HIGHER EDUCATION

The future of learning is digital. Cater to your diverse learners who are looking for all things digital.

Although academia was well ahead of other industries for online learning, 2020’s massive transformation was not without bumps. The seismic change toward online education posed new obstacles for students, faculty, and administrators alike.

The change occurred abruptly and with little opportunity for preparation, which meant that higher education institutions had to make rapid adjustments to learning delivery. Not only must the curriculum be provided digitally, but new models for academic growth activities such as study groups and office hours were needed. Additionally, the assessment of learning and participation quantification also had to change drastically.

And that’s where the problem lies.

Not Equipped for Success: Digital Learning in Higher Education

Higher education institutions were one of the first to embrace virtual technologies, but many have yet to upgrade to the most recent and cutting-edge options. They are still using tools more than five years old, if not older. They are not only using obsolete software but also their infrastructure is inadequate to support modern cloud-based learning technologies. As a result, their availability and capability are limited. These older solutions may not be meeting the needs of today’s higher education students. Hence many students who have grown up with more modern technology can readily identify outdated interfaces and cumbersome systems and are less likely to deal with them.

Other organizations may have attempted a lift-and-shift strategy, similar to what has increasingly been done in the K-12 sector over the last year. For example, schools and teachers have shifted their in-classroom approach to teaching and moved it to interactive collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, and Zoom, which work but are not as effective

You can’t just switch to a virtual classroom from a real one without making a few changes first.

Why Universities Should Use an LMS

It is past time for universities to implement an LMS. An LMS, or Learning Management System, is a specially developed system that aids in delivering a course that includes interactive components such as videos, assessments, discussion forums, and assignments. It can also help keep track of and track each individual’s progress. Traditional learning methods are no longer applicable in the face of the pandemic, so the latest model is the online learning technique. An LMS has a fantastic set of features to assist you in making the transition to online learning.

The following are some of the most compelling reasons educational institutions need to adopt an LMS and streamline their entire operation.

Onboarding and Enrollment

An LMS can help to simplify the complex process of registration and onboarding and solve some of the most common problems.

  1. Adaptability
    An LMS provides versatility and highly flexible options for onboarding new users, including on-demand study content. They will be able to access the content from any location they choose.
  2. Interactive learning
    With video-based training, role plays, and similar approaches, an LMS can combine the advantages of all of them and provide an engaging learning experience for all. This interactivity will help to increase learner involvement and motivation, as well as enhance learner retentivity.
  3. Seamless integration
    By offering a global unified sign-in session for all learners, LMS integration can provide a seamless user experience and effective learning content. It can handle the security aspect, so you can focus on learning.
  4. Student advancement
    With an LMS, universities can easily monitor and track their students’ success and their results are reviewed regularly. It would save money by eliminating most of the manual labor.

Performance Improvement

Using an LMS can help students boost their overall performance and success. Several main characteristics include the following:

  1. Evaluation
    An LMS includes resources that assist you in planning and creating different types of evaluations (e.g., quizzes, games, plain assignments). They have resources to assist them in monitoring a student’s results.
  2. Tasks
    Assignments can include photographs, videos, and other interactive elements that help students feel more integrated and engaged with the course. Additionally, they can access all homework with attachment files from any location. This enables students to study at their own pace and on their own terms.
  3. Resources
    An LMS enables anywhere, anywhere access to resources and course content, such as course videos, quizzes, software, and surveys. This allows students to study at their own pace and on their own terms.
  4. Examinations and quizzes
    Instructors can build tests and interactive quizzes that students can enjoy taking.

Learning Pathways

LMSes can develop customized learning paths for learners that adapt to their particular learning style and help them feel linked with the course and achieve their goals. As a learning tool, personalized learning has proven to be highly successful. They also aid in tracking the results and success of the students. A personalized learning path would make them feel more involved on an individual level, keeping them interested and motivated to complete the course. According to statistics, people who have an emotional and personal commitment to a course are more likely to complete it. Social learning and peer-to-peer interaction also help learners develop their retentivity and success.

Faculty Technology Professional Development with Alchemist Learning

In an online class, the faculty member’s job is more about coaching, mentoring, guiding, and directing learning than it is about lecturing and speaking.

Online courses emphasize bottom-up information growth by requiring learners to communicate with one another and with the content. When planning online courses, the time typically spent on lecture notes and handouts is spent preparing brief mini-lectures and introductions, promoting community-building activities, and tracking and directing students’ learning experiences.

Faculty members who teach distance-learning courses must acquire and adapt teaching methods informed by existing studies in instructional technology, human learning, and technology use effectiveness.

Some of the facilitator best practices are:

  1. Instructors should be familiar and comfortable with the technology their learners will use.
  2. Illustrate to learners that their success is essential.
  3. Be an active participant in all synchronous and asynchronous discussions.
  4. Keep in constant communication with learners through multiple modes (i.e., email, phone call, discussion boards) in the online environment.

We have interactive faculty technology development workshops that can assist teachers and professors in learning how to facilitate their courses using a student-centered approach. The workshops cover:

  1. Online teaching training and development for faculty
  2. Expertise in online teaching
  3. Online teaching/learning consulting and course development

Armed to Educate

The education sector was a pioneer of online learning. It is now time to expand on that tradition by adapting today’s technologies to meet the remote education needs of today. Educators need adaptable, agile strategies for all phases of the teaching process, including methods for keeping remote students engaged. It necessitates a thorough examination of instructors’ specific teaching requirements to ensure choosing the optimal solution. Not every solution is a perfect match for every need, and it’s critical to thoroughly analyze all factors to ensure progress through this trying time—and into the future.

We have all of these solutions and more to help employees improve their skills. Please fill out our contact form to get in touch with us. We are happy to speak about the many other programs we provide. Start by clicking the button below!