Saudi Arabia- The role of technology and its influence within the education sector continues to change at an unprecedented rate. Analysts forecast the education market in UAE is set to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.74% during the period 2018-2022.  Both learners and educators have had to come to terms with the digital revolution, which has swept the educational landscape, bringing with it a host of new opportunities and challenges. The voice and choice of students are guiding practice and pedagogy. This year, the education sector is set for digital disruption with four key emerging trends that will collectively change how students learn and educators teach.

Özhan Toktas, Managing Director of Pearson Middle East, explains how the education sector is set for digital disruption with four key emerging trends that will collectively change how students learn and educators teach.

Trend # 1 Virtual Schooling will graduate to the next level 

A number of studies have indicated that today's generation, are generally more comfortable with technology than their predecessors, and are more reliant than ever on digital sources for information and entertainment. Improved technological literacy and easy access to the internet has enabled educators to establish virtual schools as partial solutions to the problems of curriculum equity, changing demographics, shortages in specific teaching disciplines and the need to be cost-effective. Not only that, virtual schooling allow students to choose courses which equip them with real-world skills. Qualifications from the International Connections Academy (iNaCA), for example, are accepted at Juilliard, Yale and Stanford universities to name a few.

The growth of virtual schools will bring about changes in conventional schooling. The change will not happen overnight: the traditional schooling system, which we have used for more than a hundred years, is not going to vanish in a few short years. It is more likely that virtual schools will become a small but soon a significant part of the educational landscape. 

Trend # 2 STEM skills will be the focus

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is already a staple of western education, and in 2019, it will become an even bigger focus area in the Middle East. Recent studies have shown that 1.9 million jobs in the UAE will become redundant due to advancements in technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, 3-D printing and self-driving cars.  These advancements highlight the need for young people – which represent a large proportion of the Middle Eastern’s population – to acquire new skills that can prepare them for a changing tomorrow. On top of that, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, STEM occupations are growing at 17%, while other occupations are growing at 9.8%.

In 2019, STEM education at the K-12 level will be an all-hands-on-deck for students who want a career in one of these fields. The knowledge of science and technology will provide students with the background necessary to understand and work with the ever-changing technologies that they will encounter in any career. To ensure every student gains these benefits, K-12 schools will need to teach STEM in a conceptual and experiential way. In the near future, STEM skills could also massively expand one’s choice of jobs. For example, mathematicians are employable in many different industries, and not just teaching. Wall Street is one of the top recruiters for college math majors. The Middle East, with its focus on innovation and future-readiness, is creating the perfect landscape to entrench STEM into everyday life.

Trend # 3 – Rise in popularity of eLearning

With the proliferation of high-speed internet, learning is no longer confined to the physical classroom or the library. Through video sharing platforms and interactive apps, an educator can deliver lectures to students through distance as well as time. This flexibility and greater reach gives the added benefit of economies of scale. As a student, that means budget or physical location is no longer an impediment in accessing professional expertise. Workers looking at acquiring new skills and knowledge expect to be able to learn on-demand and to be able to apply those skills immediately.

It has also become increasingly difficult for employed individuals to take time off from their career to pursue any type of training, up-skilling or formal education. In recognition of this, specialists expect to see education extending to eLearning. New and flexible forms of delivery using advanced technologies will ensure a more blended and assisted approach to learning. Higher education administrators are also beginning to evaluate campus designs to find ways to integrate technology and to provide online experiences that are interactive and flexible. Over the years, universities will increasingly use virtual spaces with avatar students and teachers for innovative teaching, learning and research projects. The virtual world will enable both students and educators to do what cannot be done in the real world, providing platforms to best serve the learning need.

Trend # 4 – Blended and personalised learning for professional development 

The Middle East online education market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 9.8% during the forecast period of 2017-2023. The market growth is likely to be driven by the huge government investment and rapid adoption of online education and e-learning by educational institutes and corporate organisations. Geographically speaking, the largest share of the online education and e-learning market is held by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is expected to garner USD 237.1 million by 2023. UAE comes in at the second place and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.3% over the same period.Blended and eLearning will slowly be acknowledged as the most viable and convenient solution to correct the imbalance between supply and demand. Private companies, especially those related to education and Edtech like Pearson Professional, are also starting to play their fair share of the game and are making more investments and taking concrete and courageous steps to introduce new blended courses (i.e. career programmes, certificate programmes or MicroMasters programmes - mini-degrees or certifications in specific topic areas that are delivered in small chunks) covering such popular disciplines as Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Business Analytics, Supply Chain Management amongst others.Implementing change quickly and sustainably is a challenge most organisations face, and the education sector is no different. The future of education — both at work and at school — involves change and adoption of technology, and in 2019 the sector will see much more progress on these fronts. As a result, both online and blended learning with the introduction of short, will provide a viable and cost-effective alternative to traditional training methods of the past.

