How the Pandemic Brought Permanent Changes to Education

The disruptive effects of the pandemic have been well-publicized. Unfortunately, disruption took place across every setting, not just in supply chains and consumer buying habits. In fact, Covid has had a widespread effect in terms of bringing significant changes to education. Many experts believe these changes to education are here to stay . However, these changes don’t spell doom and gloom for K-12 schools, trade schools, and higher education institutions. Quite the contrary. Education hasn’t undergone sudden, evolutionary growth for several decades. Changes in education might, in fact, be a bit overdue. Yes, some aspects of education have improved due to new technologies. And yet, the basic model of learning hasn’t seen seismic movement — until now. After more than a year of teachers, administrators, and students scrambling to exchange knowledge innovatively — and remotely — a different education path forward has emerged. Listed below are a few of the most important upheavals helping to reinvent both private and public school systems. Grades are becoming less important than practical assessments. The GPA hasn’t completely gone the way of the dinosaur. Nonetheless, many people still see GPA as an accurate measurement of learning. But, as noted in research conducted by Instructure, the manufacturer behind Canvas, fewer than a third of educators felt tests reflected knowledge gains. Instead, 76% of them preferred to use formative assessments to gauge progress . This move away from seeing pupils as “A-students” or “failures” receives excellent marks from many researchers. When handled correctly, formative assessments can remove the “high-stakes” grading that causes so much anxiety among many students. Formative assessments can also be used in tandem with more traditional testing vehicles when appropriate. College courses are aligning with career trends. For a long time, many have argued that colleges and universities need to future-proof their curricula by offering more relevant courses, certifications, and degrees. Finally, Post-pandemic, this is starting to happen more frequently on campuses around the country. Case in point? Interactive gaming. According to Randy Pitchford, the president of Gearbox Entertainment, the interactive entertainment industry is finally being taken seriously as a career path. When Pitchford started making interactive video games years ago, he admits that he had to learn on his own. At the time, the higher education field didn’t see the video gaming industry as relevant. Today, Pitchford’s happy to see that everything’s changed for up-and-coming talented programmers and creatives. As he explained to college students interested in entertainment occupations, “Now, there are entire university programs dedicated to this craft, which means the next crop of entertainers will be more equipped than ever to develop and design amazing games.” Hybrid learning is enjoying its moment. Though Zoom fatigue became a real issue during the pandemic, not all students saw online learning as a negative. For many, being able to attend classes online kept them safe while giving access to essential information. Additionally, online learners had a greater choice of schools regarding where they wanted to learn. This was especially true for post-secondary coursework, degrees, and certifications. Even as many K-12 and higher education schools have returned to in-person learning, they’ve remained open to online learning and embraced a hyb…