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Month: December 2022

Artificial Intelligence and Robotics: How Higher Education may Change in the US in the future?

Posted on by Hemant Mahajan

Artificial intelligence and robotics are likely to have a significant impact on the higher education segment. Although the literature looks quite promising, there is yet some work to be done on centralizing all the studies and discovering if things are technically possible. The scope of impact is hard to grasp as we don’t know yet if implementing these two technologies is desirable, practical, and economically viable. However, many researchers use design fiction. We are basing our future speculations on the role of artificial intelligence and robotics in higher education based on their work. 

Current Scenario

Artificial intelligence and robotics have become buzzwords in the public, government, and academic sectors in the last few years. However, we are not yet ready to go into the implementation phase. The research literature is siloed, wide & deep, and very separated. For example, AI for education, learning analytics, educational data mining, etc., are separate fields.

Furthermore, using AI and robotics in the higher education segment is the ideation phase. We are still discovering how technology will participate in human decision-making. We have seen some use of the technology here and there, but we are yet to realize the full potential of the technology.

For implementing the technology, we need a wider understanding and debate to find answers to some of the biggest questions about its practical, ethical and social positioning in the market. 

At the same time, many existent bodies do review the literature and explore the challenges of implementing new technologies in the education sector. For example, a report by Reid in 2014 synthesized the change management issue of implementing technology in the classroom is highly regarded. 

Ironic enough, the industry which inspires innovation and the very platform for human development is not that open-minded about implementing technology. Especially when it comes to introducing technology and AI into the higher education segment, there is strong opposition. Many believe that technology and tools are dehumanizing the learning experience for students. Similarly, some believe technology in the education sector is a right-wing (especially in the USA) agenda to commercialize education and suppress liberal ideology. Many raise an ethical question around datafication of high education. 

There is a long list of apprehensions and many obstacles which are stopping the use of AI and robotics in the education sector. Yet, many use design fiction to stay imaginative and positive about implementing technology into the higher education segment. 

Design Fiction

Design fiction is a term used to describe a speculative space in which raising questions about a particular technology is desirable. Social and cultural assumptions are built into technologies and the potential for different technologies to help the world evolve. The space discusses the role of technology in general and how it will impact the industry and the world in the future. 

In this blog, we are discussing five design fiction that captures the potential of using AI and robotics in learning, administration, and research. This would help you have a wider view of the technologies and how these two technologies would change the higher education sector of the US by — changing staff roles, skill development, knowledge transfer, administration, etc. 

Design Fiction#1: AI & Robotics in Learning

One of the most popular application of artificial intelligence is in learning tools. AI in learning focuses on teaching students directly. It talks about Intelligent Tutoring Systems, which teach course content to students, and take a step-by-step process to personalize learning for each individual. 

Similar to this, Automatic Writing Evaluation tools, Conversational AI (chatbots),  and Adaptive Pedagogical Agents (a virtual character in the online or blending learning environment for instructional purposes). 

Design Fiction#2: Social Robots 

Social robots for learning is a physical robot for learning that supports students by interacting with them and helping with task completion. Evidence shows that learning is better with a physical entity than with a virtual agent. 

Thus, the concept of social robots is an imaginative concept of learning alongside robots. The concepts talk about robots interacting with the students and continuously learning about a student’s behavior and developing a sense of their needs. Using this, the robot can interact with the students at the right time and inspire them to do their work.

Design Fiction#3: Critical Conversation Bot

This fiction is inspired by Bayne’s 2015 description of Teacherbot. It is a chatbot developed to support a MOOC on e-learning and digital culture. The bot has no physical attribute. This fictional concept of the bot argues the role of robotics and artificial intelligence in building bots that inspire students to be critical thinkers and prompt them to think harder about their process of reading academic texts, raising questions about concepts, prompting discussions, and more. 

Design Fiction#4: Intelligent Campus App

This fiction emphasizes the direct application through tech-driven intelligent campus management. The concept is to increase the use of the Internet of Things and AI to improve campus management. This takes the current application of technology from using IoT for controlling lights and temperature to wayfinding, attendance monitoring, student experience, etc. One of the best examples of this is found in Luckin and Holmes (2017) fiction, which shows an optimistic vision towards the convenience the technology provides to students and enhances the student experience. 

Design#5: Learning analytics and datafication

The fifth fiction discusses using learning analytics and datafication in admission administration, decisioning, and ensuring retention. Chatbots can be used to assist applications through the complex processes of admission and maintain contact with them to attain higher retention. Using chatbots would be an economically viable, easy-to-implement option rather than using human resources. Gathering more data about Higher Education is seen in a positive light where it brings more transparency to increase accountability in staff and teachers towards students. 

However, using data in AI also has many issues. Security issues, ethical and legal restrictions, privacy legislation, implications of taking consent, and the right of control over one’s data are some of the biggest discussions around data usage. 

Data can be used in predictive analytics that would help institutes to find answers to some of the biggest concerns of the industry. However, there is a growing debate on how AI is trained. Currently, AI uses training data that does not represent the whole population. And hence, many draw attention to this bias. What is expected of developers is to bring more diversity. But since datafication requires standardization, we are still a long way from achieving a system that is above social, cultural, and demographic bias. 

