Key Lessons Driving the Future of Education in Asia Pacific

Zoom recently hosted our first APAC Education Summit focusing on transforming the future of education in the region. Through customer panels, keynote speakers, and a technology showcase, the event invited the APAC education community to get inspired about utilising technology to improve accessibility and equity and reshape educational models to create a more cohesive and collaborative environment for students, educators, and administrators.

One key takeaway from the event was the importance of having a digital-first mindset; a relatively new concept for many educational institutions. It's more than just changing tools. A digital mindset is about changing how we think about education, curriculum, and pedagogy and building an integrated technology ecosystem around these pillars to deliver the best educational experience for all. 

Here are more lessons gleaned from Zoom's APAC Education Summit.

The APAC Education Summit’s keynote speaker was Dr. Joseph Sweeny, Advisor on the Future of Work for IBRS. Zoom commissioned IBRS to conduct a report on the future of education. Dr. Sweeny detailed some of the report’s findings in his keynote address, “Lessons Driving the Future of Education.”

Adapting curricula for hybrid success

To successfully adapt to hybrid teaching and learning, educators shouldn’t just take a pre-existing curriculum and make it digital but instead break down the curriculum into granular content that is easily shareable and digestible across digital platforms. This approach makes collaboration second nature, allowing learning and innovation to thrive in hybrid environments. Dr. Sweeny refers to this concept as “curriculum goes bite-sized” to emphasise the importance of focusing on one topic at a time so that both educators and students can succeed in this new world of learning and teaching.

Dr. Sweeney spoke with Ricky Kapur, Zoom’s Head of Asia Pacific, after the keynote to discuss where education trends are going. The conversation centered on how we can embrace the latest tools to create an equitable, safe, and enriching environment for students and teachers. Read on for highlights from their discussion. 

Hybrid learning is about where everybody is 

When people think of hybrid learning, that thought has to encompass the location of both students and teachers. With teachers and students in mind, educational institutions must develop and maintain integrated technology ecosystems to facilitate equitable learning. An ecosystem approach, as opposed to a fragmented approach, will help institutions grow more resilient and agile, allowing for easier pivots without disrupting education whenever unforeseen circumstances arise.

Simple, consistent tools are the future of edtech

Hybrid learning is best sustained by tools that are easy to use and integrate into learning management systems. Simplicity drives faster adoption, and integration helps build the ecosystem that the IBRS study found crucial to effective and equitable hybrid learning.  

Christy Flis, Zoom’s Global Education Lead, spoke with Matt Baker of Class Technologies and Marshall Roslyn of LingoAce to explore how companies like theirs use technology to enrich the educational experience. 

Creating online experiences that unlock opportunities for students of all ages 

In adopting digital technologies for education early on, LingoAce, a Chinese and English language online tutoring company,  saw firsthand how video and digital-first tools can break down barriers to learning. LingoAce’s students, no matter where they are, have access to the world's best Chinese and English teachers. Their learning is enhanced by connecting with teachers and students globally. 

Developing the tools to help all types of learners succeed

The relatively rapid adoption of virtual learning demonstrated that some students not only prefer but excel when learning outside the traditional classroom. As a result,  educators have provided new experiences to their students, innovating upon traditional teaching and learning methods. Adopting the right technology is just one part of the puzzle – keeping students engaged is another. In gamifying its content, LingoAce has made learning immersive and fun, and utilising the right tools to deliver this content has helped the company and its students excel. 

Zoom is proud to provide educational organisations worldwide with comprehensive technology for students, educators, and institutions to thrive regardless of geography and preferred learning environments. Learn how Zoom Meetings, Webinars, Rooms, Whiteboard, and more power classrooms and empower students. 

View our on-demand recordings to get more insights from Zoom's APAC Education Summit. To stay up to date with the latest news and best practices for Zoom for education, join the Zoom Education Community, or subscribe to our blog.