The new STEM engine-technology enabled anytime, anywhere education

Many of us have been hitting hard at the Industrial Age mindset being applied to education but have not provided an alternative that is cost-effective till date. Also, legislation is so archaic that it forces physical infrastructure that increase the fees and is of limited value. This changes if we can leverage technology and change some laws.

STEM –Science, Technology (Electronics, Maths, Engineering), Economics and Medicine (Meaning Health) will evolve. And, if you add an A to it for Arts, it will be STEAM.

So, why do I suggest this new acronym for STEM and STEAM instead of what is already there? The reasons for education, in my opinion, are love, happiness for all of us and also solving day to day problems that come up. For this, education must look to finding synergies between the streams that we study to come together to solve our problems.

I see a clear move of science towards pure sciences that will intertwine with Technology (meaning Electronics, Maths and Engineering). This will give rise to new subjects that will make our Education more relevant to the world that we live in. Montessori was one of the earliest to understand this. We have new courses like Mechatronics. Before long Meditronics or Technomics or Medinomics may become courses.

A research showed the Covid 19 virus protein as an energy form with music in it. Because our ears can hear what our eyes cannot see, we will be able to hear the virus and using AI even predict the protein type. It is changing the way we look at problems. In this example it brings together Biology, Technology and Art.

New ways to deliver education to the masses have come up. Not just driven by physical infrastructure and factory type thinking but by a hybrid method that mixes physical and virtual infrastructure and bringing teaching talent, including AI driven robotic teachers, from across the world to different classrooms in the world. Education – anytime, anywhere.

The purpose of Education is love, happiness for all and building capability to solve real life problems. For this, study of various interconnects of this Universe is essential. The hybrid version will bring children together using phygital infrastructure. This will be possible only if we can get the following done:

a) Technology Leverage –Train teachers for better use of technology in pedagogy and delivery. Bring in AI driven robotic teachers;

b) Government Regulations – get rid for the need for huge physical infrastructure, remove the Industrial Age need for bunching students of similar age groups, come up with and allow different types of evaluations/assessments. Bring passionate teachers from across the world to teach without hinderances;

c) Cost to deliver – if we can break the factory model, the cost to deliver will come down drastically and fees will become more affordable. Principles of Shared Services, enabled by Technology, can be used to bring these much-needed services to school;

d) Spiritual Approach – Education needs a spiritual approach. The purpose of Education, seen today as a passport to getting a job, needs to change. It has to be Universal Love, Compassion and Understanding. It has to be an approach that brings all our Design of Products/Services to be Life-Centric and not just Human Centric.

Education has to go beyond passing exams and getting jobs. It has to be about love and happiness and being able to solve real life problems. Technology will be the new STEAM Engine that will take us towards this happiness and solving real life problems through anytime, anywhere education.

(The author is Board Member - Educationist - Social Enterprise Leader & Founder of Alive Consultancy)