Embracing Digitalization: Student Learning and New Technologies

Abstract

I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.-Albert Einstein Industries and organizations are increasingly disrupted by new or unique applications of technology. Incumbents that become complacent are replaced by those who embrace innovative approaches to enhance the customer experience. In fact, a common occurrence is for leading institutions to decline or fail when technologies change. Blackberry, Blockbuster, Borders Books, Eastman Kodak, Nokia, and Sony are just a few examples of firms that did not adapt and faltered or failed (Aaslaid, 2018; Newman, 2010). The ongoing digitalization of many business practices has meaningfully changed channel interactions, creating new ways of interacting between businesses and customers and disrupting marketing practice (Hansen, Shneiderman, & Smith, 2011). Artificial intelligence, augmented reality, blockchain, drones, gamification, the internet of things, machine learning, robots, virtual reality, and 3D printing are several emerging digital innovations and technologies that are already beginning to substantially alter application of the marketing mix, target marketing, and the business-customer relationship. For example, artificial intelligence is now used to respond to or direct customer service inquiries. Augmented reality is used to provide customers with a virtual opportunity to experience products. A sneak peek at the continuous evolving future also is afforded by the business changes resulting from maturing applications in social media, data analytics, search engine optimization, and e-business. Digitalization is like a fastmoving tsunami. Therefore, it is imperative that college students gain exposure to potentially disruptive, cutting-edge technologies, and more important, deeply ingrain the conceptual, inquiry, critical thinking, creativity, and integrative learning skills needed to enhance their future decision making and humanics capabilities (Aoun, 2017; Crittenden & Crittenden, 2016). Formal education is a key process for facilitating learning, and technology has a prominent role to play in this regard. The word education comes from the Latin ēdūcō (to "bring forth"). Successful learning systems, in turn, are the integration of the learner, the learning environment, and the body of knowledge. Learners themselves are the true creators of learning since they must acquire requisite knowledge and skills. Their learning situation is the environment available for learning to take place. It includes classrooms, 820895J MDXXX10.

The digitalization of universities from a students’ perspective

“…We have chosen an environment where students experience digitalization as users. They represent a particular (critical) stakeholder group in the universities, especially as they grew up as digital natives (Crittenden, Biel, & Lovely, 2019). Moreover, digitalization will affect their later professional lives (Friga, Bettis, & Sullivan, 2003).…”

Sustainable education in the context of continuous technology update

“…Informatization has provided all subjects of the educational process with a huge information field and numerous technologies for working in it. Mastering these technologies, independent search for information and its comprehension, the creation on this basis of various projects, including interdisciplinary [5,6], setting and solving problems using new tools [7,8], work in virtual and real environments using one of them for deeper mastering of the other [9], design of the resulting solutions in the form of virtual models, their mental interpretation using logical operations (analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, etc. ), the interactive interaction of all participants provides a qualitatively new intellectualization of students and educators [10].…”

Digital Disruption: The Transdisciplinary Future of Marketing Education

“…Consider the following. W. F. Crittenden et al (2019) argue cogently that marketing faculty and higher education institutions generally need to strongly embrace all emerging technologies that enhance student learning, not simply those known today. Bolton et al (2019) reason persuasively that comprehensive marketing simulations constitute an effective mechanism for capturing digital disruption in the classroom and can facilitate experiential learning.…”