Wrapping Up

These were some fictional designs that discuss the role of AI and robotics in the education sector. However, these have no ground existence right now and are merely an image of various researchers on how technology would change the education sector. 

Very few, but the use of AI and robotics applications have started to surface in the education sector. This includes AI-enabled chatbots, cloud-based applications that provide personalized learning, smart classroom management, etc. 

Hence, talking of the future, we should remain more hopeful. Sooner or later, there may be times when some of the things mentioned in these design fictions may come true. 

Everything you need to know about the education system in Canada

Posted on by Hemant Mahajan

The Canadian government is making some big investments in the public education sector. And statistics do confirm they are on the right path. In the past decade, the country has become a global center for people to find new job opportunities, business opportunities, education, a better quality of life, and so much more. To meet the demands of people from various parts of the world, it was very practical for the government to internationalize its education system. 

In this blog, we will be discussing the education system of Canada and why it is considered one of the best. 

Overview

Canada has a well-funded public education. It is managed provincially, and there are some aspects (very few, although) that vary from province to province. However, as the federal government oversees education, the standard remains consistently high throughout the country. 

In Canada, there are both public and private education institutions. The Canadian government spends heftily subsidizing education from kindergarten to the post-secondary level (provided by universities). It spends about 6% of its GDP on education, which is more than the average among the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries.

Education Segmentation in Canada

Education in Canada is divided into three levels: 

  • Primary 
  • Secondary
  • Post-secondary

Primary Education 

Primary education starts at the elementary level and ends at grade 8. Students would usually start at the age of six to seven and would pass out from the primary segment at the age of 13 to 14. The school year starts in September and ends in following June. 

Education in Canada is available to all students at the age of 5. Provinces such as Quebec and Ontario provide elementary education at the age of 4 too. Depending on the provider, a student can be enrolled in Kindergarten. But that is optional. A student can directly enroll in Grade 1 as well. Since the education system changes province to province, needless to say, the age of compulsory education changes too. 

Province Age of compulsory education
Alberta 6 to 16
British Columbia 6 to 16
Manitoba 7 to 18
New Brunswick 5 to 18
Newfoundland 6 to 16
Northwest Territories 5 to 18
Nova Scotia 5 to 16
Ontario 6 to 18
Prince Edward Island 5 to 16
Quebec 6 to 16
Saskatchewan 7 to 16
Yukon 6 to 16

Secondary Education 

Secondary education or high school, in generic terms, starts at grade 9 to grade 12. A student would typically start high school at age 14 and pass out at 18. Since the education system in Canada is managed provincially, provinces such as Ontario and Quebec have a slight difference in their education system. 

In Ontario, they have a Grade 12+, and in Quebec, students attend high school until the age of 16. Students also have a choice to proceed to CEGEP, a publicly funded two-year college program where students can pursue either a university education, go for a diploma, or a vocational diploma. 

Post-Secondary Education

Canada has a vast network of colleges and universities and offers some of the best post-secondary education options worldwide. 

It has many internationally recognized programs. They are located both in urban and rural regions throughout the nation and have made education affordable and accessible to the population across the country. Degree awarded from Canadian universities is recognized worldwide and hold the weightage same as some of the most prestigious universities worldwide. 

Universities programs start from September to April or May. A college year is comprised of two semesters or terms. A student also can take classes for the third semester in the summer months. So, it entirely depends on the institute and students to start their university program in September or January. College programs can run all throughout the year, and this flexibility allows students to begin the course at any point of the year. 

Wrapping Up 

Canada has one of the highest literacy ratios. In 2015, 90% of people in Canada aged 25 to 64 were found to have completed at least high school, and 66% of people had obtained a post-secondary education credential. 

Quality and flexibility of education are two of the biggest reasons for the success of the Canadian education system. It provides the best facilities to its students for vocational and research. Provides a flexible structure, has made compulsory education for up to 16 years at least, and has been able to inculcate interest in people for education.  

The country is doing fairly well in the Primary and Secondary education segment. But it still has some deficiencies in post-secondary education. Like most countries in the world, Canada too is fighting the challenge of high dropout rates, and this can easily be mitigated through technological solutions. Learn more about education technologies such as education ERP / Student Information Systems to know how they can help in improved admission rates and student retention. 

Digital Education in Indonesia: Transforming the System

Posted on by Hemant Mahajan

Indonesia celebrated National Technology Awakening Day in August 2022. The Ministry of education, culture, and technology participated in this event; it was a cross-departmental effort towards improving the education system of Indonesia through effective digital initiatives. The theme for this year was “Educational Transformation and Innovation through Technology.” 

The event had several highlights, including the government’s plan to go more digital-exclusive in the coming few years to make education more accessible and economically viable. 

On occasion, the Education, Culture, Research and Technology Minister Nadiem Makarim shared, 

“Thank you to the more than 1.2 million educators who have accessed and shared material on the Merdeka Mengajar [Emancipated Teaching] platform, a channel for teachers to learn, to teach and to create and support the implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum. In addition, as many as 3.2 million educators and education offices throughout Indonesia have accessed various technology platforms with a belajar.id account,”

The platform has become a learning tool for 714,000 students, 2,600 universities, 2,700 industrial partners, and 43,000 practitioners. The Ministry also released other platforms such as Rapor Pendidikan, Tanya Bos, Kampus, Merdeka, The School Activity Plan and Budget Application (ARKAS), and the School Procurement Information System (SIPLah).

