Virtual
reality, holograms, and online learning are the three emerging technologies
that may shake up higher education the most in 2015, according to the Education Dive blog.
Online
learning might seem like an odd choice for this short list—after all, isn’t
online learning “old” technology by now? Not in the view of writer Roger
Riddell, who sees the current online academic offerings as just a start.
Riddell
points to signs that postsecondary education is developing online platforms in
order to be able to provide instruction more targeted to specific work skills
and in shorter time frames. “It’s only a matter of time before students have
the ability to learn anything they desire from anyone at any institution,” he
said.
Holograms
are among the tech tools that will enhance online learning, by projecting class
lectures, demonstrations, performances, and even re-creations of historic
events to remote locations such as students’ homes.
Virtual
reality is another tool supporting online education. Already popular with
students interested in gaming, virtual reality is being adapted for class
instruction. Students already use it to practice dissections in medical biology
classes, for instance. However, a number of colleges and universities are
exploring virtual reality for recruitment purposes, to immerse prospective
students in a tour of the campus without actually having to visit.
