Whereas using robots in educational settings uses technology to mimic the traditional way of schooling, eliminating buildings is restructuring how we provide education to individuals. In 2010, Facer and Sandford (2010) predicted that people would get used to working with each other, but at a distance through technology. They also stated that we would move away from the system that formed educational institutions through industrialisation. Instead, a more varied and intricate learning environment encourages formal and informal learning in different places.
Now there are so many educational institutions that do not require students to be present, to receive an education. In contrast, back in 2020, there were a few online higher-education courses, but now a substantial amount is online. Back in 2013, Schwartz (2013) predicted that the future for higher education would be predominantly online and as a result, be more efficient. He stated that universities were not up to date with the 21st century and needs to be updated. The web was already having an impact on the way we learn, electronic resources, so people no longer need to study in the library, also apps on devices for all age groups to assist learning no matter where they are (Brons, 2017).
Furthermore, Schwartz (2013) discussed that universities’ setup assumed that all individuals learn and the same rate, making the system unfair. Also, making it mandatory to attend lectures often made it difficult for students who have great family and work commitments, making them juggle their essential commitments. A better way was predicted, instead of institutions focusing on students’ input and attendance, they should focus on what they learn.
However, there have been some debates on whether the buildings are important for learners. Some individuals work best away from home and can be better for mental wellbeing to separate work and home space. Although all face-to-face learning cannot be eliminated for specific courses, it can replace low-quality lecturing and offer an efficient way for students to learn a particular skill. It also saves society money, speeds up learning, and creates performance levels that previously could not be reached (Schwartz, 2013). Another counter argument was some parents would find it difficult if children did schoolwork from home and had to manage full-time jobs. Consequently, society would have to change in terms of childcare and full-time work.
Even if there are reasons against online education, technology means buildings for education are no longer needed. Usually, the rate of change for education is not a quick process, as we have seen in the past (Lortie, 2002; cited in Selwyn, 2011). The introduction to virtual schooling provided benefits to the system, such as being more diverse and providing choice and flexibility to learners involved (Cheng and Xinguo, 2020). Not only does it better meet specific needs and learning styles of students, but Selwyn (2011) also stressed the significance it could have for students that are unable to attend school due to long term illness or other factors. Online learning, therefore, is accessible to more people.
The increase of digital technology made education is less restricting, not tedious, and more inspiring for the individual (Selwyn, 2011). How technology is used is similar to the traditional relationship between, the learner, teacher and knowledge gained, an example being an online video. However, it is a more personalised way of doing so as the learner can complete in their own time on their own devices (Davies and Eynon, 2013). Students can pick and choose what information is relevant to them. However, the internet has many sources to choose from, and some being more reliable than others. Consequently, teachers have a new role in showing learners the best way to conduct useful research using online searching (Utecht and Keller, 2019). Teachers’ new role shows the importance of the learning theory connectivism, which shows how to learn in a world that is now reliant technology (Simmens, 2006). Overall, society no longer requires school buildings to learn, as learning online gives individuals unlimited access, and less time is taken in the process.
