The health crisis has shifted learners as teachers to the online course experience. From primary school to higher education through professional training, everyone has had to master videoconferencing software and online platforms. At a time when the pandemic seems to be gradually fading, digital solutions such as innovative tools are taking root in the educational field.
Turning the challenges of the crisis into opportunities
If the digitization of the education sector was already underway before Covid-19, the current health crisis has accelerated the process. Physical and social distancing, isolation… Over the past two years, digital transformation has become essential. It was necessary to rethink the courses in a short time in order to limit the impact of the health crisis on learning. A large number of schools, universities and training institutes then turned to digital. Video communication software such as Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams or Blackboard have integrated the daily lives of teachers, speakers and learners. Everyone is used to sharing documents from a drive or digital platforms like Dropbox.
A first face-to-face plenary for the France Hub of Gaia-X
” The spring 2020 health crisis and the closure of high schools forced us to rethink and renew our pedagogy. Indeed, a fortnight before our Easter courses, the Parisian schools with which we collaborate, like Fénelon Sainte-Marie or Stanislas, were unable to welcome us.
So we had to think about an alternative that is both effective and qualitative: there was no question of abandoning our students. We therefore inaugurated our first online courses, from which we were able to learn lessons in order to improve.
It is in this sense that we have left aside the courses on touch pad for a proposal of online sessions on a real board, in our studios composed of 14 classrooms fully equipped with 4K equipment.
At the same time, we have developed our Preparatory Medicine offered entirely online: prepa-medecine.com. This is how today, our online courses are no longer just an alternative to overcome the face-to-face, it is a real training offer that can be addressed to everyone! » – Edouard Morice, Thalès Course Director and Associate Professor in Physics
Organisation, adaptation, new method of communication… For teachers and students alike, this period has not always been easy. Nevertheless, it appeared as an opportunity to rethink educational methods by emphasizing accessibility. For this, many establishments and individuals wishing to train in a discipline have opted for online sites or platforms. These companies, specializing in education technologies (EdTech), aim to shake up the traditional perception of teaching and learning. There are some for learning a language (Babbel, Duolingo, Lingumi), finding a private teacher (MyTutor, SuperProf, GoStudent, etc.) or for training in a fun way (360Learning). In France, the number of EdTech companies is estimated at around 400 to 500.
These new learning habits become permanent. Today, many establishments have adopted the hybrid mode. On the training side, they are almost systematically offered online and face-to-face. Before the health crisis, the potential of the EdTech market was around 325 billion dollars for 2025. Now, estimates are between 400 to 500 billion, of which 50 to 90 billion are attributed to the opportunity of this exceptional crisis.
Rely on new technologies
In order for the digital transformation to continue, some players in the education sector are adopting advanced innovative technologies such as virtual reality (VR). It allows for example to visualize regions of the world or objects from a classroom or at home. This solution responds to current challenges: offering more interactions during learning. According to the consulting firm IDCthe growth rate of the virtual reality market would reach 200% between 2019 and 2023 in the field of training.
At the same time, augmented reality (AR) is also progressing in the educational world. Applications using this technology make it possible to visualize abstract concepts, tell stories in a more playful way and better understand details, especially in science or engineering.
Finally, cloud solutions are also gaining ground. They offer learners and trainers the ability to connect from virtually anywhere. They can use this type of application when they are face-to-face, at home or in another country. During the pandemic, many teachers have opted for cloud platforms to upload their videos, assignments, projects and other content.
The health crisis has highlighted the importance of new technologies in a sector that still had some gaps. They are gradually anchored in the educational sphere by shaking up teaching practices and habits. Each of them aims to facilitate access to certain training courses, to transform learning and to make courses more interactive, both face-to-face and online.