 In the course of three years, the government has made several efforts to improve the digital infrastructure of the country. It worked with various educational institutes. They collaborated with principals, teachers, administrators, and lecturers to get the view of various stakeholders. The government’s aim has solely been to benefit various stakeholders in the education ecosystem. 

Today, Merdeka Curriculum and Belajar.id is impacting the lives of 1.6 million users and more than 312 thousand teachers. There are advanced teaching tools that teachers regularly use, and more than 1000 teacher communities throughout the country are relying on digital content libraries for teaching.

More than 500 colleges and more than 4000 educational institutions throughout the country are digitally equipped. However, there is a lot of scope for improvement, which requires hefty funding from government and private players to enter the market. The collaboration fund has been increased from 2 trillion to 11 trillion, which is likely to support the digital infrastructure to manage three times more users than there were in 2021.

Similarly, the government of Indonesia has an exceeding focus on improving opportunities for students. They are finding ways to make collaboration easy for the students of Indonesia. VokasiLand — a virtual reality project, is a great example of this. 

Transformation and innovation in Indonesia are all about collaboration and joint efforts of all the stakeholders. It is a holistic approach that is likely to completely change the landscape of the Indonesian education system. With technology becoming cheaper and cheaper and more accessible to people around the world, over time learning process, learning tools, learning experience, student outcomes, and so many more things are going to drastically change to cause a positive impact. 

Learn how Academia ERP is helping leading institutes in Indonesia to mitigate challenges such as increased drop rates, institute management, resource planning, financial planning and management, and more. Contact us here. 

What is Student-Centered Learning?

Posted on by Hemant Mahajan

Now, this may come out as bizarre to you, but some of the world’s best schools have already started adopting it. Student-centered learning (SCL) is a concept in which, a student participates in the making and organizing of the content to fulfill its academic goals. The student decides what to learn, if it wants to learn, and how it learns. 

It is the direct opposite of teacher-centered approaches that have been in practice till now. It contrasts and challenges the traditional education system and implements the practices which allow students to hold the reigns of their future. There are some apprehensions in the industry. Are students mature enough to understand what is important to learn and what is not? Do we have the resources to accommodate the tools that are preferred for learning? There are a variety of basic questions. 

As someone from administration or management, it is very important to find out how effective it is and why it is important before jumping to any conclusion. In this blog, we would try to demystify things around SCL as much as possible. 

What are the factors involved in SCL? 

When we say we are giving the students control, we have to identify the aspects in which they have a say or control. Contrasting to TCL, SCL proposes a student be a leader that drives all the decisions around the learning process. It includes researching, proposing solutions, communicating ideas, and evaluating their own progress. This is everything that a teacher does in TCL. The role of teachers in SCL is that of a guide that helps put in place a process to attain the student’s goals. But still, they don’t have a say in the content, timing, or motivation as these would be controlled by the student. 

How is SCL different from Personalized Learning?

SCL and personalized learning are used interchangeably, which is not correct. In personalized learning, the reigns are still in the teacher’s hands. But in SCL, the entire scenario is altered. However, it is very easy to get confused as SCL does flaunt characteristics such as a highly personalized learning experience and openness to new teaching tools and styles as per individual preferences. 

Important features for successful implementation of SCL

  • Project-based learning 
  • Inter-disciplinary learning 
  • Assessment tool for evaluation
  • Feedback platform from Students and Parents
  • Personalized learning experience 
  • Robust IT infrastructure to support Virtual learning for flexibility

How educators must approach SCL?

As the classroom roles change with the implementation of SCL, it is important to learn how educators are coping with this change. 

Many studies are being conducted on the subject of SCL. The one that piqued my interest the most was that of the International Journal of STEM education in 2018. It talks about the identity-level shift and how educators have evolved from being content dispensers to content resources. 

Furthermore, many educators upon embracing SCL appreciated the positivity it brings to the classrooms and report its various benefits. They talk about better relationships between students & teachers, higher engagement, and tailored learning experiences. 

How is curriculum impacted in SCL?

Till now, we have seen schools have a definite curriculum and a flow in which the curriculum is taught to the students. It is a very important aspect of the education system. 

The same goes for SCL. SCL does not disregard the importance of curriculum, it just modifies. The curriculum for an SCL model is developed to pique the interest of a student as much as they would want to pursue learning in that particular course. Since it is project-based learning, it gives students a big opportunity to have a say in what they want to learn and how they want to approach the learning. 

Also, SCL proposes inter-disciplinary learning, which means a student can learn a combination of two or more academic disciplines in one activity. 

Role of teachers in SCL

There are various roles that can be obtained by a teacher in a student-centered learning environment. We are mentioning them here: 

  • Resource 

The student-centered learning environment sees teachers as knowledge resources to access knowledge. Since SCL gives huge credit to student knowledge, personal experiences, and understanding, SCL allows students to lead the classrooms and communicate their viewpoints. 

A teacher can guide these conversations, share their viewpoints, allow in-depth discussions by participating in these conversations, and build a good relationship with the student. This allows students to be benefitted from the knowledge and expertise of the teacher and work in partnership with the students. 

