The higher education community has never been shy when it comes to adopting new technologies. Over the years, they have taken and later discarded many technologies. They include personal computers, blackboards, the slide rule, and even movie projectors in the teaching practice. The efficacy of any of these has led to their permanent adoption or their eventual replacement. Now, digitizing learning is all the rage.

Online learning is one of the most significant advances when it comes to digital learning. When paired up with other new technologies like artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and mobile application development, it is taking education to the next level.

Here are seven ways these educational technologies are changing learning for the better.

They Are Enabling Long-Distance Learning

Gone are the days when you had to attend your classes on campus physically. Now, people can pick universities of their choice even when they are miles away. The professors record themselves teaching and upload the lectures online in the order the learner is expected to follow. Applications such as email, messengers, and video conferencing allow students to communicate with their teachers one on one. They get to ask questions and get clarification. And platforms like write my essay service, allow students to get online help with numerous writing assignments.

They Ease Blended Learning

There are teachers who find the dissemination of basic information to be very tedious. This is, primarily, because they have to do it every year. Yet, they usually have no choice, as this information normally forms the foundation for the complex concepts. That is where blended learning comes in. The teachers supply the basic information in an online platform where the students can access it themselves. The physical classes are then used for teaching complex concepts. These physical classes are also used for discussions and question and answer sessions.

Collaborative Classes

Research has shown that active learning is more conducive to learning than passive learning. Traditional classes were structured so that all students were facing one focal point, the teacher. Now, with a collaborative classroom, you have a virtual room with many focal points. Teachers and students can upload information and discuss it. Rather than having one single teaching authority figure, collaborative classrooms are more like sharing spaces. These classes mirror the real work environment where employees share and defend ideas. They also teach students how to work with people from diverse backgrounds.

Mobile Learning

Many universities and colleges are developing mobile learning applications. These applications allow students to learn from anywhere. You can read notes on your commute to home, for example. Because we are more connected with our phones than computers, you can leverage time away from your PC for learning.

Virtual Teaching Assistants

One use of artificial intelligence is by creating virtual teaching assistants. Universities are using virtual assistants to tailor-make the learning experience. They record the students' personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. They also use algorithms that track the students' progress and knowledge. They then adapt the learning experience to meet the learning goals. This is one way of personalizing learning to the student.

Data Analytics

Another use of artificial intelligence in learning is in analyzing the students' data. Progress data can allow the student and the teacher to know which concepts have been understood and which ones haven't. A teacher is better able to help a student when they know where they are struggling. Data analysis is also used to track the progress of students who attend classes on a subscription basis.

There is an ongoing debate about whether credit hours are a good basis for evaluating learning. Some teachers are proposing using AI to test the student's competency in the subject matter. They then use the results of the tests as a determining factor. The good thing about this data is that employers can also use it to check their employees' competencies. This way, they will hone in on what skills they have or need.

Using Augmented Reality

Many people know of virtual reality in gaming and entertainment. But, universities are also adapting it to learning. For example, some universities are using augmented reality in teaching medicine. They provide students with virtual cadevars to operate on. This way, the students have a safe and clean environment to learn in. Another university uses it to help students locate meridian pathways and acupuncture points in the human body.

Higher education learning contributes to how your future turns out. You are required to work hard to fulfill the least requirements to graduate. This means writing essays, and reports, preparing presentations, and siting for tens of assessment tests. You can make your life easier by using technological advances to save time and money. Considering how much technology lookup is changing education today, one can only wonder how learning will take place twenty years from now.