As a lifelong learner and educator in healthcare, I have seen rapid transformations in education embedded with technologies in recent years. Students in healthcare are using the latest technologies like Generative AI, Virtual Reality (VR), and Augmented Reality (AR) to enhance their learning in addition to what they learn in medical schools. Technologies like AR and VR help them understand the anatomy and physiology of the human body in depth. This couldn't have been possible earlier at scale.

For instance, AR-based anatomy platforms now allow students to interact with 3D holographic models of the human body, improving spatial understanding and retention. According to a 2024 review in BMC Medical Education, VR has been successfully integrated into surgical training, emergency simulations, and clinical decision-making, offering immersive, repeatable, and safe learning environments.
In addition to learning, technologies like Generative AI also help students in assessments and mock tests to prepare for their medical school examinations.

A 2025 systematic review published in Medical Education found that GenAI supports student learning across multiple domains—especially in practice, inquiry, and production—by generating clinical scenarios, clarifying complex concepts, and offering personalized feedback.

I see this as a new opportunity myself. As learners and educators—and as discussed by various scholars and professors in this forum and in this course about new learning—we must ensure to develop the knowledge and skill sets of the students in order to make them better learners and professionals. We should cherish teaching as an art as well as science and continuous research.

To explore more, here are some reputable resources:

Harvard Medical School’s approach to integrating GenAI into medical education

https://magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/how-generative-ai-transforming-medical-education

BMC Article that I had mentioned

https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12909-024-06291-4

Coursera’s overview of AR in healthcare training

https://www.coursera.org/articles/augmented-reality-in-healthcare

• Mhn Ve

One of the takeaways I have from this section is the changing role of the teacher and the shift in agency from teacher to learner. In the past, education often meant a teacher standing at the front of the classroom, delivering information for students to memorize and repeat on a test. But now, learning is more interactive. Students are encouraged to become co-designers of their own education, working with their peers, solving problems, and even engaging in self-reflection and peer feedback. This shift means that teachers are no longer just transmitters of knowledge but become collaborators, facilitators, and even researchers in the learning process. It makes me realize that teaching is becoming more flexible, more collaborative, and more connected to the real world. It also means students must take more responsibility for their learning—not just listening, but doing, creating, and thinking critically.

• Shiermae Del Rosario

Update:
According to UNESCO’s Futures of Education report, the future of learning emphasizes “co-creation of knowledge,” where students and teachers work together in networks of shared inquiry and collaboration. This challenges traditional ideas about education as something done to students, and instead supports the idea that learners must be “agents of change” in their own education. Rather than focusing only on test results or memorizing content, this model encourages the development of skills like creativity, communication, and adaptability. Teachers are called to act as designers of learning experiences, using both technology and face-to-face interaction. This shift is essential in a world where knowledge is constantly changing and where the ability to learn continuously and collaboratively is more important than ever.
(Source: UNESCO, 2021 – “Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education”)

• Shiermae Del Rosario

As a South African, this module has reminded me that the more things change for the rich, the more they stay the same for the poor. The majority of our schools are public, leaving most of the learners in the country on the periphery of the New Learning systems. While the government has introduced technology in some of the underprivileged schools, students are still being provided with an education that will turn them into lifetime job-seekers...for the few lucky ones. The rest will remain socio-economic survivors. Every new Minister of Education introduces a new system, but none of it is transformative. Teaching methods are not improved upon, and learners return to communities that remain stagnant and without any stimulation. As a result many adults in South Africa become exposed to opportunities and new information very late in their lives. They remain dependent on external agencies to keep providing for them-the same way they had to rely only on their classroom teachers for information and directive. I do however believe that this no mistake. The status quo remains so that the socio-economic hierarchy can keep benefiting only a few.

