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DevOps, the set of practices that combines software development and information technology operations, is beginning to transform teaching, learning, and research in higher education.

Many academic disciplines — and higher education institutions as a whole — have generally been slow to adopt DevOps. This lag can be due to a wide array of challenges, including a general lack of awareness inside academia of what DevOps is and how it can be used. Keeping pace with industry advancements and learning entirely new software and methodology is particularly challenging for faculty. Additionally, DevOps originated as a complex toolchain of individual software tools performing a specific group of functions, also called stages, that make up the DevOps lifecycle.

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Online learning remains unpopular amongst professors and even with the general public. While many work actively to promote the notion that an online setting can serve as an analog to in-person education, there’s a wholly less controversial use of digital technology being used in and out of the classroom. It calls for a blend of online and in-person education, and there’s growing evidence that it surpasses traditional methods. Blended learning has proven itself as not only a teaching strategy that allows greater flexibility, but one that is more effective than traditional methods.

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The COVID-19 pandemic pushed colleges and universities to digital learning platforms at a faster rate than anyone could have anticipated. This not only shifted the classroom environment, but also changed how students and educators engage in the learning experience.

As the COVID-19 vaccine becomes more readily available, colleges are now focused on reopening campuses, determining what the future classroom will look like and how new online teaching methods and technologies will fit in. What can these institutions take away from a year of remote learning and what benefits can online learning and digital tools offer for the post-pandemic classroom?

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There is no doubt that the future of education will be greatly driven by technology. The new teaching tools are much more effective for the new generation of learners and educators as they appreciate the modern educational settings. Instead of spending time reading books in the traditional libraries, the millennials find it easier to learn on the go by staying tuned to the videos and tutorials online. Students that pursue this path are likely to gain knowledge and skills without staying restricted to the classroom environment. Moreover, even if we talk about the traditional classroom education system, that can also be improved with the addition of the latest technologies.

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There was a time not too long ago when schools had one computer per classroom and sometimes only three or four computers for the entire school. People would take turns learning the basics of how computers work and how they can use them for other tasks. As time has gone on, digital technology is now used as a part of everyday life. Schools around the world are now embracing technology and incorporating it into all aspects of education.

App developers have taken note. Subjects like reading, languages, math, and science can be complemented via educational apps.

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Few would deny that education is the great equalizer; as a society, we have embraced the concept of education for all. What we haven’t yet figured out is the idea of equitable education for all — the key to giving all learners the skills they need to be successful, engaged, and productive.

Learning in the time of COVID-19 has given us an up-close view of the successes and failures of modern education, underscoring something we already knew — students’ success requires social and academic support. And that support is unevenly distributed.

What’s taking us so long? What’s in the way? How do we clear the path?

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At this point, most colleges that have announced their plans for the spring are intending to continue their modality and residence choices from the fall. Many have brought students back to campus but are continuing most instruction online. Others have encouraged students to stay home. For students at colleges that have gone remote, that means they will likely experience over a year of online learning.

Research has shown that remote learning can be as good or better than in-person learning for the students who choose it. But thousands of students will soon be entering their third semester of remote instruction despite having self-selected for an in-person college experience.

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Generation Z is perhaps the first generation to have grown up without associating reading with printed books. For everyone who did not grow up with a digital device in their hands, books are the most natural thing when it comes to reading. That’s precisely why reading books remains of the utmost importance in our education system. Indeed, experts have measured greater cognitive mental stimulation and brain exercise through the process of reading. Additionally, reading improves communication skills as the more one reads, the more vocabulary and knowledge one can acquire. It also enhances writing abilities and focus, making it easier to convey a message. Creative individuals also note that reading books improves their imagination and overall sense of empathy, increasing emotional intelligence in the process.

However, it becomes essential to ask ourselves whether books are the key to those skills and abilities, or whether the storytelling process can create similar benefits outside of the printed pages. Indeed, there is more than one medium to share stories, and they all have their advantages.

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For more than a decade, Renaissance has published the What Kids Are Reading report to help educators guide students to books they will love. Based on a sample of more than 7 million students across 26,000 schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the report is one of the largest surveys of student reading habits in the world.

Before I share some of the key findings of What Kids Are Reading, it is worth taking a moment to answer the question: “Why does it matter what kids are reading outside of classwork?”

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A recent study published by Frontiers in Education suggests that certain s, namely WhatsApp and Google Drive, can be just as effective a mode of communication between students and their instructors as face-to-face meetings. The study was conducted using a sample of 123 Spanish pre-service students, all of whom are studying to obtain their Educational Master’s Degree from the University of Granada, Spain.

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