How Software Can Change the Education Experience

Not a day goes by where we don’t all use some form of software, whether it’s an app on your phone, an internet browser, or a streaming service. Without software, our day-to-day lives would be unimaginable.

Most businesses are well aware of just how important and valuable software is to both their company and their customers. But one industry that has been slower to introduce software is education.

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on schools, colleges, and universities has demonstrated the great potential for software to change and improve the education experience, not only for pupils and students but also for teachers and staff.

Digital Progress in Education

Education is an industry with deep-rooted traditions, and change often takes place over extended periods of time. Progress is always being made, though. 

In the last 20 years, we’ve seen chalkboards change to interactive boards, overhead projectors replaced by HDMI cables, and exams being completed with a keyboard instead of a pen.

As the education landscape continues to evolve, we firmly believe that the development of bespoke software can further enhance teaching and learning, and we’d love to be involved.

Learning from Home

Unsurprisingly there’s been a dramatic acceleration toward a more digital education experience brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. With schools, colleges and universities unable to teach in person, they have been forced into finding new ways to deliver lessons.

Some turned to virtual learning environments (VLEs); web-based platforms where institutions upload digital resources, activities, and lessons for their pupils and students to use while learning at home. 

VLEs have been used by universities for some time but their takeup is expanding. Their style of teaching — fewer contact hours, more independent study — means making digital resources is a staple of lecturers’ duties.

For staff at schools and colleges, the VLE may well have been the first purpose-built education software they’ve used. Even this introduction to using software as part of the learning experience takes these educators a considerable step closer to a more digital future.

Curriculum Mapping Tools

One particular category of software designed for education is curriculum mapping tools. 

As the name suggests these programs are used to map out individual elements of a curriculum; showing themes, topics, learning objectives, and outcomes.

While generic curriculum mapping tools might be beneficial for some schools, they’re designed for the lowest common denominator. To really experience the benefits of curriculum mapping you need an application built uniquely for your institution.

The Power of Education Software

A bespoke curriculum mapping tool is exactly what we designed and built for Imperial College School of Medicine. They needed a simple, easy-to-understand method of demonstrating the quality of their curriculum to the General Medical Council. But in building the tool, called Sofia, we were able to achieve much more.

Thanks to Sofia the staff at Imperial have complete control over the curriculum and are able to make changes at will. What’s more Sofia is an extremely valuable tool for the college’s students, as they’re able to use it to:

• Gain a better understanding of the curriculum.
• See how lessons and learning outcomes are linked.
• Track their progress.
• Review their previous learning.
• Revise for exams.

Software + Education = Results

It was a pleasure working with Imperial College and we’re delighted to see Sofia solving problems for students and staff and helping improve their learning experience.If you’d like to learn more about how bespoke software can benefit your school we’d love to hear from you, so get in touch with the Isotoma team today.