• Moroa Kobeli

https://cgscholar.com/community/community_profiles/community-24006/community_updates/238486

• Yiping Matwear Yiping

Adapting Education to Different Needs (example in The Netherlands)

One thing I noticed in the past few years, is that every country has it's own educational system. I did not expect it to be so different. Here, in The Netherlands for example, we have three types of education after secondary school (many countries only have one):
MBO (secondary vocational education) education is very practice-oriented, focused on developing job-ready skills.
HBO (universities of applied sciences) which I personally attended, offers a balance between theory and practice. I appreciated how real-world assignments and internships were integrated into the curriculum. Their ability to connect theory with practical examples made the learning much more engaging and relevant.
University (academic university level) learning becomes even more student-driven. Methods like Problem-Based Learning (PBL) are common, requiring critical thinking, research skills, and collaboration. Here too, the teacher's role shifts—from a source of knowledge to a facilitator and guide.

What I’ve noticed is how each level increasingly tailors its approach to fit the needs of its students. This actually starts in secondary school.

While these levels reflect an awareness of different student needs, there is still room for improvement across the board. More flexibility, updated teaching strategies, and better support systems could make a big difference. But it's encouraging to see that education is moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach and recognizing the diversity of learners and learning paths.

https://www.nuffic.nl/en/subjects/study-in-nl/education-in-the-netherlands
https://www.onderwijsloket.com/kennisbank/artikel-archief/how-is-the-dutch-education-system-structured/
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/education-rankings-by-country

• Allita Verhees

https://cgscholar.com/community/community_profiles/community-24006/community_updates/238486

• Yiping Matwear Yiping

How to Better Learn, Aside From Technology

One of the more intriguing things I took from this module was how much learning has changed in such a short time-much like how the world has changed so much in so little time. Where it happens, how it happens, the reason it happens, have all changed since the beginning of the 20th century. We have so many more tools, like search engines, generative AI, and the whole of Microsoft and Google suites. What’s striking is how little institutional learning has changed since these technological changes have started to take place.

Take the video lecture on different theories of pedagogy, for example. I’ve noticed that, while there were some aspects of “new learning” during my schooling, it was still majorly entrenched in didactic learning. Lectures, notes, the teacher being the only person in control of the lesson. It was all boring! And I don’t remember most of it. But I do remember the times we would be given a strange project to do (like impersonate different American revolution figures on a mock social media website as if they were posting during the war itself) and I still carry some of the knowledge I was made to learn from those projects.

So why are we so afraid of change? I think part of it does have to do with two other factors mentioned during the lectures- parent anxiety, and the lack of investment in education.

Parental anxiety is completely understandable in the current circumstances. In US society at least, wages have stagnated to the point where the local or federal minimum wage can’t even afford you a one-bedroom apartment in most cities, according to one NPR article https://www.npr.org/2021/07/14/1016230724/rents-are-out-of-reach-for-most-americans-earning-minimum-wage-a-study-says.

Lack of investment in education has had astounding effects on our nation. COVID has held back learning for an entire generation of kids, with one research group from Arizona State University stating that the average American student is“less than halfway to a full academic recovery” post-pandemic https://cepr.harvard.edu/news/scary-truth-about-how-far-behind-american-kids-have-fallen. Teachers are chronically underpaid and have to fight tooth and nail for the pay and supplies they need for themselves and their students.

So how do we ease these issues, if we can’t as individuals in a system, solve them?

One thing we can do on an individual and on a small collective level is to advocate for ourselves and our students. I recently taught for a theatre residency in a mixed-income elementary school that has issues with high-trauma. One of the things I found helped the most with keeping track of student behavior was having supervisors and a school psychologist to help collaborate with.

I also found that forming relationships with the students and advocating for them as needed helped to engage them in the classwork. For example, there was one kid in one of my classes who mentioned they were having issues with their family at home; I ended up affirming that they shouldn’t be going through that, and a social worker ended up talking to them about the issue. They ended up being one of the most engaged students in that class.

I do hope there will be room for more systemic changes and reforms for education in the future. In the meantime, it is imperative we do what we can on an individual and small collective level to ease the burden of education for ourselves and our students.

• Chloe Adamo

https://cgscholar.com/community/community_profiles/community-24006/community_updates/238486

• Yiping Matwear Yiping

You highlight a crucial point—the rapid evolution of technology versus the slow pace of change in education. After COVID, a lot of schools improvised, however, in my opion, schools did not continue to make full use of these tools.

