Online Digital Learning technology and the concept of "The University of the future" and proliferation of knowledge

New educational technologies are enable students and educational institutions to be more dynamic and better adapt to shifting market trends.

Information technology impacts us on a daily basis, transforming the way we relate and interact with the world. With this in mind, the way in which we gain new knowledge has also been transformed, reflecting directly on the field of education.

Today, it is understood that the learning experience involves much more than a classroom, educational materials and a teacher, leading to a growing necessity to include educational technologies in this process. In addition, this  also involves the inclusion of web-based courses , apps and educational software.

In higher education, for example, there was a need to envision how the university of the future will be based on the inclusion of distance education tools (ODL) and new educational technologies that meet the demands of a volatile labor market.

This trend is verified by the significant number of students enrolled in distance learning courses. According to the statistics published in the latest census of higher education released in 2018 by the National Institute of Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira (Inep), distance learning enrollment corresponds to 21.2% of a total of 1.7 million. And this scenario only is growing via the application of new technologies and adapting frameworks for digitally driven courses.

What is the main impact of educational technologies on universities?
With the advancement of the Internet and novel technological tools, physical barriers no longer limit academic content to online forums previously available to a few, but rather democratize the access to knowledge within educational platforms and channels at affordable rates.

ODL courses offers a greater degree of dynamism previously unattainable within the rigid structures established by traditional educational frameworks, enabling  more flexible schedules and the possibility of studying in different settings. Educational products and services require both these new technologies and the consistent updating of content and menus to meet specific demands. In the not too distant past, those who were interested in taking courses had to mold themselves to fit predefined educational frameworks. Today, educational institutions must adapt themselves to their students in order to commercialize their products, taking into account study habits and lifestyle choices of these consumers.

Free, specialization and even graduate courses currently need greater fluidity to keep up with the job market, which has become fast-paced and disruptive to a point of having to constantly reinventing itself and the the same time relying on the in-depth knowledge provided by academic experts and scholars.

It is the union of these two worlds - technology and quality of content - that has forged the path followed by entrepreneurs and educational institutions to meet the latest requirements, because the retention and attraction of students depends mainly on products and services offered that align with their goals and needs.

How do you become a University of the future?
Despite this innovation, it is essential to keep in mind that the technology made available by the emergence of distance education is an allied component of the learning process, but it should not be seen as the sole protagonist responsible for its very existence. It is through these apparatuses and innovations that the true protagonist  - knowledge - will reach those who seek it.

The university of the future is one that understands that educational technologies have arrived to add to market alternatives and not to end the supply of its services, providing new vectors for their dissemination in order to reach different audiences.

Furthermore, the university of the future has a high turnover of its student body, some of whom are seeking entry level training courses, or they may be professionals who have found in their work places the need to update themselves in order to further their career- and are often not available in face-to-face courses.

Thus, the offering of new teaching methods via technology contributes directly to the expansion of knowledge to the widest variety of audiences, generating new sources of income for organizations and especially, fulfilling the purpose of each institution which is educating and contributing to the social development of society as a whole.