Technology has brought about a transformation in our day-to-day lives, and it has great potential in the education sector as well. Education technology (edtech) has the power to eliminate almost all existing barriers to education, and reshape the academic system in India. Seeing this world of possibilities, edtech company D2L has recently made their online learning management system (LMS) – Brightspace LMS, available to Indian institutions, in hopes of future-proofing learning in India.
If you are curious to learn more about the possible benefits of online learning, read on to find out more.
Individualised learning
Given how each student learns differently, classes are usually full of students of different learning capabilities — and learners who might be slower in picking up specific concepts may find themselves lagging behind their cohort. This is where online learning is pivotal: the utilisation of learning platforms allow for different approaches for overall educational enrichment. eLearning offers students the bandwidth to be able to learn independently, at their own pace, customising the required coursework to suit different learning styles.
Online learning offers a more individualised approach as it provides each learner with the ability to take control of their own learning paths. As such, students get to proactively practice their style of learning within the guidelines of the curriculum and keep track of their proficiency, building competence and self-confidence.
Personalised and instantaneous feedback
Feedback is quintessential for learning and development. The utilisation of edtech tools allows for personalised feedback to be provided to each student, catering to their specific learning needs. This targeted feedback also enhances the student-teacher rapport. When they feel like they’re being addressed with individual attention, students tend to build a strong tie with their teachers, grounded in mutual trust and respect. This can then develop into a fulfilling and productive relationship.
Upon the completion of an assessment, the immediacy of the feedback received can largely improve learner retention. Under modern pedagogical methodology, immediate feedback provided right after the completion of an assignment or assessment — is seen as most effective or meaningful for learning performance.
The Brightspace platform by D2L enables teachers to offer immediate, personalised feedback via text, audio or video means in a time-bound manner.
Instant accessibility of resources for all
When learning is made available online, students can access any material, from any geographic location, at any given time. They also have the ability to record their classes, pause and replay the recordings as many times as they want to, whenever needed. They can even review their work, which ultimately allows them to retain the information better.
In addition, every child has personal access to their own syllabus, which allows them to both work on individual assignments as well as collaborate with other students. The portability of their learning devices also enables them to stay connected to their personal learning networks and educational resources.
How gamification of learning boosts overall engagement
In this day and age, with the incessant information overload and constant distractions, paying attention has become harder than ever. The severity of this issue is amplified when even instructors acknowledge that keeping learners engaged is one of the key struggles that they face every day. Having become accustomed to technology in their daily lives, learners have grown to expect a degree of interactivity and engagement even in their studies.
Studies have highlighted that game-based learning incites passion, builds emotional bonds and maximises learning outcomes. In D2L’s Brightspace LMS, instructors are able to incorporate gamification in their courses. With the use of avatars, rankings, leaderboards and other game-based elements, courses can be developed to be highly interactive and engaging.
Peer learning
Across the globe, teachers agree that peer learning encourages a greater understanding of concepts. When students learn from one another, through group projects and support groups, they become more independent and self-confident in their work. Peer learning enables them to view themselves and their peers as valuable members of the educational environment, as opposed to relying singularly on the course material for learning, affirmation and critique.
Notably, peer learning also allows students to work cooperatively, rather than competitively. This in turn creates a healthy and cohesive environment, increasing learner productivity. D2L’s Brightspace LMS supports peer learning through the application of discussion forums, peer-to-peer instant messaging and other collaborative tools.
Optimising teacher efficiency
Though the primary objective of an instructor is to facilitate learning, instructors worldwide are tied up with numerous administrative and repetitive tasks. Platforms such as the Brightspace platform remove some of the administrative tasks that pose an unnecessary burden to the teacher, by automating those tasks.
Hence, when burdensome tasks such as grading become automated, the teacher’s workload becomes streamlined, allowing them to devote their attention to more important and valuable tasks. This enhances learning both in and out of the classroom.
Making learning structured
A structured learning environment maximises productivity by eliminating distractions. This applies to both self-paced and blended learning models. Brightspace LMS facilitates this by allowing teachers to structure their courses. Based on the learner’s activities and capabilities, chapters within a course, submodules, and additional courses can be made available to learners. For instance, upon securing a required minimum score, or completing a task, the succeeding course material can be “unlocked”.
This enables knowledge to be acquired in a sequential and structured manner, where the resources are developed to match specific learning objectives. In turn, the learners will be able to use this curriculum as a checklist or guide. Adding on, feedback can also be structured and given out periodically, allowing for conceptual errors to be easily corrected. In short, this essentially prevents the repetition of mistakes and pushes for a step-by-step gain in knowledge.
Equal opportunities for all: standardising teaching & assessment quality
In a traditional academic setting, it is common to find students in the same academic programme who are taught by different teachers. Chances are if one of the teachers is a better educator, then this would result in one batch getting an extra edge over the other.
A standardised and scalable learning platform such as the Brightspace LMS enables institutions to curate and offer the best resources possible to every student. As such, this standardises the quality of learning experience and diminishes some of the barriers to education.
Similarly, an assessment or an assignment submitted by a student may be graded differently by different teachers. Brightspace eliminates such inequalities through the use of video-based lectures and rubrics-based assessments. The latter allows students to benchmark their work, with the requirements to work on the exact areas of improvement.
Enhancing parent involvement
With eLearning, parents are able to better supervise their child’s progress and take note of their specific areas of improvement. In conventional classroom-based education, parents are only able to work with the limited information their child brings back home. However, LMS platforms keep track of the exact learning progress of each individual student, providing a much wider pool of information for parents to better gauge their child’s learning capabilities.
Brightspace LMS’s parent portal allows parents to monitor their child’s work at their own convenience.
eLearning as a game-changer
D2L, along with Edutech India understands the potential issues that students face across institutions in India. Though it is crucial to their development, not all learners can optimise their unique abilities in a classroom setting. Currently ranked number one for both Higher Ed and Adaptive Learning, the Brightspace LMS can also be utilised across all mobile devices, making eLearning much more accessible to all.
Indulge in all the personalised eLearning benefits and use an LMS that offers learners a much greater chance of success in achieving their academic goals.
This article was first published in Brainfeed Higher Education Plus, contributed by Santhosh R. from Edutech India.
Written by:
Stay in the know
Educators and training pros get our insights, tips, and best practices delivered monthly