Top four EdTech trends for 2022

When the pandemic initially struck, educators forced to rapidly shift operations online could have been forgiven for thinking it might be a temporary transition. As we approach the end of the pandemic’s second year, the global education landscape remains at full speed in a technological transformation, with no obvious reverse gear.

The meteoric rise of EdTech is far from over, with the burgeoning sector estimated to have received $78.6 billion of investment in 2020 alone, and new developments taking place month-by-month.

As the EdTech revolution recalibrates how the world approaches education and learning, here are four trends likely to dominate 2022:

1. Offering a true omnichannel experience

As we move from the content era to the engagement era, expect students to interact with subjects across more interfaces than ever – smartphones, virtual reality headsets, computer screens and tablets. This variety and accessibility will drive higher levels of engagement by children and likely increase learning performance.

With so many technologies newly integrated into learning and teaching processes, a challenge is the disconnect between different EdTech learning tools and their integration across both physical and digital platforms.

Omnichannel strategies amongst EdTechs will build coherent and flexible student experiences across devices, platforms, and channels. With education being an experience and not a physical product, the notion of the classroom as the only venue where learning takes place, will fade further into the past.

2. The changing role of teachers 

As with any revolution, adapting to the new environment is required, and teachers – many of whom have only ever taught in classrooms – face this challenge.

The idea of teachers as learning facilitators is changing. Teachers now need the skills to create a great learning experience irrespective of channel and format used – digital or in-person. Teaching quality will be measured by upskilling abilities, generation of new ideas, and employing new technologies to personalise teaching.

During the pandemic, teachers have already demonstrated how they can generate new ideas and transform lives, irrespective of a physical/virtual location.

Expect this trend to intensify in 2022.

3. Technology and personalised education

New concepts such as gamification, machine learning enhanced by data analytics, and the application of AI will intensify as primary technological drivers of the EdTech revolution and the wider trend of personalisation.

Digital devices are now used by millions of students globally, and their function as data collectors means use cases and capabilities of data analytics in education, are growing exponentially.

This is crucial in the quest to personalise learning. With data analytics, teachers now have powerful tools to identify individual student learning behaviours, and styles, and adapt learning programmes to promote more positive learning outcomes, at scale.

AI applications, fed with data collected automatically in the digital learning process, can identify and quantify individual needs, providing educators with precise tools for their students. AI is also likely to better accommodate children with disabilities or other learning difficulties.

4. The mental impact of ubiquitous technology

As with every rapid, transformational development – the digital age leaves its marks on our human consciousness. The impact on children’s mental health from growing up around ubiquitous digital devices will impact how the EdTech industry develops in a safe and efficient way.

The internet remains a largely unregulated and uncontrolled semi-public space – a situation likely to increase in relevance as students’ online lives merge between school, private learning, gaming, and social/leisure interactions.

For EdTech, the major task lies in dealing with this new reality and offering learning opportunities mitigating the negative side-effects of children’s increased time in the digital world.

EdTechs’ ‘licence to operate’ will increasingly involve recognizing this delicate equilibrium, and proactively managing it.

Manan Khurma, Founder and CEO of Cuemath