Dr.SmitaMisra
Associate Professor,
Dayanand Women’s Training College, Kanpur
ABSTRACT
Education
4.0 is a revolutionary response to the 4IR (fourth industrial revolution).
Education is a tool for societal development. Automation and digitalization of
industry have given an edge to human potential, and to tap it, education 4.0
comes to the fore. Now, the objective of education is to explore the learning
process to its fullest and create a constantly evolving learning community in
place of a knowledge-based community. The whole education system, from
objectives to evaluation, has changed drastically. The learning process has
reached up to the meta-cognition level of the brain. Today's key factors of
this process are re-inventing the objective, re-skilling & re-assessing the
evaluation process, and achieving a new pinnacle and dimension of learning.
Education 4.0 is aimed towards Generation-Z which has completely different aspirations
and expectations. Soft skills also gain importance along with hard skills.
Creativity, emotional intelligence, social interest skills are a must for the
new and evolving professions of the future. The role of the teacher will be
that of a facilitator and students will take the helm in his/her learning
chariot.
Keywords:
Education 4.0, 4IR, re-skilling, learning community
EDUCATION
4.0
Education
is a social process, so it is always a focal pointaboutthe development of
society. From ancient times, it is considered an important tool for social
change. Any change in society brings a change in education. Education 4.0 is
the buzzword today as recently we launched the National Educational Policy 2020
(NEP 2020) of India is reflecting the revolution in Education 4.0. Change is
the only constant and it is the phenomenon behind the advancement of humankind.
With the change in times and technological advancements, education has always moulded
itself accordingly. Education 4.0 is that step of mankind which is ready to
keep pace with industrial revolution 4 (4 IR)
HISTORYOF
EDUCATION 4.0
Education
4.0 was developed in response to 4IR in which a marked increase is the use of
internet-based technology and digitalization of tools and processes across
industries. Shwab (2016) provides an example that aids in understanding how the
industrial revolution has taken place across time. In I IR, water and steam
were used to mechanize the production, in II IR electric power was used for
mass production. During III IR, electronics and Information Technology were
used to automate the production. The speed of evolution between III and IV the
IR was beyond imagination. The advancement in IV IR was termed as ‘ Disruptive
Technology’ as there was no instance for this in history. Artificial
intelligence (AI), robotics, Big Data, Internet of Things (IoT), Bio and Nano
Technology, Quantum computing, etc. maximized digitization and automation. We
can convincingly say that even the developer of these, ie humans are left far
behind. According to Dr. R. Natrajan, IVth IR gained traction when a German
government memo released in 2013 used the term ‘Industry 4.0’. The memo
outlined the plan to fully computerized manufacturing without the need for human
intervention. The initial goals of Industries 4.0 were automation, improvement
of manufacturing processes, and production optimization. IR 4 is not only
disrupting and revolutionizing processes and business governance and people
management, but it is also impacting education as well. It is now very clear
that 4 IR has become necessary for the next generation to be abreast of highly
advanced and fully automatic technologies. It is because two-thirds of the
industries above 60% of digitalization and automation will result in the coming
being of cyber-physical systems. Humans and technology will build a complete
synergy with these systems to execute the tasks with precision and speed and
explore new possibilities. It is for this that education 4.0 is like a
Revolution 4.0.
Information
and Computer technology of NEP 1986 brought forth education 2.0. Teachers and
students, both began to utilize technology in a basic way. On the way to enter
into the new millennium and because of globalization effects, there have been
greater advancements in education. Along with this, education started getting
affected by user-generated internet. This gave rise to Education 3.0. Now,
nearly at the quarter of the new millennium, Education 4.0 emerged at the
beckoning of technological advancements, aspirations, and needs of the
industries. Formerly human aspiration was behind technological advancements,
now, industrial and technological advancements are giving the edge to human
potential and the answer is only education 4.0. Now, education is not limited
to the process between teacher and students neither it is tripolar (teacher,
student, and content). In today’s time and age, students have a variety of
knowledge providing and processing sources, a more collaborated approach has taken
place. Learning has become more personalized; universities have the objective
to prepare their students for a world where cyber-physical systems are
prevalent across all industries of the world. This has changed the education
process in three ways-
1. Technology
as a part of the curriculum
2. The
changed approach towards learning
3. Improving
the all-over experience of students
Research
by McKinsey Digital reeled that due to IR 4, 60% of all occupations could
potentially have atleast a third of their activities automated. This change
aspires to bring potential disruptive change not only in hard skills but also
in the soft skills of students.
