As teaching methods change and the requirements for careers in the supply chain change, the ways students receive a management education in the supply chain also change over time. Educational programs developed by universities in collaboration with third-party providers and courses that go beyond fundamental concepts and technical knowledge have influenced the educational sphere of the supply chain. Below I present the key trends that we can see now in the supply chain area.
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The impact of digitalization on supply chain education
Among the interesting digital innovations, it should be noted the rapid adaptation of online learning, which is expressed in the form of the development of blended learning and the active development of online MOOCs. The dynamics of the development of online learning are demonstrated, in particular, by the growth of available online courses, the number of which has doubled annually in recent years. From my own experience, I can say that online courses are a quick and effective way to gain knowledge on a topic that interests you.
I remember how ten years ago, I had to go to the library to find the right material to complete a certain assignment. Now you can just get online assignment help experts on special services that will quickly complete your tasks. You don’t have to go anywhere and waste your time doing your supply chain homework.
1. Education for non-beginners
Until recently, schools invited mainly young students to master new professions. Now people who have already possessed a degree are welcome to educational institutions. Experienced professionals can find more high-level programs. I think it is a great opportunity because competition in the marketplace requires more competence.
2. Soft skills
Now soft skills are in more demand than hard ones. The outlook, the ability to communicate with people, and values are more important than knowing supply chain theory perfectly. And this is great.
3. Online learning is becoming the norm
Online learning will finally become the new norm. Several years ago, a child who studies at an online school or an adult studying online courses was exotic. In 2021 this is not a surprise for anyone. Millions of schoolchildren, students, and adults who have been forced to go online to study the supply chain and see that there is nothing to worry about will be an important factor in the explosive growth of the online education market. They will be quickly followed by educational businesses that previously worked offline.
4. Evidence-based education
In the educational community, there is slowly but surely growing interest in evidence-based education based on the science of learning. Most teachers still believe in pseudoscientific “learning styles” theories, and students still reread their notes before exams, but more and more people are teaching and learning supply chain based on modern scientific understanding of effective education.
5. Data analysis, not teachers’ impressions
The creation of new educational products will increasingly be based on data analysis rather than on the intuitive impressions of teachers, which is especially great for studying the supply chain. Digital learning services generate a wealth of data about listener behavior and interactions with content, enabling the transition from the “teaching as an art” to the “teaching as science” model.
6. Microlearning
Most likely – this is personalized supply chain education, which was the trend of the past year and will be in the next. For several years now, microlearning has been intensively developing – and I think there will be a breakthrough in this area in 2022. If earlier the main trend of this niche was general educational content (15-minute videos on YouTube, TG channels with short texts), then in 2022, more advanced educational products will appear.
7. Mastering related qualifications and deepening expertise
In each new crisis, forecasts are heard that people will begin to actively learn new professions. But I would bet on mastering related qualifications and deepening expertise. This will also affect the supply chain education – there will be more courses in skills than in the profession. However, this trend will appear at the beginning of 2022.
8. Networking
Great emphasis is now being placed on networking – this section of the educational experience is also important, there will be a demand for it. Educational products that improve the interaction between participants and provide more contact with experts are very popular. The format of online supply chain education allows this – and students begin to understand the value of these connections.
9. Bite-size learning
Bite-size learning can be called one of the most popular approaches, which can solve the students’ problem of distracted attention. When studying “in small portions,” lessons up to 15 minutes long are created using different tools and tests. As a result, a student receives targeted information, significantly saving his or her own time. Under the pressure of the pandemic, we are rapidly breaking out of the usual learning models and actively mastering new learning formats.
In general, I don’t really believe in global trends. Personalized learning has been talked about since the 1970s and until now – every year, at any educational forums and conferences, but still, no one understands what it means. Students – especially adults – go for solutions that are in line with their personal goals and for learning that can be customized as much as possible.