  • Mentor

It is very important for students to place their trust in adults, especially those that are connected with them on several levels. It helps you harness the feeling of a community at your school, and students share their bad and good experiences more openly for improvement. It also allows you to work on the aspects that are more beneficial for students. SCL gives a wide scope for it. 

  • Guide

SCL proposes teachers to be a guiding source, meaning they guide the student in the learning process and help them in overcoming these challenges. Teachers can help students understand how skills and knowledge would affect their lives in larger and smaller aspects. 

Furthermore, it gives teachers a great opportunity to nurture the students and become a part of their learning journey rather than just being a juncture in it. It gives a wider scope to understand the future goals of a student and provides them timely motivation and guidance to help achieve the goals.

Benefits of Student-Centered Learning 

Some of the biggest benefits of student-centered learning are: 

  1. Helps create a meaningful learning environment 
  2. Helps motivate students to take initiative towards learning
  3. Enjoy personalized learning
  4. Project-based learning that helps increase student engagement
  5. Improves academic performance
  6. Helps nurture a positive relationship between teachers and students
  7. Increases communication and collaboration in the classroom
  8. Increases participation of students in school activities 

Way Forward

The quantitative data on SCL shows many good traits. In a study from the Stanford Centre for Opportunity Policy in Education, it was found that students learning in the SCL environment outperformed the students studying in the traditional setup. Furthermore, there were lesser dropout rates and a higher number of graduates who applied to colleges. 

However, it should be noted that SCL comes with challenges that require educators to change their strategy to govern the classes and meet the requirements for SCL.  The challenges include the possibility of indiscipline in the classroom, increased workload due to higher classroom management, unevenness in the student participation rate, shifting students to a new environment, etc. 

These challenges are easily manageable through an advanced IT infrastructure and a more cohesive environment for students to participate in meaningful discussions. For achieving a high-end student experience and student engagement, digital transformation is necessary. It allows you to become an integral part of students learning journey and does not bind you to four-walled classrooms. Before you prep for student-centered learning, let’s finish up the groundwork together. Consider a free consultation with our ERP expert for a digital transformation at your institute, and together we can make things better for the students. 

EdTech Partnerships to enhance the Future of Education

Posted on by Hemant Mahajan

EdTech Partnerships to enhance the Future of Education

The world has started to restore order after a long battle with the pandemic. The education industry is also reanalyzing the choices they have made with respect to choosing the education technologies that were implemented in haste to counter the immediate challenge. 

All in all, education technology has made a massive difference in the lives of students and teachers. The best edtech entrepreneurs understand this and are constantly realigning their products to the changing needs of the institutes. But only the best ones. 

It gets people thinking, in the post-pandemic world, would all the brands that mushroomed and thrived in the pandemic have any chance to survive now? 

However, this is very clear. The education industry is not looking back and will undoubtedly undergo digital transformation. If you want to leverage this opportunity by becoming a partner with good brands, you have to be very choosy and also accurate while making a decision. Here is how you can identify a good partner. 

  • Is the brand building long-term relationships with the customers? 

Good brands are all about building long-term relationships with their clients. This impacts how they provide service to their existing customers and constantly improve the product to attract new clients. Their primary focus is to retain customers, which is the best tactic to survive in a competitive environment and build a strong base for the future. Check out the company portfolio and identify how many new customers they have added after the pandemic and how many they have retained. 

  • How flexible is the brand to meet the changing needs of customers? 

Building a product and implementing it is only the beginning. The world has long moved from legacy software that didn’t provide the flexibility to accommodate the changing needs of the customer. But with modern systems, it is easier to constantly innovate and develop solutions relevant to the customer’s needs of today and tomorrow. Hence, brands that provide education institutes these benefits are likely to have a better chance of survival. And the brands are still not ready to evolve and have a cloudy future in the market. 

  • How are stakeholders using the product? 

The usability of the product is a reality check for every product. It is important to know what benefits the product provides to the customers and how useful the product is in everyday institutional activities. A brand that has a focus on transforming the lives of its stakeholders would constantly be seen improving the product’s core functionalities. And hence improving the user experience constantly to nurture customer loyalty. 

Way Forward

These are the three parameters on which you can analyze a brand’s future in the education industry. If you are looking for a partner with all these qualities, you might be interested in partnering with us. We have an award-winning education ERP with 320+ customers in 22 countries. We are innovative and reliable and have transformed the lives of 800,000+ educators and learners. If you want to learn about our partner program, drop a ‘Hi’ here, and we will get back to you within 2-3 business days. 

Education in Indonesia vs. the Philippines

Posted on by Hemant Mahajan

In 2021, ASEAN reported that covid-related school foreclosures had affected the quality of education for more than 152 million children in the member countries. To confirm the impact, Gallup — a public poll specialist, estimated education satisfaction in Southeast Asia has dropped to 63% from 85%. 

Looking eye-to-eye with these massive challenges, the Cambridge-ASEAN policy was a mandate which provided a direction to ministers of education in the member country and provided tangible actions to reverse the effects of Covid-19. Although the impact of the pandemic was not that dire in all the member countries — Indonesia and the Philippines were not that lucky enough. According to a Unicef report, the education of 80 million children in Indonesia was impacted by Covid-19. Similarly, in another Unicef report, 27 million Filipino students are impacted by Covid-19. 

