How we learn has dramatically evolved over the years. In the current digital landscape, modern learning has transcended traditional educational paradigms. Unlike traditional learning which is centred around teacher-led instruction, lectures, and memorisation, modern learning takes place with the students at the heart of the educational process.
What is modern learning?
Modern learning emphasises student-centered methods and utilises innovative techniques and technologies to boost engagement while accommodating diverse learning needs. This approach can be characterised by collaboration and interactivity among students, incorporating active and personalised learning into core components. Modern learning fosters an environment for students to feel inspired to learn, and this feeds into the aspect of lifelong learning where both students and teachers will continue to expand their knowledge and skills for continuous improvement.
Engaging the Modern Learner
Learners today have diversified and no longer fit the traditional 18 to 22-year-old demographic, which requires institutions to adapt their approaches to accommodate individual needs. They are shaping the future of higher education by demanding flexible and accessible learning opportunities that cater to their varied requirements. Higher education institutions should shift from an institution-centric model to a student-centric one to meet the needs of the modern learner. Here are a few ways to engage modern learners:
- Microlearning involves delivering content in short, focused units and is based on a principle known as ‘chunking’ which aligns with the limitations of working memory (typically only holding onto 4-7 items at a time). Learners can process and encode complex information more effectively by breaking down complex information into smaller units. A 2018 study has shown that microlearning improves focus and retention by up to 18% when used as an additional strategy to primary content (Sirwan Mohammed, Wakil and Sirwan Nawroly, 2018).
- Educators can break down asynchronous lectures into shorter segments with interactive quizzes and hands-on activities embedded into the video! This will help foster active learning and ensure that students stay engaged throughout the entire video.
- Educators can break down asynchronous lectures into shorter segments with interactive quizzes and hands-on activities embedded into the video! This will help foster active learning and ensure that students stay engaged throughout the entire video.
- Providing a positive and supportive learning experience extends beyond the style of delivering information—it must also nurture confidence and a sense of belonging. Creating a supportive experience requires fostering an inclusive culture where students feel comfortable asking questions, collaborating with peers, and expressing their ideas without fear of judgment. Active engagement techniques such as mentorship programs, peer learning groups, and constructive feedback can help reinforce students’ self-efficacy.
- It helps to put yourself back into the shoes of a student! Identify an educator in your life who facilitated your learning and list out 3 qualities they possessed that made you engage with their material and motivated you to become an educator. Now, thinking about your next teaching encounter, how might you emulate the qualities in your next session?
- It helps to put yourself back into the shoes of a student! Identify an educator in your life who facilitated your learning and list out 3 qualities they possessed that made you engage with their material and motivated you to become an educator. Now, thinking about your next teaching encounter, how might you emulate the qualities in your next session?
- There is a growing need to embrace different learning modalities by implementing digital technologies and innovative methods to current content to ensure all different methods of learning have equal amounts of value to the student. Universities should integrate adaptive learning platforms that personalise content based on student progress, gamified learning experiences that boost engagement through challenges and rewards, and AI-driven tutoring systems that provide real-time feedback and support. These technologies enhance accessibility, cater to different learning styles, and create a more interactive and effective educational experience.
- Encourage students to enhance their understanding by generating AI-driven quizzes based on research papers or module content. They can paste a paper or presentation into an AI chatbot and request a quiz tailored to different difficulty levels. It’s important to remember that the responses are only as helpful as the prompt inputted, therefore, it is important to provide specific instructions such as explaining incorrect answers with content-based reasoning and maintaining an encouraging tone. This ensures that students receive targeted feedback that helps them identify and improve their weak areas effectively!
- Encourage students to enhance their understanding by generating AI-driven quizzes based on research papers or module content. They can paste a paper or presentation into an AI chatbot and request a quiz tailored to different difficulty levels. It’s important to remember that the responses are only as helpful as the prompt inputted, therefore, it is important to provide specific instructions such as explaining incorrect answers with content-based reasoning and maintaining an encouraging tone. This ensures that students receive targeted feedback that helps them identify and improve their weak areas effectively!
- Learners are more likely to engage with and retain information when they can see its practical applications in real-life scenarios. Integration of true-to-life cases that have meaning today should be given to students as part of their curriculum, this can be in the form of using similar industry-grade technologies to develop an economic model or engaging with geological projects with climate charities in Bristol for students to experience life outside the classroom.
- Invite industry professionals to discuss current challenges and solutions within their field while providing the space for students to analyse and propose their strategies for those challenges through a group-based discussion or connecting the topic of discussion to a project where students can utilise the given insights to guide them on the project.
The Role of Universities in a Modern Society
The fundamental purpose of universities is evolving. Traditionally, universities have focused on equipping students with specialised knowledge and occupational skills. However, the future demands a broader approach – one that prioritises adaptability, collaboration, and ethical reasoning. Universities must recognise that education now must move beyond the question of ‘how to do’ and instead emphasise ‘why we do it’ (Moscardini, Strachan and Vlasova, 2022).
Shigeru Miyagawa, Professor of Linguistics at MIT, anticipated the indispensable value of traditional liberal arts skills, such as idea creation and communication, as we move towards a heavily computer-aided world. This mindset returns to Plato’s original concept of an academy where it prepares ‘good’ Athenian citizens, just as our modern institutions should be preparing us to become ‘good’ global citizens.
An interdisciplinary approach to education and research aligns with this new outlook of education and is known as Systems Thinking, where all content within the curriculum is interconnected creating a cohesive link between different modules. The emphasis should be on the process rather than the output. The future of education isn’t just about knowledge acquisition, it is about cultivating curiosity for a new era.
References:
Moscardini, A.O., Strachan, R. and Vlasova, T. (2022) ‘The role of universities in modern society’, Studies in Higher Education, 47(4), pp. 812–830. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1807493.
Sirwan Mohammed, G., Wakil, K. and Sirwan Nawroly, S. (2018) ‘The Effectiveness of Microlearning to Improve Students’ Learning Ability’, International Journal of Educational Research Review, 3(3), pp. 32–38. Available at: https://doi.org/10.24331/ijere.415824.
