Sustainable Innovation in Education: Virtual Learning in K-12

Author: Ashley Hollis, Chuck Chiemelu, Lisa Richardson, Theophane Korie

Executive Summary:

As a successful recombination of literacy, education methods, digital tools, and a growth mindset, virtual learning is an innovation that has expanded how education is offered. Virtual learning has existed for decades, giving K-12 students an opportunity to learn outside of traditional classroom walls and school hours. Until recently, it wasn’t a widely used method and only some school districts had adopted it. When the 2020 global pandemic forced students to stay home, the pace of adoption accelerated: nearly overnight, parents, teachers, educational offerings, and technology converged in a new way to accommodate virtual learning as the only system for many K-12 students. This caused families to re-think education and how it can work for their children.

We examine virtual learning as a sustainable innovation that resulted from recombination of existing various technologies. We articulate the origins of this innovation and the relevance of innovation concepts in the development of virtual learning in the K-12 education space. We discuss the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic as an unusual accelerant in the diffusion of virtual learning innovation.

With an expectation that virtual learning is here to stay, we evaluate the need for improved safety in technology offerings and the digital wellness of youthful customers. We conclude by predicting that changes in laws and government regulations will accelerate to ensure continued adoption and safety of students in the K-12 virtual learning environment. We believe the evolution of a safe and sustainable learning option for K-12 students is one of the most important innovations of our time.

Introduction:

The origins of virtual learning as innovation in K-12 teaching and learning is rooted in the continued development of different technologies that are now combined to make virtual learning a reality. These technological breakthroughs include paper, writing, printing press, the telephone, the internet, computers, tablets, digital phones, gigabit conference technology, collaboration platforms and tools, and power storage capabilities.

Writing was the first technology that brought innovation into education. It allowed knowledge to be written down and made available to students outside of the location of the original author. The printing press scaled this ability and allowed for the proliferation of brick and mortar schools. The telephone gave us the ability to speak to each other over long distances in real time. This technology eventually led to the development of video calls. The development of personal computers, digital phones and the internet allowed for people to communicate in real time. Gigabit conference technology allows multiple people to interact at the same time across distances with the ability to see each other. In the meantime, battery technology continued to improve allowing computers, tablets, and digital phones to be charged and to hold power for long periods of time.

Over time, the combination of these aforementioned technologies were all integrated into computers, tablets, and digital phones. This integration of various technologies made it possible for teachers and students to see and speak to each other in real time, with the ability to share documents, collaborate, turn in assignments, and record interactions for later retrieval. These elements characterize student-teacher interactions in a physical location.

Virtual learning integrates traditional forms of teaching with technologies that enable students to attend live classes digitally and engage with content asynchronously. The combination of “education” and “technology” enhances teacher-led learning in classrooms and improves students’ education outcomes (Racheva, Vedamo), which is a continuous challenge for educators. Today, virtual learning integrates existing technologies from cloud computing platforms to print-based technologies to provide formal education for remote students. The key elements involved are existing cloud computing systems, video streaming services, high-speed internet, and smart devices. These elements allow educators to innovate by facilitating education online, increasing their touchpoints with students, and enabling live and asynchronous learning.

Starting in 2006, Khan Academy increased access to education for students who may not have had access to a public school or have had specific learning preferences, but had access to the internet and a computing platform. Khan Academy exemplifies the idea of virtual and independent studies as an option for students and families: with technology, an ‘at-home’ 4th-grader can learn the same material as a 4th-grader in a traditional classroom. Here, the choice of how the student learns is not solely based on proximity to a brick and mortar school.

The 2020 global pandemic introduced new policies and additional reconfigurations. The change in landscape required institutions to invest more commitment and resources to virtual learning as a medium. Institutions like the Stratford School expanded their programs to support hybrid, online and offline education through virtual learning technologies. Integrating a virtual learning platform brought the traditional education to students’ homes, to mitigate the temporary shutdown of teaching in-person due to the pandemic. Each institution developed different solutions to solve various problems related to education accessibility; both companies leveraged technology to provide educational services, but created systems and new processes with existing technologies.

Course Concepts:

Andrew Hargadon introduced many relevant concepts on innovation management that relate directly to virtual learning as we see it today. Virtual learning is a recombinant innovation; “bridging the old networks of distant worlds brings access to the established resources of different worlds; building new networks creates the ties needed to attract and hold these previously disparate resources together” (Hargadon, HBH, Pg. 49).