Your example about memorable, creative projects versus traditional lectures really shows how, most of our, brains work. I agree that while systemic change is hard, advocating for students and building real relationships can make a tangible difference. I hope more teacher will follow!

• Allita Verhees

One of the takeaways I have from this section is about how there are different learning sites. Education is constantly changing, and this section reminds me that students do not need to be learning during their designated class time in their designated classroom. This concept leads to blended learning. This idea is where students can learn in the classroom on in-class days, and they are engaging in multiliteracies on their blended days outside of the classroom. While the teacher is always available during their class time, students may choose not to visit the teacher during their blended time if they don't have any questions about the activities for the day. However, they may still gain access to the teacher if there is a need for clarification or even just some extra help on a concept. This is very different than all of the desks facing forward in rows with students in a classroom all five days of the week. This is proof that education is changing by offering flexibility in different learning sites.

• Michelle Dec

Update:
According to EdWeek.org, blended learning is the new normal in education. With a balance between face-to-face classes and digital learning, students are learning to take more ownership in their learning while gaining access to materials their teacher has provided them. There are some areas where students may not have reliable internet access at home, and they are still able to complete their work on their own in a different part of the school building. This gives those students a refreshing outlook that they can be productive at school and learning outside of the classroom. They have some freedoms in a blended class that they would not have had before.
Most of this idea stems from the pandemic and the fact that students could not be in a classroom with their peers learning the traditional way. However, this concept has opened doors to new opportunities to students and adults as well to be able to learn digitally as long as there is an educator designing the activities.

• Michelle Dec

He experimentado de manera directa los cambios recientes en la naturaleza de la educación, especialmente como profesor. Uno de los cambios más significativos ha sido el paso de un modelo centrado en la transmisión de contenidos a uno que enfatiza la participación activa, la colaboración entre pares y el uso intensivo de tecnologías digitales.
Recuerdo que hace apenas unos años, mis clases seguían una estructura bastante tradicional: exposición frontal, toma de apuntes, debate, tareas y evaluación sumativa al final del tema. No obstante, tras la pandemia y el acance de las plataformas digitales, tuve que repensar completamente mis métodos. P. ej. hoy integro foros en línea, proyectos colaborativos con entregas parciales y sesiones de retroalimentación entre estudiantes. Me he convertido no solo en trasnmisor de conocimientos, sino en diseñador de experiencias de aprendizaje.
un ejemplo concreto sería: en un material sobre pensamiento económico, pedí a los estudiantes que trabajaran en equipos para crear un pódcast donde explicaran conceptos complejos (como el dilema de los buenes públicos o el problema del agente-principal) mediante ejemplos cotidianos. Lo que antes habría sido un ensayo escrito se transformó en una producción multimedia donde ellos tuvieron que investigar, escribir guiones, grabar, editar y compartir su trabajo. Esa actividad no solo fortaleció su comprensión, sino que también desarrolló habilidades que hoy son fundamentales en la economía del conocimiento: comunicación, trabajo en equipo, pensamiento crítico y creatividad.
Estos cambios han sido desafiantes, pero tambien revitalizantes. Me han hecho repensar mi papel como docente y recoonocer que enseñar no es implemente repetir lo que ya se sabe, sino acompañar a otros en el proceso de descubir y construit significado en un mundo cambiante.

• Julio César Granados Muñoz

As education continues to evolve, the role of teachers is undergoing a significant transformation. No longer confined to simply delivering information to passive learners, teachers are now expected to engage in a variety of roles. They serve as facilitators who guide learning, designers who create meaningful educational experiences, and co-learners who grow alongside their students in an ever-changing learning environment.

• Almas Shoaib

As education continues to evolve, the role of teachers is undergoing a significant transformation. No longer confined to simply delivering information to passive learners, teachers are now expected to engage in a variety of roles. They serve as facilitators who guide learning, designers who create meaningful educational experiences, and co-learners who grow alongside their students in an ever-changing learning environment.

• Almas Shoaib