Summarizing the policy Cambridge-ASEAN policy, the team highlighted the importance of going digital and establishing a robust digital infrastructure to ensure students have access to learning resources. Mental health and well-being should take center stage when building new education policies and countering learning loss. Governments and organizations need to prioritize learning losses for younger students, vulnerable students, and people on vocational pathways. 

But before any nation delves into these suggestions, it becomes imperative that they address the long-standing issues in their education system. The two ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations ) countries (Indonesia and the Philippines) have some shortcomings in the sector that has, time after time, affected the students in many ways. 

Three significant issues on which we would be comparing the education system of both Indonesia & Philippines are — quality, affordability, and budget. 

  • Quality of education: 
  • Philippines

The Philippines has recently revised its education system, making education compulsory for 12 years. With this comes some significant challenges in curriculum, wherein language, literature, natural science, social sciences, arts, and humanities will be taught from grade 1 to 12, except chemistry which is only taught after the 9th grade. 

However, the change in the curriculum per se is not an indication of the quality. Facts disagree and show a sharp decline in the quality of education in the Philippines. In a standard test among the students and the National College Entrance Examination for college students, the scores were below the target mean score. Also, the attributed decline in quality may be due to the shortage of teachers in public schools. 

  • Indonesia

Indonesia has the fourth-largest education system in the world. However, in an education quality assessment done for 50 nations, it landed the last position. Although the country is making ample efforts towards improving the quality of education, the youth seems to be not benefitting from it — which is more or less a common phenomenon amongst middle-income countries. 

  • Affordability of Education
  • Philippines

In the Philippines, there is a significant disparity between educational achievements across social groups. Students from socially and economically weaker sections seem to drop out more often, especially at an elementary level. And most of the freshman students at the tertiary level come from families with affluent backgrounds. Also, public-funded schools are underfunded. 

  • Indonesia

Only one-third of 57 million school-going students finish their primary education. Although, unlike the Philippines, Indonesia does provide excellent access to primary and secondary education to its students resulting in a spike in enrollment rates from 21% to 77% between 1978 to 2015.  The system evades the needs of the students, leaving millions becoming marginalized and forgotten in the classroom. 

Furthermore, many education authorities responsible for running the national education system have been caught in corruption scandals that use loopholes in the system for political gains and personal wealth creation. There is a need for reform where teachers and students are empowered. Hence, the government has to work towards making education more affordable for the students hailing from the middle class.

  • Budget
  • Philippines 

The budget allotted for education by the government is not enough to sustain. This contrasts with the Philippine constitution, as it mandates the government to allocate the highest proportion of the budget to education. Also, according to a report, amongst the ASEAN countries, the Philippines has the lowest budget allocations. Low budget directly affects the public school infrastructure, resulting in underpaid teachers, insufficient reading material, poor facilities, and more. 

  • Indonesia

Similar to the Philippines, the education sector in Indonesia too is fighting inadequacy of the budget. Because of this, experts say less than half of the country’s teachers that are hired do not fulfill the qualification for the position. Also, absenteeism is on a high rise, well above 20%. Teachers are found to work outside the classroom to improve their incomes. Corruption is to blame for it. 

Conclusion

In both countries, there is an educational employment mismatch. For both countries to shorten the divide, they must work on skill development and make significant changes in their curriculum to meet the needs of the evolving job market. This is likely to help both countries to reduce the growing number of educated, unemployed, and underemployed populations. 

Suppose you are looking for a digital transformation for any educational institution in Indonesia, Phillippines, or any other Southeast Asia country. Academia ERP is there to help and rejuvenate your institutions’ digital fluency. Request a live demo of how Academia ERP is a problem solver for your education institutes.

How is Academia ERP uprooting the challenges of Higher Education institutes in Zimbabwe?

Posted on by Hemant Mahajan

How is Academia ERP uprooting the challenges of Higher Education institutes in Zimbabwe? 

Countries in the African continent need to diversify their economies, develop skills, strengthen the education system, and provide professional training to their population. Since the growth of any country is highly dependent on the contribution of human capital, a government must make ample attempts to keep the population abreast with the new trends in the job market and meet the skill needs of the burgeoning industry sectors. For this, every government uses education as a tool to weave the very fabric of the future. And the first step requires it to address the long-standing challenges in its education system to strengthen it and derive desired results.

Talking of Zimbabwe, the country has some huge obstacles to conquer. The investment is limited, there is a shortage of teachers, and soaring high dropout rates. To top this, it is required to make education equitable and reduce the socio-economic divide in the country. Here are a few biggest challenges of higher education institutes in Zimbabwe and how Academia ERP is uprooting them. 

Challenge#1: Expansion of Universities 

At independence, Zimbabwe had only one state university, but the number now has grown to 13. There are eight state universities and four church-run universities. The expansion of the university system in Zimbabwe is mainly in response to the expansion of the primary and secondary education segment in the country. There is a sudden surge in enrollment rates. However, there aren’t many regional universities and academies to support the demand. Hence, the existing facilities are overstretching their facilities and resources — causing a big dent in the student experience at their universities. 

Approximately 300,000 students each year graduate from the secondary education segment and only 18% of students are admitted into higher education institutes. This means around 80% of students are still deprived of higher education and training — reducing their chance of landing a skill-based job and improving their quality of life. 