Sustainable innovation is defined as “the development of new products or processes that consume fewer environmental resources, foster the health of individuals and communities and are financially viable” (Hargadon, Sustainable Innovation, Pg. 11). The factors that allowed for the sustainability of virtual learning innovation in the K-12 space include affordability of the technology. Moreover, it enhanced accessibility of information and more opportunities for students to interact with teachers and school material. The benefits of these sustainability factors were realized with the pandemic, which accelerated the adoption of virtual learning. The face-to-face learning limitations and health risks surrounding the pandemic became an accelerator in the diffusion of virtual learning in K-12 schools. Thus, the K-12 educational system’s strategic objective was to find a sustainable educational format for the unconventional times and unprecedented circumstances, and make it available for mass adoption.

System theory is an innovation principle that explains how virtual learning has existed in education. A system is a set of related components that work together in a particular environment to perform specific functions. Virtual learning systems encompass various elements across information technology, policy, and education systems to afford accessibility and affordable education. Within each system, there are multiple unrelated components involved. For example, Google Classroom integrates various networks across video streaming, cloud computing, and hosting to provide an education system for teachers. Google then partners with local governments and institution networks to create policies to ensure the mental safety of students and unsolicited data collection of personally identifiable information.

Networks in innovation pushed new boundaries when it came to virtual learning in 2020. “Networks link people, ideas, and objects together” (Hargadon, HBH, Pg. 6). The network around the virtual learning innovation includes virtual communication, tech companies, educators, internet providers, computer companies, policymakers, parents/guardians, and students. Each sector has a list of capabilities that made the whole virtual learning ecosystem successful.

Diffusion of innovation in virtual learning contradicts the normal innovation decision process. The earlier adopters of virtual learning are students who opted to participate in independent study options and students who did not have access to public school. While these services have been available, the steep incline of the early majority adopters came in the first quarter of 2020, however this was out of necessity and not choice. The late majority surfaced around the second quarter and the lagger in the fourth quarter. While the diffusion of virtual learning followed the typical bell curve, it did not follow the common decision process.

For consumers, there are commonly four stages of innovation decisions: knowledge, persuasion, decision, and implementation (Dorf, The Technology Management, Pp. 3/20–3/31). However, in the educational system, the primary users (i.e., students) were only given knowledge and implementation. Persuasion and decisions were left to the policy makers and education boards. The contradiction of the decision-making process and the pressure for the implementation of virtual learning was based on the environmental needs and the network surrounding the innovation.

Lastly, the theory of growth mindset notably ties all the identified concepts together. The educational development of adolescence is critical to the wellbeing of the human species, and having a fixed mindset on education would be a hindrance to society. Growth mindset is why virtual learning will continue to expand opportunities for the K-12 educational system, thus, leaving our youth with a pool of possibilities.

Predictions:

While much of the technology has existed to enable virtual learning, many school districts hadn’t adopted it. For many, there hadn’t been a need: families had some digital access to what children were learning, but ultimately they were content with sending children to school in-person. But in the Spring of 2020, the pandemic served as an accelerator for virtual learning as a full-time and required tool in the education system.

For systems that didn’t already have virtual learning embedded, there was a scramble to incorporate the technology quickly. How to properly set up for virtual learning and child education wasn’t simple, and many educators and school systems alike struggled to determine how to use otherwise business technologies in K-12 classrooms. For the schools exclusively on pen and paper, much progress was made to convert to virtual learning in the 2020 school year, and hopeful families expected a return to ‘normal’ come 2021. However, as the year begins, many students return to Zoom for school days and digital learning platforms for homework — some by requirement, and many by a new sense of choice.

As technology and mindsets adapt to remote learning to become more of the norm, we predict that education policies will change and inform how virtual education can be held. Governmental and local policy will require education platforms and video conference services to increase their protection of their underage users, and require these technologies to be more transparent about data collection and information storing. “Free edtech offerings…have exploded since March, with a list compiled…now totaling more than 400. Zoom, Google, and Microsoft have made their video conferencing features free or highly discounted for educators, helping them acquire millions of new users in the process” (Sonnemaker, Business Insider). Yet, the expectation is that these services often come with the cost of illegally collected data and images of minors, and many lawsuits have erupted as result.

