Learning ForwardA holistic approach to reimagined learning

Survey results and analysis from a December, 2020 survey conducted by YouGov and sponsored by Microsoft Education

1L E A R N I N G F O R WA R D | A holistic approach to reimagined learning

Introduction

The disruptions that began in 2020 continue to challenge educators, leaders, students and families as they navigate complexity and rapid change in education.

Building on the learnings from the paper “Education Reimagined, the future of learning,” and to better understand the durable changes resulting from this rapid transformation of education, Microsoft Education partnered with YouGov to survey teachers and students in the US, the UK, and India about their experiences with remote and hybrid learning.

The survey was conducted in December 2020, and the results highlighted that to support student well-being in remote learning and beyond, it’s critical to take a holistic approach to learning by bringing together the key elements of student centricity, skills focus, social learning, safety & security, and scalability.

For example, teachers surveyed expressed that in order to support students in remote and hybrid learning, they need to understand each student’s emotional state. This same concept was introduced in our paper ”Emotion and Cognition in the Age of AI,” with experts noting that emotions drive attention and learning, and teachers need to know how students are feeling in order to create an effective learning environment.

Additionally, the survey revealed that the skills most helpful to students in navigating remote and hybrid learning: the ability to work independently, attention control, and technology skills, were directly related to skills identified in “The class of 2030 and life-ready learning” as those that will be most in demand by future employers.

I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to YouGov, as well as to the teachers, students, and families who shared their experiences and persevered through the challenges of the past 16 months to keep students engaged in learning.

2020 proved that everything can change without warning. In education, the importance of personal connection was highlighted, the integration of technology was accelerated, and the role of teachers was amplified.

It’s encouraging to see the dedication to moving learning forward, to a future where all students have the opportunity, the support, and the tools to be creative, confident and optimistic learners, realizing their full potential.

Barbara Holzapfel Vice President, Microsoft Education

2L E A R N I N G F O R WA R D | A holistic approach to reimagined learning

To look at how we need to move forward into the reimagine phase of teaching and learning, it’s critical to learn directly from the perspectives of both teachers and students.

We built on our existing research and partnered with YouGov to survey teachers, and a group whose voices are not often heard—the students themselves.

In December 2020, Microsoft Education and YouGov asked teachers and students in the US, the UK and India about their experiences with remote and hybrid learning.

Project Background & MethodologyAn online survey was conducted with n=1,532 students ages 9-17 and n=1,508 K-12 (or equivalent) teachers across three countries (US, UK and India)

Survey ConductedDecember 8–17, 2020

PurposeUnderstand the needs, pain points, and perceptions about learning in a new, more untethered education environment (i.e., fewer time and space constraints) Topics included:

• Current experience of remote/virtual learning

• Implications of this past year on the future of education, including learning loss

• What skills and devices are needed in the virtual learning environment

• Importance and awareness of safety measures in the virtual learning environment

MethodologyA mix of grade levels, ages and genders in line with the proportion of students and teachers in each country was collected.

QualificationsStudents and teachers must have attended/taught school at least partially remote (also called a hybrid model) either in the spring or fall 2020.

Note: Unless otherwise specified, survey data referenced is sourced from the December 2020 YouGov survey.

3L E A R N I N G F O R WA R D | A holistic approach to reimagined learning

Let’s take a look at what we learned:As institutions reimagine learning, several key elements need to be brought together into a holistic approach that is:

• STUDENT CENTERED• SKILLS FOCUSED• SOCIAL LEARNING prioritized• SAFE AND SECURE environments established• SCALABLE and sustainable

Let’s take a closer look at what our research reveals about each of these five elements.

All extended and amplified by technology

SKILLS FOCUSED SCALABLEand sustainable

SOCIAL LEARNINGprioritized

SAFE and SECURE environments

established

STUDENT CENTERED

4L E A R N I N G F O R WA R D | A holistic approach to reimagined learning

Student CenteredStudent-centered approaches are one way to improve cognition, address motivation, and help students develop the skills needed to navigate change.

Our work on “The Class of 2030 and Life-Ready learning”1 showed that 70% of students believe they can achieve more when they are supported by teachers who understand their individual needs.

In our YouGov survey, teachers said that the critical aspects to supporting students in remote learning are understanding what motivates them, what complexities they face, and their emotional state.

Teachers supporting studentsTeachers were asked what information would help them better support students in remote/virtual learning.

The more teachers know about their students holistically, the better they can support them. But what is it that matters most for students?

In our survey, students indicated that what would make remote learning better/easier would be: more one-on-one time with my teacher, a more active/engaging platform, more small-group online collaboration, and being able to learn at my own pace.

These four things are at the heart of personalized learning. And for it to be effective, students need control over time, place, and pace of learning.

Students in our survey were asked about the benefits of remote learning, and they highlighted those same characteristics: flexibility of schedule, less time commuting, and ability to work at their own pace.

Additionally, students valued having family members more engaged.

These findings support insights from our earlier research “Emotion and Cognition in the Age of AI” which revealed that students want personalization, not automation, and that they place a greater emphasis on the importance of creative, social, emotional, and technology skills than teachers do.

