This article was originally published in Dutch on De Tijd.
There are complaints that the 11 billion euros that go into our education system annually are insufficient. However, with that money, it is possible to make learning both elitist and accessible, and technology can help achieve that. This would not only create equal opportunities but also increase the learning outcomes for all.
All of these signals may seem contradictory, but the underlying principles of these different opinions are not necessarily conflicting. Young people who want to excel and whose parents seek private schools or parents who advocate for resources for other young people essentially want the same thing. They want a personalised learning trajectory for their child that ensures maximum return on investment. And this is difficult in a class where the same goal is set for everyone at the end of the day.
Accessible
Although it seems impossible, it has never been so evident to make learning personalised and inclusive. Many learning opportunities are currently underutilised. This is a waste, as enthusiasm for learning can be ignited by, among other things, responding to the method by which something is learned.
Technology offers a wide range of possibilities, such as virtual or augmented reality that allows simulated learning, and this can be done an infinite number of times. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) from various top universities on a particular subject suddenly become accessible to every learner. Why not use technology to make the world's best courses accessible to our young people?
Technology can even be used to create learning opportunities. For example, suppose you are given various options for learning opportunities based on the competencies you have at a given moment, and are immediately presented with a training trajectory. Suppose technology based on artificial intelligence can indicate when the best time is to catch up on your own competencies or when a learner is losing competencies?
Elitist
Quality must be pursued rightly, especially in a country where knowledge is one of the most important resources. The pursuit of quality should not, however, be equated with the acquisition of competencies and skills in one specific context, namely schools. It is necessary to recognise various equivalent learning environments. Dual learning is already an important step in this direction. In this approach, the employer is seen as a learning context that, like a school, teaches skills, and where an equivalent diploma is issued as in full-time education.
Therefore, it is surprising that the idea of "end point assessment" is not more widely adopted in Flanders. This would allow students to participate in those final exams via various learning paths, techniques, and at varying speeds, and despite different learning paths, they can still achieve the same diploma. New learning pathways can be conceived by "education entrepreneurs" who explore and devise new ways of learning.
So, let us not continue to say that there is a shortage of resources for education but work towards making learning both elitist and accessible.