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Dubai,UAE - Pearson Middle East welcomed more than 60 professionals across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain higher education sector with the aim to help them drive higher levels of digital literacy amongst their students.

The full-day events recently hosted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) offered educators the opportunity to teach students the skills which employers seek today and that are in high demand. Typically, these skills include technical skills such as in-depth knowledge of Microsoft Office applications including word processing and excel spreadsheets. Students in the Middle East are often comfortable with technology usage with regards to social media but struggle with practical digital skills for the workplace. Sometimes language barriers also play a role. Digital literacy events such as these seek to address the gaps.

Increasingly, the Middle East is becoming renowned as a technology hub, with the UAE and the KSA focusing strongly on innovation in this sector. At the same time, employers place a lot of emphasis on finding candidates with the right skills and competencies for their organisations. Often IT skills are at the top of this list. 

A number of key initiatives put into motion by the two countries look set to drive technology, with digital transformation taking off in the key sectors including government, banking, transportation and healthcare. A recent Fitch Solutions report ranked the UAE as the second biggest economy in the Arab world and the most attractive information technology market. Technology investments, related to smart city initiatives across MEA, is predicted to reach $2.7 billion in 2022, with Dubai and Riyadh leading the way, according to Massachusetts-based researcher International Data Corporation.

Dalia Leil, Head of the Higher Education Portfolio Strategy, Pearson Education commented, “The education landscape has been fast evolving with an increased emphasis on going beyond curriculum-based learning to the professional development of students with the use of technology. Pearson’s ICT in action events provide educators across the UAE and KSA with the skills and confidence they need to improve teaching and learning through pedagogical use of technology. The events were led by Mary Anne Poatsy, a highly esteemed author of Technology in Action to share her experience on how to deliver an authentic individualized learning experience and overcome of the common challenges faced by students today.”

Mary Anne Poatsy, keynote speaker at the ICT in action events and author of Technology in Action, as well as series editor for the Exploring series shared her teaching experiences to help accelerate how educators can support their learners with the right knowledge and skills on what matters the most now, and in the future. She addressed student learning challenges with practical sessions on problem-solving and risk identifying with analogies on how to challenge students’ skills and identify the right talent. 

“Digital literacy isn’t just about learners understanding how to use a single technology or a host of programs and devices,” said Poatsy. “It is about teaching students how to use digital tools to create something original and adaptable to any work environment.”

MyLab IT, a teaching and learning platform that empowers educators to reach every student, was also demonstrated at the ICT in action events to help navigate engagement and assessment of student’s skills. The platform is an interactive IT system that delivers trusted content and resources through an expansive course materials library, including new easy-to-use prebuilt learning modules that promote student success – that all can be personalised to give each and every student what he or she needs to succeed. Used by more than 350,000 users annually MyLab IT has supported many successful faculty and programs in the redesign of college courses to effectively use technology. The system helps educators catch at risk students, spot overall class difficulties and run simulation step frequency analysis to support students and help them become sharp critical thinkers and advanced tech users, meeting the essential skills employers seek.

“For over 17 years, instructors have relied upon Tech in Action to teach the skills necessary to succeed in a digital lifestyle, both personally and professionally. The source provides a wealth of information on digital literacy as well as more advanced topics such as on Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Security, Privacy, and Ethics which are so relevant in the current landscape,” added Dr. Paula Kenny, Associate Professor at Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman University, KSA.

“Employers today recruit people with soft and technical skills especially those with knowledge of the Microsoft Office applications. Through MyLab IT students can validate their Microsoft Office skills with digital badges. Moreover, students achieving 90% or greater on Application Capstone assessments qualify for discounts in MOS certification exams.”

For more information, please visit https://middleeast.pearson.com/

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