Breaking Boundaries – Technology Helps Education Come Alive

To quote renowned activist Malcolm X, “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” As the scope of learning continues to grow, so does the demand for more effective education. However, developing a cost-effective infrastructure to cater to the individual learning requirements and styles of each of their learners is a Herculean challenge even for the most experienced of educators. But not anymore.

Delivering quality education is now easier than ever, thanks to online learning. Explore a whole world of opportunities for both those who seek to teach and those who seek to learn, no matter where they are. The traditional model of education required students to come to their teacher. With online learning, teachers can now reach out and connect with students anywhere and everywhere.

Whether for supplemental support to regular college programs or distance education programs, online learning has redefined quality education.

Teachers can now not only use technology to illustrate processes and concepts with the assistance of readily-available teaching tools like animations and audio-videos, but can also leverage it to create live learning environments wherever their students are, thanks to online and mobile learning.

Using Web browsers, a stand-alone desktop application, interactive whiteboards, digital styli and mobile applications for the Android and iOS platforms, educators now have the tools to connect with learners no matter where they are. With an internet-enabled smartphone or tablet, both educators and learners can rest assured that the full power of online learning is available on their fingertips.

After-hour study sessions, live class sessions, virtual office hours, flipped classrooms, quick test builders, access to course content, instant reports, analytical insights to study learning patterns and progress, are just some of the capabilities to speak of. The next sections of the article will delve into detailed discussion of some tools that enable such capabilities.

Beyond boundaries and traditions

Unlike the traditional set-up where both educators and learners were forced to follow only one pedagogical style. Educators today have the freedom to choose from blended courses, self-paced online courses, instructor- led courses depending on their curriculum requirement or learning styles students.

This means that learning is not just no longer confined to the four walls of a classroom but also not to the age old traditions.

Educators can also safely and securely store and share a vast range of custom course content like presentations, documents, high-definition videos, spreadsheets and much more. Share digital content with a few clicks and give learners permissions to download said content for their own reference at a later time.

Online learning frees learners from having to learn exclusively from a fixed set of educators in the academic institution they attend. Now, getting the best education from the best educators is easier than ever. Simply log in, find the course and/or teacher of your choice and enroll.

What’s more is that this learning is no longer restricted to a certain age. Be it for professional growth, corporate training, or even enhancing the capabilities of teachers in the classroom, online learning has something for everyone.

Analyze and adapt

Tracking performance is now easier with online learning platforms thanks to up-to-date reports which are automatically generated as and when required. Administrators can keep track of and analyze every aspect of their digital academy ranging from an instructor’s performance, learner’s performance to course content consumption patterns with comprehensive and detailed statistics.

Educators can check which classes enjoy maximum enrolment, which content is getting the maximum response, which session had higher engagement, how well a particular learner is performing in online tests, assignments. With statistical charts and graphs being generated instantly by the platform itself, educators don’t have to worry about in-depth research towards their teaching methods.

Using the advantages of exhaustive analytics helps educators develop and modify teaching strategies in real time. With performance and attendance reports being generated automatically, there is no more wastage of resources in sharing them with learners. Just a few clicks of the mouse and this information can be shared via email or even using popular social-media websites.

Flip the classroom

Today educators are no longer reliant on mountains of coursebooks and research papers to teach their learners. Not only do they have instant access to detailed and dynamic learning resources about a plethora of subjects online, but they can also harness this technology to create custom content for their own course. For example the WizIQ Recordor, a free Microsoft Powerpoint add-in, allows for recording slideshows with custom narrations even when you’re offline for sharing in the class.

With these tools, educators can simply let their learners access said content, sharing resources learners which learners can access after the class to ensure that learning is not restricted to the classroom. Give learners resources to analyze and understand, then start discussions in the classrooms. Step back and let learners interact and engage each other using peer-based learning, guiding them as and when required.

Empowering educators

Assessing learner performance is also a lot easier and intuitive for educators with online testing. Educators can give their learners regular assignments which learners can complete and submit for review whereas the online testing systems allow for the creation, scheduling and implementation of comprehensive multiple- choice-question (MCQ) tests which can be scheduled or proctored live, with educators having the ability to create tests that are comprehensive, instant, detailed and flexible.

Managing an unruly classroom often sent many educators clutching their throats to the doctor. What if they could simply address such concerns with the click of a mouse? Control the webcams and microphones of learners from your computer and grant learners permission to use other features of the online classroom when you choose to.

Along with all the above, the modern Virtual Classroom is the perfect setting for live learning environments with a host of features which enables educators to:

• Illustrate concepts using dynamic course content uploaded to the Content Library
• Showcase processes with the screensharing feature as well as the whiteboard
• Use up to 6 simultaneous video streams for video-chat, webinars and conferences
• Conduct audio chat with an unlimited number of attendees
• Inculcate social learning with the text chat feature
• Play and share videos with the Media Player
• Acknowledging learner requests as and when they happen in an organized fashion
• Grant permissions to learners to use their webcam and/or microphones
• Get real-time feedback using polls
• Foster team activities using Breakout Rooms
• Use an extensive array of teaching tools which they can even let learners access

Lead the Way

Empowering both educators and learners has become a lot easier with a digital academy at your disposal. Augment in-class learning with the advantages of online learning, all without having to worry about training employees, infrastructure maintenance costs, third-party software or the need for a constant IT support team. Get yourself a hassle-free, onestop solution called WizIQ.

WizIQ is an online learning platform which brings online educators and learners all of the above features and much more so that they can teach and learn without the restrictions they faced with traditional education. And that’s not all. With a global server network assuring no downtime, accessing, sharing and delivering high-quality, high-impact learning is now easier than ever.

With a dedicated support team available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, educators can always get assistance with any issue they are facing in using the platform promptly. No more costs on training employees, no more costs on setting up the required infrastructure. No more hassles, just pure learning. So join the learning revolution with WizIQ and get ready to experience the education of tomorrow, today.