8 EdTech Trends Revolutionizing Learning

The latest trends in EdTech are dominating the education sector across the board. From elementary schools to universities, modern technology’s blazing the way for innovative solutions to long-standing problems.

The start of the academic year comes with extraordinary advances in EdTech software development. EdTech apps are cornering the market by allowing students of all levels to master complex topics with unprecedented ease. 

As we integrate AI into the way we learn, new challenges arise. How can we use technology to ensure scholastic success? The latest releases provide both inspiration and opportunities for continuous improvement.  

Let’s explore the top eight trends making waves in this dynamic landscape. 

AI-based tutoring is wildly improving educational outcomes by providing all students with a world-class, personalized tutor.  In the past, tutoring carried a hefty price tag and a different professional for each subject. Now, an AI tutoring service can tackle every topic a student finds challenging: at home or on the go. 

One of the biggest concerns about the rise of AI-based tutors is that students “aren’t really learning.” Companies such as Khan Academy address this by expanding the capabilities of AI GPT tutoring bots like never before. Advanced dialogue models guide a student to a solution rather than provide it outright. 

Automated study aids act as a resource to support students while they delve deep into a new topic. It’s a quick and easy way for a learner to ask a question, receive feedback, and immediately incorporate it into the task at hand. 

One of the most surprising EdTech trends of the season requires a little more hardware than software development. The falling production costs of VR headsets allows schools and universities to invest in immersive technology, granting new perspectives. 

Virtual reality applications allow students to literally see the world and educational concepts in different ways. With a swipe of a screen, learners can rotate a 3D object in space, expand DNA, and fully visualize elements. 

One of the most interesting uses of immersive technology is in medical university settings. Med schools are using VR to teach anatomy courses to future doctors. VR acts as a complement to traditional anatomy labs, allowing students to explore the human body as never before. With the use of a headset, internal structures are laid bare: their components rendered in high-quality visuals and corresponding information. 

It’s not just for the sciences: VR headsets can help students read at a steady pace and better understand grammar. Mathematical formulas highlight elements piece by piece as a teacher explains their importance. Historical figures appear in context, breathing life and relatability into the past. 

Immersive tech and VR have astounding capabilities in the classroom and unlimited potential. 

When it comes to students with learning disabilities, EdTech is stepping up to support schools in their special education initiatives. 

An IEP, or Individualized Education Program and resulting Plan, provides a written map to help a student with a disability thrive. Part of this includes keeping them in the “least restrictive environment”: as close to the general classroom as possible. That’s where assistive tech comes in: helping students overcome classroom challenges and learn more comfortably.

Students with physical disabilities (such as deafness and blindness) can use assistive technology apps as complementary classroom support. Functions include automated captioning and audio description, translation, and the ability to record a lesson for later review. 

Note-taking AI apps cut to the heart of a lecture, helping students identify key words and limiting overwhelming text blocks. Learning disabilities, including those that affect the ability to read, write, and apply mathematics, often result in overburdened students. Assistive technology, such as AI dialogue, can reconfigure lessons into more accessible formats. 

Teachers can also keep up with their students in real-time. AI monitoring software identifies those who need extra help beyond the capabilities of a chatbot. This allows a teacher to step in with the compassion and encouragement they need to keep on track. 

Gamification’s one of the most widely-used tools in education today and its popularity is only rising. Education mobile app development is a hugely contributing factor in the advent of gamification in the classroom. The possibilities are endless!

It’s pretty self-explanatory: the gamification of education uses the practical elements of a game to make learning more exciting. Students are more likely to retain information and find it engaging when it’s presented in a novel way. They effortlessly learn more in a shorter period of time. 

Gamification apps also provide instant feedback—not only to students but also to teachers. Learners can complete tasks to win points, badges, and rewards as they progress through modules and quizzes. They can also repeat a level to achieve a higher score (and more understanding to boot). Teachers are immediately notified and can easily chart individual comprehension levels. 

The sky’s the limit: any lesson can be turned into a game with a little creativity! Mobile app developers have a chance to shine as schools use their products to positively impact learning initiatives. 

Companies such as Knowre, ClassDojo, and Socrative are branching out into adaptive games that target individual students’ preferences and approaches. Using flexible formats, students can customize the subject, skill level, game style, and characterization. It’s a “choose your own adventure” approach to learning and the benefits are impressive. 