Academia ERP Solution:

  • Multi-centre Capability

The software comes with multi-center capabilities which allow you to manage multiple academies of your organization well. It helps you in setting up the digital infrastructure of newly planned academies. It also provides robust programs and course management, student performance analysis and management, teacher management, resource planning and management, and more. Multi-center capability is one characteristic that would help monitor and manage all the institutes, colleges, and academies in your organization remotely from a single dashboard. Hence, planning and managing your expansion is more profitable and successful.  

  • Efficient Management of Admission Phase

Although the enrollment rate in the higher education segment in Zimbabwe is rising, dropout rates also have elevated. Enrolling in a college requires a student to be emotionally, socially, and academically involved in university activities. And since each student is unique and has different aspirations, their innate abilities and expectations must be aligned with the college curriculum and culture. Hence, even though higher education institutes are seeing high enrollments, they are also parallelly fighting dropout rates.

To counter this, you need efficient management of the admission phase. With Academia ERP, you get dedicated features for the pre-admission and admission phases. Using them, you can run marketing campaigns, manage inquiries, track leads, close admissions, generate reports, and so much more. 

It also helps you in assisting a student in making academic choices. This would help you bond with the student better and know them well. This gives you a wider scope to understand if the applicant is the right fit for your campus academically, culturally, and emotionally. These informed choices allow you to choose the right applicant and retain them throughout the student lifecycle. And hence, reduce your big losses due to dropouts.

Challenge#2: Quality Education

The government of Zimbabwe has become very proactive about the quality of education. They sanctioned Council for Higher Education Act in 2006 to monitor the quality of education in higher education institutes. But only some of the universities in the country have a set structure or the tools to provide reports and audit requirements. This makes quality analysis difficult and leaves no scope for the universities to know their pain points and work on them. 

Furthermore, the country has 15.1 million people, but the GDP is only $20.5 billion. It is surprising that a country such as Zimbabwe, with a literacy rate of 90%, has such low GDP and is amongst the poorest countries in the world. One possible reason for this is that the population is not skilled and not ready to meet the changing demands of the global job market. Hence, the education sector is expected to help the nation fight this problem. 

Academia ERP Solution: 

  • Programs and Courses Management

For higher education institutes to offer students the skills that are highly demanded in the job market, it is very important to manage the programs and courses in their institute. It is important that they carefully evaluate the curriculum of the courses and make it richer through timely improvements. This would help you evaluate the curriculum better in light of the growing market demand and achieve student success easily. 

  • Student Performance Analysis and Management 

One of the ways to evaluate if the quality of education in your institute is high and up to the standards or not is through student performance analysis. Student outcomes, student success, student retention, and other important metrics help you understand if you have a quality-driven curriculum at your institute. Academia ERP offers you granular reports and efficient student performance record management. 

Also, a student’s performance analysis would help you predict if the student is on the verge of dropping out. Hence, before making a decision, you can help them make the right choice and rekindle their interest in skill development and education. 

  • Reports and Dashboards

Academia ERP offers a variety of reports and dashboards to provide quantitative and qualitative analysis to regulatory bodies. This would make reporting easy and hence get you a higher accreditation to attract more students to the provided course and programs. 

Challenge#3: Funding 

Most universities in Zimbabwe rely on government funding. However, many higher education institutes in Zimbabwe are underfunded. The salary of academic and non-academic staff is less than other universities when compared in the African continent. Many students from impoverished backgrounds are required to pay their fees. Somewhere, education is becoming reserved for the elite. Government is unable to provide scholarships. Basic resources such as computers, labs, laboratories, etc., are not available in higher education institutions. 

Academia ERP Solution: 

  • Reduced operational cost 

All the higher education institutes in Zimbabwe are focusing on reducing their expenses. This can only be done through efficient resource management and implementation. With Academia ERP, you would be able to allocate resources better. It provides you with accurate reports on resources that are free, under maintenance, occupied, etc. This allows you to manage the resources efficiently for them to be utilized better. 

  • Financial Management

Most higher education institutions are operating on traditional models. This means a lot of paper-bound operations and manual processing. Many staff and faculty expenses go unnoticed, causing budget mismanagement. Through Academia ERP, you can automate financial management and generate more transparency in operations. You would be able to track transactions and bring down your expenses. 

Way Forward

Although the education sector in Zimbabwe is facing some of the biggest challenges, we must remember that technology has the answer to most of them. If you are looking for a solution that can help you combat some of your institute’s biggest challenges, you can consider Academia ERP. It is an app suite with 30+ modules that helps monitor and manage institute operations. It automates tasks and has helped many institutes reduce their expenses by 33%. We have a presence in 21 countries and 320+ clients — of which Africa University, Zimbabwe is one. If you want to know how we can help you digitally transform, drop us a ‘Hi!’ here.

Education technology trends in Australia and ways to adopt

Posted on by Hemant Mahajan

The education sector in every country plays a defining role in preparing future generations for upcoming opportunities and challenges. It provides a framework for people to equip knowledge and skills to contribute to the society and economy of the country. It prepares people to make their place in the global workforce and helps them align their skills with the demand in the global job market. It helps people to break boundaries and explore things that are beyond geographical limits. It improves their personal lives and gives them a shot at fulfillment.

