OREANDA-NEWS. “Traditional educational models are at a crossroads today. With students evolving and responding better to dynamic and personalized models of learning, the education industry is shifting towards integrated systems that enable adaptive and holistic higher education learning environments,” writes Jayajyoti Sengupta.

“Changes are beginning to take place, with a new breed of education providers entering the market with cutting-edge learning solutions. These solutions are not only innovative but also affordable, such as the massive open online courses (MOOCs), which deliver learning content online to any interested person, with no limit on attendance.

Countries such as Singapore are also adapting to this change and working towards creating a data sciences community to increase awareness and catalyze a data sciences/analytics culture by adopting this model.

In realizing this rising phenomenon, institutions today are fast employing social, mobile, analytics and cloud (SMAC) technologies to gain valuable insights that can help institutions develop programs that are personalized and engaging for their learners.

This is done through tracking of digital footprints—what Cognizant calls Code Halos™—which are generated by the online behaviors and existing data of individuals, institutions, learning processes and also devices. The predictive nature of this data helps better understand a student’s existing and future needs and at the same time, match learners with schools, learning models and employers. Ultimately, this unlocks the potential of learners as their strengths can be identified and harnessed in order to achieve the best outcome.

However, data must be consistently collected through various platforms such as public domains, online coursework interaction as well as information from third-party sites in order for the programs at institutions to be constantly updated, especially when used hand-in-hand with learning management systems (LMSs).

As new technologies raise expectations across nearly every aspect of our lives, many institutions now realize that the learning ecosystem needs a radical overhaul, powered by SMAC technologies. Improving the student experience and increasing their value in the future is essential to ensuring that these efforts are a success. Code Halos will provide the lens through which students, educators, institutions of higher learning and potential employers can be aligned.

Besides enriching every aspect of the learning lifecycle, from admissions to coursework to job placement and lifelong education, this thinking will benefit not only learners, but also everyone in the value chain.”