As the school year approaches, we can expect to see even more variety and the integration of different technologies. What do you say to AI that connects with gaming apps to personalize a lesson plan? 

While eLearning and hybrid schooling models became common during the 2020 school year, autonomous pace is a fairly new technology. Its potential lies in a basic premise: everyone learns at a different speed. 

Autonomous pace technology, paired with existing eLearning platforms, allows students to choose the order in which they learn certain subjects. While teachers and school districts still set curriculum guidelines, the students can choose when and how they learn the material. This is invaluable: it makes sense that you’d breeze through some subjects and need more time for others. Autonomous learning gives that flexibility. 

There’s a major opportunity for educational app development here. Autonomous pace apps will soon need to pair with AI to make sure that students are still meeting appropriate milestones. It’s a little like creating personalized lesson plans not only for a class, but for each student. These lesson plans still have to meet district requirements while giving students a wide variety of choices. 

It’s a complex task—the key is in finding a team of developers who are up to the challenge.

Adaptive learning isn’t only a trend, it’s an overarching theme of the past five years (and the next to come). Old education models relied on creating a “one-size-fits-all” way to teach and understand a lesson. In stark contrast, adaptive learning technology allows students to learn as individuals rather than a collective. 

Adaptive learning combines several elements of EdTech. AI tutoring, gamification, and autonomous pace are the most common. It’s all about meeting a student at their level—and then helping them surpass that level in their own way. 

While the concept is solid, the execution isn’t yet fully realized. Many education apps can’t communicate with each other and need manual bridges. Unified platforms exist, but they don’t always include everything a student needs. As with adaptive pace technology, teachers need to keep a close eye on student progress to make sure they’re on track. 

As developers perfect adaptive learning platforms and apps, students are guaranteed a more comfortable and effective school experience.  

One of the biggest challenges students face is the inherent stress in spending every day learning new skills. And it’s not only elementary kids. In a study by American Addiction Centers, 88% of university students needed support developing healthy college coping mechanisms. Stress affects every aspect of our lives, from our ability to sleep to our ability to retain information. 

EdTech is here to help. By using health trackers in the classroom, teachers can monitor physical signs of stress from their students in real time. They can help them develop healthy habits to curb stress and come back fresh. With this data, they can also find new teaching approaches that work better for individual classes. 

Older students can use this health data to recognize their own stress points and self-regulate. Meditation reminders, alerts to take a deep breath, and hydration schedules all contribute to a happier, healthier education. 

As software advances, the ability to identify stress points based on body indicators will help AI EdTech apps individualize lessons. An automatic change in pace on the back end could be the difference between a student’s achievement and anxiety. 

2023’s EdTech trends help schools and universities take a holistic approach to meeting educational goals. One of the biggest contributors is the rise of the Socratic Dialogue Model, made possible by GPT-4 technology. 

Learning lessons and skills isn’t the only important part of a well-rounded education: students must prepare for the future. AI conversation can be an essential part of this process—in more ways than you’d expect. 

Socratic dialogue is, at its heart, the idea that every answer is already known: you just have to find it. Through a series of self-reflection questions, an AI chatbot can help a student find the best path. The objective isn’t to give a solution; it’s to identify a goal and formulate a plan to make it happen. 

Socratic dialogue models also act as a safe space. Students can prepare for an in-person conversation, refine their points for a debate, or more fully develop an existing viewpoint. An AI chatbot can’t, by definition, judge you–but it can help you judge for yourself. 

The future is bright! The question to ask about AI chatbot technology is "what can't it do yet?"  As developers find ways to enhance existing AI models, its conversation will become more complex and meaningful. AI can inspire generations of learners. 

Advances in EdTech have the potential to revolutionize the way students learn and grow. To reach its full potential, we need capable teams to build the right tools. Digital education companies such as McGraw Hill partner with Jobsity to make these targets a reality. 

Jobsity helps you find top-notch experts skilled in Angular, JavaScript, Magento, NodeJS, Golang, mobile app development, data engineering, quality assurance, and more. In fact, McGraw Hill was able to grow their engineering team by 13% in under a year while saving up to 50% in hiring costs, and you can too. Book a call to get started today!

The EdTech industry is growing at lightning speed. There’s never been a better time for new projects and startups specializing in machine learning. How will you contribute to the future of education?