1 “The Class of 2030 and life-ready learning: The technology imperative”, May 2018, Microsoft Education and McKinsey & Company

What complexities students face

54%

What motivates students

48%

Students’ emotional states

49%

TEACHERS MOST WANTED TO UNDERSTAND:

STUDENTS: WHAT MATTERS MOST

Active/Engaging Platform

32%1–1 Time with Teacher

41%Learn at my own pace

26%Small Group Collaboration

31%

5L E A R N I N G F O R WA R D | A holistic approach to reimagined learning

Teachers

Less time traveling to and from school

More flexibility with the hours | work

Opportunity to use technology more

Students’ families are more involved

Students are able to progress at their own pace

Fewer distractions

It is easier for students to work with others

None of these

5038 36

31 30

1611 13

50

35 3126 22

134

19

54

3626 23 25

17

2

18

46 4352

44 42

1726

2

While teachers highlighted the same benefits of remote learning, they noted that they feel cautious, but they are also hopeful that learnings from this past year will lead to positive change. And possibly most encouragingly, student and teacher optimism about the future was almost double when thinking about 2021.

FEELINGS ABOUT 2020

Student optimism 23% 44%

FEELINGS ABOUT 2021

Teacher optimism 24% 45%

Top three benefits of remote/virtual learning and teaching

StudentsResponse in percentage

TOTAL US UK INDIA

More flexibility around when schoolwork is done

Less time traveling to and from school

Easier to work at my own pace

My family members are more involved with school

Opportunity to use technology more

Fewer distractions

Easier to work with others

None of these

48 4740

32 32

16 138

5244

3929

22 1811 11

47 4538

2721

157

12

4651

43 40

52

1521

1

6L E A R N I N G F O R WA R D | A holistic approach to reimagined learning

Skills-FocusedBefore 2020, we were already seeing a shift towards future-ready skills including higher level cognitive skills, STEM and social-emotional skills. In 2020, we entered that future.

We know from our research, “The Class of 2030 and life-ready learning,” as well as a recent McKinsey study2, that the new future ready skills that employers are looking for are a mix of higher cognitive, social-emotional and technical skills.

And we’ve learned from our recent YouGov survey that there are some specific skills that have helped students navigate remote and hybrid learning.

Teachers and students were consistent in their prioritization of the top three skills. Both highlighted:

• Ability to work independently• Attention control• Technology skills

Interestingly, these skills that are required to navigate the changes happening in education and learning are very similar to those needed for the future of work.

2 https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/five-fifty-soft-skills-for-a-hard-world

35 35 37 34 33 3542

2232

2432

41

29 3124

3327 26 25

31 27 28 25 27 26 30 31

1723 22 18

2923 21 24 23

15 1710

17

Attention control

Ability to work inde-pendently

Technology skills

Patience Positive mindset

Time man-agement

Ability to ask for help

Communica-tion skills

Dedication Teamwork Empathy

6 8 4 7

Top three skills students need to be successful in remote/virtual learning

StudentsResponse in percentage

TOTAL US UK INDIA

5461

75

26

38 41 39 35 33 30 32 3631

41

26 2530

21

35 3626 34 23 21 24 20 24

2921 20 17

2717 15 11

26

83 2

18

Ability to work inde-pendently

Attention control

Technology skills

Time man-agement

Positive mindset

Ability to ask for help

Dedication Communica-tion skills

Patience Teamwork Empathy

5 5 29

Teachers

% change in total hours worked in 2020 versus 2016, estimate for Europe and United States

NEW FUTURE READY SKILLS

-14-15

82455

Physical and manual skillsBasic cognitive skillsHigher cognitive skillsSocial and emotional skillsTechnological skills Source: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/

future-of-work/five-fifty-soft-skills-for-a-hard-world

7L E A R N I N G F O R WA R D | A holistic approach to reimagined learning

Social LearningLearning is a social experience: the more we collaborate with others, the more we learn. And this is even more important in remote settings.

We know from our research “Emotion & Cognition in the Age of AI”3, that social emotional learning is in high demand, but low supply: 64% of teachers said time and lack of resources make it difficult to prioritize.

What we learned from 2020 is that the demand for social-emotional learning is stronger than ever:

Students in our YouGov survey indicated that what they miss most in remote learning is the social interaction that is critical to building social-emotional skills. This includes those unplanned “social collisions” that happen when people are together, notably:

• Break times with friends• Energy in a physical space• Working face to face with teachers

The survey showed that social-emotional learning is increasing in priority among teachers—with 47% of teachers saying it was a very high priority to one of their biggest priorities in 2020, and 58% indicating that for 2021.

3 “Emotion and Cognition in the Age of AI”, February, 2019. The Economist Intelligence Unit and Microsoft Education.

