POLICY & REFORM campusreview. com. au
Virtual concept to everyday reality
The age of the digital classroom is coming, and here are some of the steps along the way.
Chris Witeck interviewed by James Wells
The physical classroom will become virtual, a US-based multinational tech vendor says.
In its 2020 Technology Landscape report, Citrix predicts technology will turn the traditional educational experience into a more personalised learning model. Essentially, Citrix says this means technology – such as the internet and virtual reality – will allow educational institutions to tailor specific courses for individual students.
Chris Witeck, a principal technology strategist at Citrix, says this change will be in response to developed economies transforming from being labour-based to knowledge-based.
“ It’ s about helping workers more easily adapt to the types of skills they’ re going to need, or the types of jobs that are available in a world where technology such as automation or the internet of things is changing the requirements for a lot of jobs,” Witeck says.“ What this means is, the education system itself has to become much more adaptive, it has to become much more personalised and focus on lifelong skills and ongoing education. That way, students have the ability to quickly and easily react to changes in the job market.”
In order to thrive in a hyperactive, information-driven market, Witeck says, students today must embrace lifelong learning – to ensure they can adapt to the rapidly changing demands of the workplace. Educational institutions must embrace technology to achieve this, and he predicts education will invert, going from students having to base their timetables around rigid structures to basing their timetable and learning experiences around their specific knowledge needs.
This does not mean the end of face-to-face classroom interaction, Witeck says, instead it means the traditional lecture will change to a model that is much more engaging for students.
“ What the students want is the ability to be more socially engaged with that classroom,” Witeck says.“ What the universities are starting to do is invest in apps, tools … different ways to engage the students on those screens so the classroom itself becomes much less about a static lecture and much more about the dynamic engagement of content and exchanging of ideas in that classroom.”
Here, Witeck explains to Campus Review how technology is being used to embrace the concept of lifelong learning.
CR: Chris, how are education institutions using technology to incorporate the type of learning suited to what you have described as a knowledge worker? CW: There are a couple of different ways. One way, which is what universities are doing, is investing in concepts such as a blended or a hybrid classroom. This allows the school to reach a broader audience.
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