09-08-2022
01:31
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The world is changing. And digital education has been at the forefront of that change, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. Current leaders are falling into a ‘digital gap’ where the need for social engagement and reassurance is lost in remote learning environments.
Added to this, the renewed responsibility that educational institutions have towards their learners following the introduction of the Skills and Post 16 Education Act, means that now more than ever before something needs to be done to manage the delicate balancing act of online and tech-fuelled solutions, with face-to-face, hands-on and social learning.
One entrepreneur and learning pioneer has developed what he believes to be the solution – the world’s first ever multi-dimensional Learning Experience Platform (LXP), with a focus on sharing, teaching, peer-reviewing, supporting and coaching – all in one. Early adopters are already reaping the rewards, including CIMPSA, which has signed up to provide employability training and access to its all-inclusive portal within every college in the country.
Having had an illustrious 25-year career building and nurturing business success, as well as being a qualified life coach, and was formerly one of the very few trainers in the world endorsed by Dr Robert Cialdini to deliver his Principles of Persuasion training, Founder and CEO of Suada, David Thomson, is now focusing his attention on revolutionising the educational arena.
Here, David explores the importance for educational leaders to embrace innovative and collaborative ways of learning, how this new platform brings together the very best elements of online and face-to-face education, and the significant impacts that this is having on educators and learners alike.
“Digital and online learning is the future. And, as much as it came as a sudden shock, the Covid-19 pandemic has only fast-forwarded a process that was already well underway. The real challenge now is ensuring that educators keep up. The world of learning is evolving, and it’s exciting.
Suada, a LXP app, is essentially a gateway to information.
It’s a platform which hosts tutors, teachers, educators, and students, who can all share content in a variety of forms, and can be contacted via an instant messaging chat. And, it’s a social learning platform meaning that users are encouraged to learn from their peers.
Teach-Back
It’s proven that being able to teach-back is a vital aspect of learning – as soon as you’re able to aid someone else’s understanding of a topic, you’ve cracked it. The lightbulb moment. And, this is one of Suada’s most unique and innovative features.
Not only is this a productive self-assessment tool, but it also enhances the sense of community and teamwork that Suada advocates for. As part of this, we encourage users to create a video – in whatever creative format they wish – to reiterate what has been learnt, in an attempt to assist someone else.
Many young people – and adults – spend much of their time on Instagram and Tik Tok, making videos and reels about fun aspects of their lives. We decided to tap into this and embrace it as a revolutionary way of learning – the app has been purposefully designed to feel familiar, with a similar layout to many social media platforms we all know and love. If only 30 minutes a day are transitioned from social media apps to Suada, then this will have a huge impact on educational success.
Expert Community
In this digital age, we have access to almost all information in an instant. A simple Google search will populate our screens – and minds – with expert opinion, controversies, and forums, for us to filter and dissect. Whilst much learning is encouraged online, it can be difficult to determine what is trustworthy, and what is – essentially – trash.
Suada provides expert knowledge and opinion at your fingertips. And with expert credentials and digital badges displayed, you can rest assured that these individuals have earned their right to their expertise, and it is accurate information worth engaging with. Plus, with access to tutors, mentors and peers from across the globe, students will never feel alone.
Connectivity
Throughout the pandemic, a sense of community was lost in learning. Physical classrooms were replaced with online learning, new issues were identified, including feelings of isolation, lack of engagement, reliance on technology, self-discipline, and a lack of real-time feedback. And, shockingly, a Young Minds study found that 83% of young people with mental health needs agreed that the pandemic made their mental health worse [1]. While the digital world can be immensely powerful and is a vital aspect of our daily lives, it can also be incredibly isolating and lonely.
Suada allows for inclusive learning and brings people together – encouraging reaching out to peers within the app. Sharing a common interest or passion poses lots of questions and interesting discussions. And, differing opinions lead to fantastic debates and changes of perspective. These engaging, thought-provoking, and inspiring conversations will allow information to effectively be retained, too.
Coaching
So, what’s the benefit for educators? Well, Suada removes the need for heavy lifting. You can create, manage and deliver your bank of resources and upload them to the app, which can be used by students year-on-year or referred back to at a later date. And you can arrange regular ongoing assessments to monitor progress.
Not only does this significantly reduce your workload, but it can enhance the relationships with your students. They can come to lessons prepared, engaged and ready and raring to learn, reserving face-to-face time for valuable and insightful conversations.
You’ll have the freedom to be on-hand and available to proactively assist with further enhancements, answering questions or tasking additional learning. It will free up your time chained to the classroom, and allow you to tailor your support according to each students’ individual needs.
And Suada is transforming the market through its innovative and advanced technology which facilitates long-term information retention. This means you’ll no longer have to repeat yourself time and time again, and it provides students with a better and longer lasting quality of learning – it’s the ultimate win: win.
Plus, we understand that everyone learns differently, and so the software assists effective learning for all and every learning type, through video tutorials, webinars, podcasts, group work, and written content.
Having the autonomy, responsibility and independence to identify this and use it as a strength allows you to empower your students, and will aid them in their journey to higher education and employment.
These innovative and advanced ways of teaching also ensure that students can – and are – engaged with the institution before they’ve even started. They can connect with staff and other students, understand topics and modules, the ways of learning, and be prepared before even stepping foot into the classroom.
Plus it can aid recruitment, and you’ll be able to clearly spot those particularly gifted and talented students.
Final Thoughts
We’ve developed Suada to incorporate collaborative working, building a community, focusing on the power of teach-back, and gifting educators the ability to be even more proactive.
This pioneering technology is the future of learning. Not only does it bring phenomenal benefits to educational leaders, teachers and students, but it also helps to develop individuals into confident, engaged, sociable, independent learners, preparing them to take on the world of employment and all the opportunities that it brings.
[1] www.youngminds.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/mental-health-statistics/
About Suada
Suada is a fully-functional digital Learning Experience Platform (LXP), which has been developed to enhance learning and retention of knowledge. Launched in 2018, it aims to restore the critical element of human engagement that has gotten lost in online learning over recent years. The app is designed for businesses, for learners and for educators. For more information, visit the website: www.suada.com.
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