One of the industries that evolved and grown to become enormous over the past decade is definitely the edtech industry. To give you a glimpse, the global edtech industry was worth $106.46 billion in 2021 and is forecast to surpass $230 billion by 2028. 

The key driving factors of the edtech industry such as rising penetration of smart gadgets, advancements of digital learning tools, introduction of interactive online learning solutions, and others tend to aid in the edtech market growth in the coming years. To grab the low-hanging opportunities and unleash the potential of the edtech industry, startups and the new entities in the edtech sector are coming up with new edtech apps and business ideas. 

Despite the high growth scope the edtech sector offers, the challenges are there as this sector is dynamic with changing trends and demand patterns. So, to keep you up-to-date with the latest edtech market, we are going to list out the top edtech trends in 2022 that you can’t miss.

The origin of edtech is dated back in 1920 when Sidney L. Pressey introduced the mechanical teaching machines. Since then, the adoption of edtech solutions, apps, and learning has shown an upward curve. 

However, the edtech trends have remained highly dynamic in nature. Today, in this era of ‘new normal’ and digitization, the edtech industry can be considered as a highly transformed sector with emerging trends that we are going to discuss now.

One of the key changes in the edtech sector that widened its growth scope is - data abundance. Data in various forms such as written, images, geospatial, documents, and others have been the center of focus to improve the quality of edtech solutions for a while now. 

As stated in a report by the IDC Corporate USA, 80% of the data that are utilized in the edtech sector are unstructured and are in diverse forms. It has become a common trend in the edtech sector to collect, analyze, and utilize the relevant data by creating a centralized data pool that contains all structured and unstructured data and is easily integrable with different types of learning management systems. 

Another prime reason for focusing on data is to implement personalization in edtech solutions. This implies that the customers’ behavioral data and interactions-related data such as likes, dislikes, ratings, purchase and search history, and others are collected and analyzed to build predictive models. As a result, the end-users of edtech apps, websites, and solutions can get personalized learning experience.

As stated by Holon IQ, the spending on AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) is set to grow to $6 billion by 2025 and the edtech industry is a major contributor to it. As most of the edtech entities are transitioning to offer automated solutions, AI and ML are becoming even more relevant gradually. 

As discussed in the previous pointer, the edtech sector is emphasizing on data more than ever and AI & ML are doing justification to that. AI-powered edtech solutions have become much more effective as it utilizes the data to build a predictive model and generate the most apt outputs by running ML algorithms. 

The personalization we discussed before is impossible without the adoption of AI & ML. Starting from elearning courses, suggestions, materials, content, and others - AI & ML can make everything personalized for every single end-users. Another prominent use case of AI is smart tutors who are capable of offering advanced learning solutions that cater to the end-users’ requirements. Starting from complex math problems solving to giving 24/7 virtual assistance - they can do it all with ease!

Immersive learning is an advanced experimental learning and training methodology that simulates different kinds of real-world scenarios to make online learning more interesting, engaging, and fun. Immersive learning expands the boundaries of virtual or online learning by giving the solution of learning from real-world experience in a safe environment. 

Not only for the kids or students, but this is a more effective learning method even for the professionals and adults taking skills training. Some of the key components of immersive learning are -

360 degree or surround videos let the viewers navigate through it in a 360 degree manner to get a real-time view of it. Such videos have become a common part of online learning as the students can drag and view all the parts and navigate to get a full view. Be it educational charts, maps, flow diagrams, or others, such videos are a great way to learn for the students.

Virtual reality refers to creating simulated environments by using software technologies. One can get the experience of a real-time environment through VR by using VR goggles, devices, and others. 

The application of virtual reality has taken the online learning experience to a whole new level where the students can get the feel of learning in a brick-and-mortar classroom or learn better through the relevant simulated VR.

Gamification is the outcome of a combination of AI, VR, big data, cloud technology, and more in the edtech sector. The key concept behind gamification in elearning is - making online learning more interactive, engaging, result-driven and driving active participation from the students. To implement this, one can include relevant quizzes, puzzle solving, storytelling, competition with rewards, and others games in the elearning courses. 

Micro and nano learning both are meant to make online learning easier, less monotonous, fast, and effective. Micro learning is the process of dividing an online course or module into short parts with short time bursts. 

Nano learning, on the other hand, is based on the same concept. But here, the time frame of a shorter burst is not more than 10 minutes. Micro learning and nano learning are not only appropriate for educational courses, but also for professional learning. 

Statistics say that micro learning helps increase employees’ focus and boosts long-term retention by 80%. Some of the vivid examples of micro learning that have been transforming the learning experience include microcopy, short videos, micro challenges and games, and infographics, to name a few. 

The differential edtech trends are what has been taking the edtech industry forward since the past decade and keeping yourself up-to-date with them can help you on various levels. Where most of the trends are based on advanced technologies, solutions, and ideas, the way they are applied and stay relevant in the current edtech industry may vary with time, demand, and other changing market factors. 

However, the above guide will help you know about the present edtech industry better as well as the way forward. What do you think is going to be the biggest edtech trend in the near future? Comment your views!