Education has a massive impact on the life of people, and hence it becomes important that each trend and step taken towards elevating its effect is well investigated. Hence, we are discussing the upcoming trends in the Australian education system.

1.Parent Engagement

In the last two years, 2 in 5 parents have become more attentive towards their child’s participation in school. Of these, 60% of parents said they expect weekly communication from the school, and 7% of parents demanded daily communication.

At the same time, school management and teachers feel pressured to meet this growing demand of the parents. They need the tools to keep the parents of the students engaged.

In this context, schools can use school management software with student and parent mobile applications. Through these handy applications, parents can log in anytime and get real-time information about their child’s classroom participation, attendance, examination, assessment reports, day-to-day activities, etc. Also, these apps are equipped with omnichannel communication tools which can be used to connect with the school administration and faculty through SMS, calls, WhatsApp, mail, chat, etc.

2.Student Well-being

In the last 5 years, the Australian education system has shifted its focus from results to well-being. And this has happened to meet the demands of parents. Almost 50% of parents expected schools to support child’s well-being.

Individualized attention, personalized learning, holistic development, individualized career guidance, and other demands have taken the forefront.

To meet this demand of the parents, schools must choose education ERP solutions that come with in-built student lifecycle management and student performance management systems. These efficient tools would allow the faculty and administrative staff to assist a student all throughout the student lifecycle and analyze their performance in real-time to increase their participation to ensure a higher student success rate.

3.Lifelong Learning

Lifelong learning is not just a goal of the Australian education system; rather it is a shared goal. Every country is making policy changes to make education accessible and equitable to ensure students have access to the knowledge resources for lifelong learning and skill development.

4.Complexity in Education

Australian education system is one of the most complicated education systems. For it to realize its true potential, policy changes are needed, and this needs massive participation from government bodies. Challenges such as growing compliance requirements, complex teacher accreditation, and the rise of alternate pathways to university and workforce are some long-standing issues in the Australian education system.

Also, with the increased attention on student well-being, mental health, and student success, it is becoming hard for teachers to meet these growing demands while upholding the strict norms set by the Australian education system.

Modern education technology provides solutions to automate everyday tasks and increases the productivity and accountability of the staff to focus on the immediate challenges in the institute. It gives them time to work on their core responsibilities — thus improving student experience across the organization while ensuring well-being.

5.Attracting and retaining teachers

Recently, there has been a growing concern about the increased drop rates of teachers. It is essential for educational institutions to engage teachers and increase flexibility in their everyday work and tasks. Australian teachers are very moved by the notion of bringing a change in students’ lives. Most teachers dropped out because they felt they were not contributing to that idea. Some other dominating reasons were losing the work-life balance, increased administrative and documentation responsibility, pressure to manage the well-being of multiple students simultaneously, and more.

Technology can help in improving the teacher experience in many ways. Technology can help increase collaboration, improve teamwork, efficient reporting, reduce workload with automation, and more.

Wrapping Up

These were some key challenges of the Australian education system and how upcoming technology trends in the country can solve them. If you are wondering to find a solution that can positively impact the lives of students, teachers, and parents to achieve better results, try Academia ERP. We are a leading education ERP solution provider in 22 countries. Learn more about our product in a live demo with our ERP expert, and learn how we can help you uproot these challenges from your institution.

What are the factors that show an ERP needs to be updated?

Posted on by Hemant Mahajan

Change is an inevitable part of human life. And even though you are dead set on using traditional methods of working, you cannot deny they are making your operations sluggish.

How do we know? If you would have been so satisfied with your current system you would not have been browsing this web page. Hence, accounting for the first factor that shows your ERP needs an update.

If you believe you need new software, we understand you have already started to see how inefficient your current system is. But to support your decisions, that one factor alone is not enough. So, here we are giving you 5 reasons to update your education ERP solution.

1. Increasing workload and no help from the existing system

One of the biggest reasons to implement an education ERP solution was to free up your workforce from the regular, time-consuming tedious tasks. You want them productive and focused on the top problems of your institute, rather than meddling with paperwork.

If you are sensing, you have a lowered productivity at your institute, and your current system is not able to power or automate operations at your institute —it is time for an update.

2. Increasing expenditure and no way to track it

The market is very uncertain right now, and the economic climate is stormy. The need of the time is a feature-rich finance management system that comes in-built with the education ERP solutions. It is very common for institutes to face problems while tracking the spending data of the faculty and staff. The data is often dispersed and hard to track.

Meaning, if you don’t know where your money is going, you cannot even start to think of a way to stop it. Hence, you need an updated system that gives you that transparency and reinforces measures to eliminate financial vulnerabilities in your organization.

3. Facing staggering losses and a dipping admission rate

Student admission rate plays a defining role in your institute’s profitability. If you are still using an old system you are likely to be handling the admission phase at your institute through paper-bound operations. And there are tens of things that can go wrong with that. They are time-consuming, error-prone, and costly.

Also, you miss out on many good applicants that were a good fit for your institute. An education ERP solution would help you in managing the admission phase better while automating your operations. Thus, update!

4. No defense against unplanned events

COVID-19 has put the education industry into a twirl, and it is only beginning to get ugly. Challenges such as reduced resources and insufficient funds would be very common scenarios for many educational organizations.