In
2016, the World Economic Forum produced a report exploring these changes. They
predicted that by 2020, ‘more than one-third of the desired 4 skill sets of
most occupations will be comprised of skills that are not yet considered
crucial to the job today.
Due
to advance technology, every state holder of the process will be constantly
connected to the process, job roles are steadily becoming more adaptable,
flexible, and accountable. Due to this, some soft skills will gain importance
such as emotional intelligence, social skills, complex problem-solving skills,
and processing skills.
WHAT
IS EDUCATION 4.0?
The
focal point of Education 4.0 is the evolution of the learning process of the
students. It is not important here when and how the content is sourced. What is
important here is how the student is processing that knowledge.
Also,
is a pertinent question if the student can evolve to the highest capability of
the mental domain involving creativity and meta-cognition. Mankind which has
gone through extensive cognitive evolution in this materialistic world now
seeks to learn pinnacles and dimensions. Along with hard skills, the
development of soft skills is becoming necessary.
TRENDS
OF EDUCATION 4.0
Fisk
(2017) stated nine trends related to Education 4.0:
I.
Learning can take place
anytime and at any place in a self-paced manner.
II.
Learning will be
personalized to an individual student, with positive reinforcements to promote a
positive learning experience and boost confidence in their capabilities.
III.
Learning outcomes would
be pre-set but a student can choose learning tools and techniques. It will
enable them to be creative in their learning.
IV.
A student would be exposed
to more project-based learning so that they will apply knowledge and skills as
well as practice their organizational, collaborative, and time-management
skills.
V.
The emphasis would be on-field
experience with internships, mentoring, and collaborative projects.
VI.
Technology will provide
leverage to the cognitive domain thus through field experience, a student would
get more time for other domains (affective and psychomotor), through
interaction with technologies and other humans.
VII.
Due to the digitalization
of a process, students did not need manual mathematical skills but they will be
more exposed to datainterpretation. Here, they will need to apply theoretical
knowledge to digits so that reasoning and logical skills will be needed.
VIII.
In Education 4.0, there
will be a radical change in the evaluation process. The formative and
constructive evaluation would be prevalent. Factual knowledge would be checked
during the learning process while the application of knowledge can be tested
during field and project works.
IX.
To make the curriculum
relevant, feedback of the students would be considered by experts and designers
of the curriculum.
X.
In the conventional
system, a teacher is said to be a guide but in the new system, they are
considered as the facilitator of the learning process as a catalyst. Students
will be independent and responsible for their learning
CLASSROOMS
OF EDUCATION 4.0
Due
to the technological leap, there will be a huge change in the position and
scenario of the classroom. Formerly, the classroom was the center of knowledge
dissemination, teacher-student interaction content-student interaction. Now the
process will be reversed. Knowledge of content interaction will take place
outside the classroom virtually with different sources and then the student
will come to the classroom for interaction with the teacher or simulation of
the process. “Dunwill 2016 also predicted how an average classroom will look
like in the next 5-7 years:
a) A
huge change in the layout of the classroom
b) Virtual
and augmented reality ( VR AND AR) will change the educational landscape
c) Flexible
assignments will accommodate multiple learning styles
d) MOOCs
and other online learning options will impact secondary education”
A scenario of the
classroom will not be in rows of students and platforms of teachers. There will
be a different type of platform with flexible seating arrangements. An
atmosphere of a classroom will be more friendly, positive, and constructive.
ROLE OF THE TEACHER AS A
FACILITATOR/ ENABLER
Today’s teacher is
interacting with Generation-Z whose learning preferences have changed due to
using of ICT, this generation has become more aware of its needs, choices, and
preferences. Technological advancements are also giving a challenge to the
teacher to meet the learner’s needs and preferences. “Educational technology
and mobile learning (2016) website suggested instructors to equip themselves
with some fundamental digital skills such as creating visually engaging
content, create engaging presentations, use blogs and wikis to create
participatory spaces for students and curate and share resources with the
class, etc.”