Students will continue to face the ups and downs of virtual learning environments. For the children with specialized knowledge and fast learning abilities, acceleration and advanced studies become much more possible than when available in a large classroom. “Online education programs offer bright kids a lot of flexibility and a variety of ways for taking their learning well beyond the usual school curricula. Even if standard schools offer advanced placement classes in calculus, those offerings aren’t rigorous enough for many of the mathematically precocious kids” (Chen, KQED). Similarly, students may be able to explore more education offerings than normally available in live classrooms, such as foreign languages or specialized topics not often taught in K-12th grades.

Unfortunately, more challenges may come for the students with learning disabilities or English as a second language. The impact of learning in-person and being personally guided through curriculum can be make-or-break for some learners. Having a personal connection with teachers is extremely difficult to host over a video service, and can put students far behind. “Class failure rates have surged in districts across the country, from Virginia to Hawaii. And those F’s tend to be concentrated among low-income students of color, data indicate, as well as those who are still learning to speak English or have disabilities” (Wong, USA Today). For those struggling, the frustration and inability to catch up can be enough to skip school days and fall further behind. Ultimately, education systems will need to embrace the digital well-being of students: learning online can bring both positive and negative impacts to lifestyle, but emotional burnout and education fatigue are inevitable if virtual learning doesn’t become more inclusive.

While some school districts may return to exclusively in-person learning, we predict that many others will continue to embrace virtual education. Those that have invested in building sustainable and innovative learning environments have seen positive outcomes for children who have been successful. As internet access and tech resources become more available and affordable, we predict that virtual learning will become more socially accepted as a first choice. While it is unlikely to completely take over K-12 education, virtual learning is likely here to stay in some capacity.

Conclusion:

Virtual learning is a sustainable innovation to increase education accessibility through scalable and affordable products and services. Breakthrough elements like cloud computing, video streaming, and high-speed internet have made platforms easy for educators to adopt and facilitate learning online. Virtual education has supported distanced learners for decades, allowing students to learn from home and at their own pace. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, “in 2017–2018, about 19% of all elementary / secondary schools offered any courses entirely online” (National Center for Education Statistics).

Notably, in August 2020 and about five months into the Covid-19 pandemic, the United States Census Bureau reported that “nearly 93% of people in households with school-aged children reported their children engaged in some form of ‘distance learning’ from home” (United States Census Bureau). Typically, commitment from various stakeholders is needed to drive adoption. The global pandemic contradicted the standard process for innovation due to the necessity to create safe learning environments for students quickly. Today, educators leverage virtual learning platforms to streamline teaching online, affording safe environments for students to learn.

Post-pandemic, virtual learning will continue to be an integral offering from institutions. However, further adoption and more regulation will be needed to ensure online classrooms are safe and compliant. Despite the positive impacts of virtual learning, there have been some unfavorable outcomes, which were expected. Both government and educational organizations took calculated risks and adopted new systems rapidly to ensure students’ access to education. We believe government and local policymakers will continue to partner with educational institutions to codify learnings and inform new policies for virtual learning. New policies and amendments to the Children Online Protection Act (COPPA) will be created to keep digital classrooms safe environments. With a focus on digital safety online, educators may soon teach more emerging digital health and well-being subjects to further support the adoption of virtual learning in K-12 school systems.

Despite the potential of virtual learning, the innovation can only progress if it is integrated with other systems. The core concepts from the reading and sources illustrate innovations are composed of intricate integrations with different networks and components to serve an entirely new function. Forming these integrations requires people with a growth mindset to gain resources and commitments from key stakeholders. Although the technology has progressed to allow us to emulate digital classrooms, the policies associated with virtual learning are antiquated. Thus, educators will continue to influence partners across technology, education, and government sectors to encourage, regulate, and manage virtual learning as a sustainable innovation for affordable education.

In summation, the virtual learning environment is essential to the growth and performance of K-12 learners. In addition to student support, parents are now aware of the options available to their children, and have the security of knowing if there is a global crisis their child’s education will not suffer. Having these reassurances is comforting to educators as well as students. The mass adoption of virtual learning provided job security to many educators throughout the K-12 sector. The networks surrounding this system are credited for the effective distribution of virtual learning during the crisis surrounding them. As William Gibson said, “the future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed”.

References:

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