To brace yourself in these uncertain times, you need a system that forecasts trends for you to strategize and respond accordingly. Modern systems such as Academia ERP come with predictive analytics and reports to help you plan ahead of time for these unplanned events.

5. If you are still using different software for every little thing in your institute

If you don’t have a centralized database connected to all your software and if there is no interoperability between any of these tools you need to upgrade to an education ERP toolset. An education ERP serves as a centralized database and supports operations across the wide network of tools used in your organization. This gives you a wider scope of data accessibility and insights to strategize and ensure higher profitability.

Also, education ERP software is an app suite that has a gamut of features to perform a variety of tasks at your institute. This eliminates the need of having multiple apps to perform various tasks. Academia ERP software has admission management, CRM solutions, resource planning and management, finance management, HR management, and much more.

Lastly, you need the right approach

If you are facing all or any of the above-mentioned factors hindering the operations at your organization it is time to pull the plug on the old software and upgrade to robust education ERP software.

Modern systems are more flexible to meet the needs of modern institutes and in these challenging times, you need software that provides you with effective solutions to stay profitable. Furthermore, you need the right approach to finding the right solution.

The primary focus of your search should be the efficiency of the product. Not to nullify the impact of price as a deciding factor, but initially, you must ardently look for a solution that eliminates some of the biggest challenges at your institute. Once you have narrowed down your search, then you can take demos and go into further negotiation to decide on the right vendor that supports your institute’s needs for the long term at the right price.

Single-sign-on software for higher education

Posted on by Hemant Mahajan

Single Sign-On is a new technology around the corner and is widely used in many education ERP solutions. It is very important to discuss the role of SSO technology and how it is likely to transform the user experience.

From what is SSO to if it is secure, this blog discusses the technology in length to help you understand it better and if you require it in your education ERP solution.

What is Single Sign-On?

Single Sign-On or SSO is a highly trusted authentication method. It enables a user to securely sign in to various applications and websites using one single set of credentials.

How does a Single Sign-On work?

Single Sign-On works based on a trust relationship set up between the application, also known as the service provider, and the SSO system (identity provider). This trust relationship is based upon an exchanged certificate between the two. The certificate is used as a sign of identity information that is sent from the identity provider to the service provider. This exchange of certificate serves lets the app/service provider know the information is coming from a trusted source.

In SSO, this identity takes the form of a token that contains small bits of login information such as the user’s email address and username.

Login Flow

The login flow is mentioned in the following steps:
1.User opens the app that he/she wants to access.
2.The service provider (app) sends the token that contains some information such as email address to the identity provider (SSO System) to authenticate the request.
3.If the user is already authenticated the identity provider gives immediate access to the user. If not, the user has to undergo a few more steps to log in to the identity provider.
4.In the second scenario, in which the user has not logged in to the identity provider, the user is prompted to log in. The login method is quite simple. It usually is done through an OTP verification.
5.Once the user is authenticated, the Identity Provider sends the token to the service provider (app).
6.The service provider (app) validates the token that it is sent from a trusted source during the initial configuration, and thus the user is granted access to the app.

How does Single Sign On help?

There are many apps used in an education institute. Having a different credential for each app and remembering them is a hassle. If you are not using a single sign-on, you must be getting queries on daily basis to reset the password. You can eliminate this completely by having a single sign-on.

An education ERP software serves as a centralized database to provide information to all the integrated applications. And hence, an education ERP software that uses single sign-on would provide an even better experience across the digital ecosystem where a user can use a single set of credentials to login into various applications and perform tasks.

With single sign-on not only are you able to eliminate queries, but it also improves the user experience. It provides a unified experience across the ecosystem where a user is able to manage the username and password much better.

Furthermore, with a Single Sign-On, administrators in your institute can easily control the complex process of multi-factor authentication. Also, they can easily remove login privileges for the people that are no longer in the organization. Not only is SSO great at reducing the calls you get on the helpdesk, but it is a highly convenient tool for administrators to centrally manage and control the usernames and passwords.

Is it secure?

Single Sign-On systems are very convenient and have a great benefit if you are using multiple applications. Users no longer have to manage their passwords and they don’t have to go to IT support each time they lose passwords. But, security is very important to discuss. Since, Single Sign-on serves as a password manager for various apps, if there are vulnerabilities in the app username and passwords to access various apps is compromised. And hence, an institute might lose access to the apps, denting their productivity and operational efficiency.

However, the best SSO vendors have highly secure services. They follow global compliance regulations and industry standards. Many will never store any information like account passwords and master keys on their system. Even in the event that the hacker is trying to make a breach, the security protocols ensure the account is well-protected.

Education ERP solution with Single Sign-On

Academia ERP comes with a very secure single sign-on. The product is highly secure and easily integrable with leading education technologies and applications. With the single sign-on option, you can manage passwords from a single dashboard for the entire organization. It is easy to configure with a variety of products and provides high flexibility to add new applications on the go to provide access to applications through SSO tokens and trust certificates.

Wrapping Up

Single Sign-on is a secure and convenient way to manage the username and passwords of all users across your organization. It is secure, and with a little research, you can find the right vendor to solve your problems. With SSO, you would have reduced queries for lost passwords, easy administration, easeful add/remove of account access to apps and so much more. If you have any more queries with respect to Academia ERP and how our Single Sign-On works, please feel free to connect.

 

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