It appears that
technology is playing the part of the teacher but it should not be accepted
just like that. Now the teacher’s role is not limited to content transmission
as it can be obtained from various sources. It is expected of the present
generation of teachers to produce creative and unique engaging content through
the use of digital mediums. Its presentation should be such which can enhance learning
and develop the social and emotional skills of the student. With the help of
some apps, VR and AR can be integrated into the teaching-learning process
TODAY’S LEARNER AND
EDUCATION 4.0
Today’s student belongs
to Generation-Z who is revolutionized by technology and directly involved in
the learning process. Cozinski (2017) highlighted some learning preferences OF
Gen-Z students. They are fully engaged in learning, welcome challenges, and
real problems and learning sans boundaries, etc. They need digital tools and
online forums.
Today, when the
advent of artificial intelligence is because of IR-4, then AI poses a challenge
before the learner also. If human intelligence and artificial intelligence have
to work in synch, then human intelligence has to raise itself to its maximum
access to tap its infinite capability.
Education 4.0 will have
to view education from a new perspective. It should redefine the objectives,
reinvent the strategies and methods, and re-skill the learners
SALIENT
PARADIGM SHIFTS IN EDUCATION 4.0
1. Life-long
learning instead of front-loaded learning
2. impact
factor has phased out quality factor
3. re-invention
of the process
4. phasing-out
of supply-led education by demand-led education
5. competency-based
instead of knowledge-based
6. re-skilling
and incorporating disruptive technology in the teaching-learning process
EDUCATION 4.0 IN
INDIA
Every process has its merits and demerits. Development
is a fundamental process. The process of education is also evolving with the
times. There is no doubt that education 4.0 is a key factor of development of
Generation-Z in this global society regarding our country India, National
Educational Policy 2020 has been launched in which several elements and trends
of education 4.0 are visible. There has been a speedy development in education
technological advancement and information and communication technology globalization,
rich young human resource, and the present Indian foreign policy has generated
interest in various other countries to set up their industries in India. There
is an acute requirement of a technically advanced, proficient, qualified,
creative, and skilled workforce for the incorporation of IR-40 in all jobs and
vocations. So, therefore we will also have to drastically change our education
system, reset the objectives, and provide new perspectives to learning and
potential enhancement.
Our country is diverse in all senses – ethnicity,
religion, geophysical structure, language, knowledge, etc. education 4.0 should
be implemented in India keeping these parameters in mind. Youth is our USP
(unique selling point). They should be mentored through education 4.0 that they
should fit completely in our industry framework. They should also be qualified
enough to render their service anywhere on the globe. The broad principles of
education 4.0 remaining as such, the fine-tuning of it should be done as far as
the Indian youth is concerned
Unemployment in this country has always been a bane
for society and the government. Education 4.0 should take this factor into
account seriously when it is implemented. It is all right that humans have made
such great technological advancements ( AI, robotics, cybernetics, etc.) that
now these advancements are starting to drive humankind to the background and it
is becoming its slave. This should be avoided at all costs. If advancements
curtail employability, then they should not be called advancement.
Indian culture has its ethos Satyam ShivamSundaram. It
promotes respect and awe for the aesthetics. Technological and educational have
very little concern about their aesthetics. This should be pondered upon in
education 4.0 as it is most necessary for the overall development of the man,
society, nation, and intern the whole world.
REFERENCES:
Fisk, P. (2017) Education 4.0, The Future
of Learning will be dramatically different, in School and Throughout Life.
Kozinski,
S. (2017). How Generation Z is Shaping the Change in Education.
Shwab,
K. (2016) The Fourth Industrial Revolution: what it means, how to respond.
World Economic Forum Report (2016).
New Vision for Education: Fostering Social and Emotional Learning through
Technology.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/sievakozinsky/2017/07/24/how-generation-z-is-shaping-the-change-in-education
http://www.thegenius.com/2017/01/future-education-young-everyone-taught-together
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-what-it-means-how-to-respond