52 48

66

4235 31 34

4135 32 35 36 33 35 32 33 30 29

19

41

28 29 3123 27 25 22

3423 23

15

30

4 6 5 1

Break times with friends

The energy in a physical space (talking, laughing)

Working face to face with teachers

Working face to face with other students

Extra curricular activities

Hallway conversations and informal moments (hanging out)

Being in a classroom

Events that bring students together

None of these

Top three most missed aspects of attending school in person

StudentsResponse in percentage

TOTAL US UK INDIA

6373

66

50 46 49 47 4335 34

25

46

34 3037 35

2722

27 3122

2722

16 2113 10

40

1711

21 19

5 6 81

Working face to face with students

The energy in a physical space (talking, laughing)

Events that bring students together

Being in a classroom

Working face to face with other teachers

Hallway conversations and informal moments (hanging out)

Extra curricular activities

Break times with co-workers

None of these

Teachers

TEACHERS’ RESPONSE

Priorities: “SEL is one of my biggest priorities/very high priority/high priority”

2020 47% 2021 58%Source: YouGov Teacher/Student survey, December 2020

8L E A R N I N G F O R WA R D | A holistic approach to reimagined learning

Safe and SecureThe importance of providing safe and secure environments online and offline is echoed by both teachers and students.

85% of teachers and 82% of students reported that it is extremely, or very important that they feel safe in the virtual learning environment.

But, many teachers and students are not aware of the details of the safety & security measures in place. 62% of teachers are aware of at least two security measures that are in place and 49% of students are aware of at least two security measures that are in place.

Knowing you’re safe is important, so there’s an opportunity for schools to clearly communicate safety and security approaches with students, teachers and parents.

Easy teacher controls for all class functions: grant/restrict access, enable/disable individual chat, video/audio, etc.

Ability to see clear data about student access to resources (when, where, how long etc.)

Platform that is secure from outside hacking

Schools can remotely access/control any school issued-devices

AI Enabled tools for identifying inappropriate content/language

Secure cloud storage for student data

Don’t know/Not sure

None of these

4031 30 29

22 2233

3

3424 22 24

16 18

39

5

2617

2417

1116

51

3

5950

43 4639

31

82

Measures school has in place to ensure safety in online learning

Students | 49% Aware of 2+ measuresResponse in percentage

TOTAL US UK INDIA

Teachers | 62% Aware of 2+ measures

Easy teacher controls for all class functions: grant/restrict access, enable/disable individual chat, video/audio, etc.

Platform that is secure from outside hacking

Ability to see clear data about student access to resources (when, where, how long etc.)

Schools can remotely access/control any school issued-devices

Secure cloud storage for student data

AI Enabled tools for identifying inappropriate content/language

Don’t know/Not sure

None of these

5139 36 35

3021 20

4

53

4035 37

2718 21

4

40 36

23 24 27

11

34

4

61

4149

4337 35

5 3

Importance of feeling safe in the virtual learning environments used

Response in percentage

Total Students

Total Teachers

UK INDIAUSSTUDENTS

UK INDIAUSTEACHERS

37

14 32

49

36

12 21

44

1542

34

8 21

33

1823

34

10 1

40

14 31

35

13 22

55 434836

554545Extremely important

Very important

Neither important nor unimportant

Not very important

Not important at all

9L E A R N I N G F O R WA R D | A holistic approach to reimagined learning

ScalableTechnology is a critical element to provide the scale to connect hundreds, thousands and sometimes millions of students for their learning journeys. The experiences of 2020 have shown that this level of scale is possible when technology and training are prioritized.

As countries, regions, districts, and individual schools scale their technology infrastructure to support remote and/or hybrid learning, there are resources that can help them design system changes and leverage technology to support the changes.

The Education transformation Framework and Technology Blueprint Implementation Steps are especially useful when setting the foundation for innovative teaching and learning.

Microsoft produced the Remote Learning Strategic Plan Overview and the Technology Blueprint to provide simple and clear planning and technical guidance to implementing Remote Learning capabilities across large education systems.

BIG & FAST

In the United Arab Emirates, the Ministry of Education moved to remote learning in only 3 weeks. And now, more than 350,000 students and teachers a day connect on Microsoft Teams.

For example, Duval County Public Schools in Florida, have deployed around 150,000 devices to students for remote learning.

The country of Georgia was able to keep 300,000 students engaged in learning by connecting them through Microsoft Teams.

The Ministry of Education of Senegal partnered with UNESCO and Microsoft to serve their 3.5M geographically dispersed students using Microsoft Teams.

Education Transformation Framework

10L E A R N I N G F O R WA R D | A holistic approach to reimagined learning

ConclusionThere are a number of technologies that are critical in supporting pedagogy: Collaborative online environments are key to keeping students engaged. Schools and systems require analytics and feedback tools to provide critical insights on student progress.

Inclusive learning tools and immersive experiences support equity and deeper understanding of complex concepts. And, they are all delivered through devices that promote mobility, durability, accessibility, security and scalability.

2020 proved that everything can change without warning.

In education, the importance of personal connection was highlighted, the integration of technology was accelerated, and the role of teachers was amplified.

And through it all, learning is moving forward, hopefully to a future where all students have the opportunity, the support, and the tools to be creative, confident and optimistic learners, realizing their full potential.