The digital transformation brings about the disruption of patterns and the emergence of new social, economic and cultural paradigms that will reshape the way we live, consume, work and learn. Consequently, new models for offering products or services are expected. As such, organizations from different sectors of activity are pressured to reinvent themselves.
The education sector is well aware of this transformation. This sector is probably one of the most pressured to reformulate itself, according to the World Economic Forum, one of the main consequences of the digitization of processes is the need to review what competences are necessary for meeting the requirements of new work contexts.
The emerging digital world requires a quick re-examination of the workforce to keep up with technological changes.
Thus, it is urgent to review the guidelines and bases of support for the educational mission. This is particularly relevant because the labour market it already demanding for qualified professionals that are capable of meeting the dynamism of the digital transformation. Therefore the new education and training models must go beyond technical scope and prioritize as well the development of transversal competences.
Education systems need to be aligned with emerging competencies that are demanded by employers, that increasingly have a focus on transversal competencies, as well as on the qualification for technical competences.
The table 1 shows some of the technological trends that are transforming traditional education.
| Technological trends | Description |
| Virtual and Augmented Reality | Virtual and augmented reality is a major trend in education. Virtual reality apps allow students to travel, explore, create and even experiment in virtual environments from the comfort of their chair. Some promising examples include: InMind, Apolli 11 VR, Anatomy 4D, Unimersiv, etc. |
| Artificial intelligence | Through Artificial Intelligence it is possible to anticipate difficulties that students and trainees may have in different contents and diagnose more serious learning problems. In addition, the technologies allow for virtual tutors, and for answering questions and having a more individualized monitoring. Some promising examples include: Chatbot, BRÖ, Aipoly Vision, etc. |
| Gamification | The potential of gamification in education is immense. The use of game resources helps to arouse interest, increase participation, develop creativity and autonomy, promote dialogue and solve problem situations. Some dominant examples include: Ballons, Minecraft, etc. |
In the labour market, companies and organizations are constantly looking for professionals who can have a technical and relational performance corresponding to their needs so that their business remains sustainable. The educational institutions must train professionals to work in the new digital reality. The role of educational institutions should always be to build viable solutions that are capable of generating competitive advantage through the construction of sustainable educational programs focused on training students , but also on students success.
In addition, the educational institutions lead the social and economic transformation through education by enabling new ways to fulfill their primary mission: to train professionals for the new reality of the world of work.
“Thus, together with a digital age, a new era in the educational system begins.”
Sources:
Chassignol, M., Khoroshavin, A., Klimova, A., & Bilyatdinova, A. (2018). Artificial Intellience trends in education: a narrative overview. Procedia Computer Science, 136, 16-24.
Brown, A. H. (1999). Simulated classrooms and artificial students: The potential effects of new technologies on teacher education. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 32(2), 307-318
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