The industrial revolution is distinguished not only by significant scientific and technical breakthroughs but also by a fundamental transformation in work culture. Employees of all skill levels must have a high level of
- mathematical literacy;
- natural science and humanitarian preparation;
- abilities, also known as “XXI century competencies”;
- and strong knowledge, skills, and abilities in the field of technology (design thinking; digital literacy; algorithmic thinking; directed or critical thinking, etc.).
The depth of the challenges is increasingly becoming clear to society. In recent decades, politicians and professionals have repeatedly underlined the need of improving educational quality.
The Education Council endorsed proposals on how to create efficient European higher education collaboration, touching on a wide variety of concerns involving transnational education, based on priority themes in the higher education package proposed by the European Commission in January 2022. It urged member states to make it easier to implement transnational collaborative programs and to allow institutions to experiment with tools such as flexible learning, digital provision, and the use of the digital European Student Card.
To solve the problems given by the industrial revolution in education, the whole paradigm will need to undergo a digital transformation (as it is presently happening in business and public life).
Bringing computers to students and giving Internet connection is not the most crucial aspect of the digital transformation of the education process. It is the creation and spread of new work models for educational institutions. The shift is about:
- new effective pedagogical techniques implemented in the digital educational environment;
- continual professional development for tutors; new tools, information sources, and services;
- and coordination and infrastructural conditions for the implementation of essential modifications (including support for the educational institution, its leaders, and founders).
Octonius began working with one of the institutions to achieve the necessary educational objectives and advancements toward personalization of the studying process via the use of a digital workplace platform (DWP).
Because of the complexity of their implementation using traditional (paper) communication and information work technologies, the pilot project intends to use new pedagogical practices (new models of organizing and conducting educational work) that have not previously had a legitimate place in mass education.
Digital technology in educational institutions does not result in a major rise in outcomes on its own. The Octonius DWP supports the pedagogical team in determining how much a change in the structure of the educational process, helped by digital technology, helps to improve educational activities. This platform enables educational experts to create precise measures for changing the institute’s work and capitalizing on the potential of digital technology to improve the educational process.
On the other hand, the platform encourages and expands full-fledged educational activities among students, promotes the most effective use of active teaching methodologies and the development of 21st-century competencies, and guarantees that each student achieves the proclaimed educational outcomes. When combined with the growth of curiosity, adaptability, and the ability to perceive and embrace global challenges, learning evolves easily into a huge creative undertaking.
At the same time, having access to libraries of ready-made digital educational materials focused on solving specific educational problems does not take away the teacher’s ability to select the necessary materials, distinguish between bad and good materials, make changes (additions) to them to improve their effectiveness in specific conditions, and develop your own digital resources if necessary.
Changing the ways people interact with information takes time in society, just as steam-powered freighters coexisted with sailboats in the past.
As a result, our pilot project in the digital transformation of education strategy aims to overcome disparities in the use of digital technologies by updating educational work content, methods, and organizational forms, modernizing educational programs, developing and implementing effective digital educational and methodological materials in practice, and transitioning to a personalized organization of the educational process.
Thus, the Octonius platform shift, within which the introduction and use of digital technology is becoming the most productive, is at the center of work on the digital transformation of education.
Our pilot projects use digital educational resources, tools, and services to structure the educational process in a tailored, result-oriented manner. We will keep on posting on the progress and success of the deployment.
