or changes, while students can use them to join class meetings or collaborate with peers. Others interested in or relevant to your institution can use video conferencing to ask questions, review reports, and participate in conversations.
Communication platforms: Digital tools like Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, Slack, and similar applications and platforms empower everyone on campus to collaborate through direct messaging, virtual video meetings, document sharing, presentations, and more.
2. Instruction
Educators can leverage instructional tools to create and share content, facilitate assessment, and foster collaboration. Instructional edtech tools include:
Documentation tools: Some edtech tools allow users to scan and store documents digitally. Instructors can use these tools to enhance material accessibility, and students can use them to keep a record of the notes they take when studying or questions they have. These tools also streamline collaboration by allowing sharing and posting capabilities.
Content management systems (CMS): Higher education professionals can use a CMS to manage and create content and website pages. These systems often enable personalization to enhance student engagement and offer easy-to-use functions for streamlined access, editing, and reporting.
Curriculum management systems: A curriculum management system streamlines curriculum implementation and development. These edtech tools empower you to align your curriculum with institutional objectives and evaluate progress.
3. Content
Tools that guide students through materials, offer support, or aid in communicating information are content edtech tools. Content edtech achieves these objectives by incorporating:
Gamification elements: Applications with gamification elements create more enriching and fun learning environments. Apps like Duolingo and Kahoot! are clear examples of gamification. However, you can also implement digital badges, benchmarks, and rewards to gamify other course materials and elements.
Assistance tools: Assistance tools can help students as they study. Tools like Grammarly guide writing tasks, while other applications can help instructors prepare course materials for an upcoming class. These tools can reduce tedious tasks while keeping students more engaged with their work.
Screen mirroring: Screen mirroring can be helpful in physical and virtual learning environments. When using video conferencing platforms, attendees can screen share to present assignments, display findings, and enhance understanding. In physical learning spaces, screen mirroring can allow an instructor to project information to guide lectures and direct student attention.
Edtech software management
Leveraging edtech can improve academic quality and increase efficiency, but software management is crucial for effective tool use. Take a look at how you can manage higher education technology:
1. Consolidate your tools
Centralization can make maintenance and management much easier. Keeping your assets in one place empowers you to access information quickly, boosting efficiency and strengthening your cybersecurity. A single management structure can enhance tech and document organization and provide greater control over insights and decision-making.
2. Prioritize interoperability
Another great way to streamline tech management is to prioritize interoperability. Technology constantly evolves, so staying on top of security updates, new features, and other changes ensures you can offer the best platform or application version to your team and students and maintain robust security practices. Software patches, system updates, and firmware upgrades allow you to identify pain points, address problems quickly, and administer protection against cyber threats.
3. Evaluate usage regularly
Consistent evaluation is the best way to understand how you use your tools, where you see the most improvements, and what growth areas need immediate attention. Regular assessments ensure you maintain compliance with regulations and can identify and secure vulnerabilities. Establish a monitoring schedule and craft plans for handling any potential issues quickly.
4. Automate where possible
Automation can be a significant time-saver and ensure you utilize your solutions in the most meaningful ways possible. Streamlining and simplifying data processes reduces repetitive tasks for your administrators and empowers them to spend more time engaging in critical-thinking tasks. Automation allows you to achieve more in less time, increasing efficiency and optimizing your solution usage.
5. Centralize support
Create a single, central location for students, faculty, administrators, and stakeholders to access user and technical support. A single support location can streamline access to help, enable consistent troubleshooting, and foster a unified approach to resolving issues. Train your team on proper support steps and ensure ease-to-navigate flows for users, including students and stakeholders.
Choosing the right education software for your institution
Once you understand the campus-wide benefits of edtech, it’s time to start browsing solutions. Every tech suite offers unique capabilities and features, but not every tool is suitable for every institution. As you research tech options, consider these factors:
Goal alignment: Before selecting a solution, it is critical to establish your goals. Consider who will use your software and whether you want access through mobile phones, tablets, computers, or another device. Identify your budget, implementation timeline, and other fundamental elements that impact when and how you can implement your solution.
User experience: User experience should be a critical element you consider. A user-friendly interface will make your tools more accessible and ease student and faculty usage concerns. Determine whether the solution is customizable. Adaptable solutions will provide more user-friendly experiences for everyone and shape more holistic experiences.
Integration capabilities: A centralized suite will offer more seamless experiences for your team and students. Consider a solution’s integration capabilities with your existing infrastructure. For instance, evaluate LMS and SIS data integrations to simplify operations and improve data flow.
Scalability: The solution you choose should be able to grow with your institution. As you uncover new features and new technologies emerge, your institution will need software that can embrace these changes and make shifts easier. Look for features like bulk uploads, reduced manual data entry, and reusable document libraries to assess scalability.
Data security and privacy: As with any digital solution, data security and privacy are crucial for edtech. You need a solution that eases cyber concerns and simplifies security management. Determine what measures each solution has in place and evaluate whether these measures adhere to regulations. Additionally, read each provider’s privacy policy and be sure to understand how the provider will use your information or student data.
Training and support: Quality training and reliable support ensure you can get the most out of your investment. Look for provider resources, like a support center, and evaluate reviews regarding customer service and technical support. Consider chatbot support options and representative availability to ensure you can always find help when you need it.
Choose Watermark’s Educational Impact Suite
Watermark provides a centralized system for higher education institutions to drive student success, take action, and foster continuous improvement. Watermark Education Impact Suite (EIS) simplifies data collection, automates tasks, and provides insights to save time and resources while optimizing solution usage. The EIS contains several solutions, which you can use independently or as a comprehensive platform for addressing student, faculty, and institutional-level needs.
