To determine technological trends, an exhaustive review of various sources of information related to the area of interest, coming from academic, productive and Government sectors, was carried out. This review was complemented with a study on the state of the art aimed at analyzing technology development trends worldwide based on detailed information on inventions registered through patents or utility models. The detected trends are presented below.
Technological Trends
artificial intelligence and big data
Artificial intelligence and big data are two of the fields of computer science that are currently most developed.
Both, although applied in combination, fulfill different roles. On the one hand, artificial intelligence refers to the development and implementation of systems capable of recognizing patterns and making predictions based on data analysis. Big Data, on the other hand, is responsible for managing large sources of information, which can feed artificial intelligence systems. In the context of educational technologies, both can be used for various applications such as the adaptation of academic content to the needs of each student or the automatic monitoring of the learning process. The objective is to improve the probability that the student will pass a course successfully. These, among other applications, have turned artificial intelligence and big data into two essential tools in the educational context.
Immersive technologies for education
Immersive technologies refer to the use of different hardware and software tools to imitate a real world experience in a simulated way. There are different technologies that achieve this goal. This is the case of virtual reality, which simulates experiences different from those of reality, or extended reality, which generates experiences that combine reality with simulated elements. Both technologies are usually referred to through a single term - "extended reality" - and have various applications in the educational context. For example, they can be used to simulate virtual environments in areas such as medicine, to allow students to experiment before doing so with real-life patients, which exemplifies the potential of these technologies in educational processes.
Online learning platforms
Online learning platforms refer to software tools that enable the distribution of educational content over the Internet.
Through these platforms, different online teaching and learning educational resources can be implemented, such as MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) or SPOCs (Small Private Online Courses). These resources have become essential tools in the current educational context, since they allow the distribution of educational content efficiently. Although they have been in development for many years, they have proven to be very useful in events such as
the pandemic produced by COVID-19, which generated a great change in the
world educational model.
