Erick Massey
In a bustling university library, 29-year-old Yoga is adjusting his noise-cancelling headphones connected with his iPhone to listen to the recording of a lecture he had missed. He is part of a growing trend of millennials and Gen X professionals returning to education, finding a learning landscape dramatically different from the one they left behind years ago.
It’s a similar case for Sophie, who is stepping back into a lecture hall after more than a decade. At 40, returning to complete her MBA, she's struck by the dramatic changes that have swept through academic spaces. The classroom she remembers from 2010 - with its heavy textbooks, scribbly lecture notes, and monotone blackboard presentations - has been replaced by a high-tech learning environment.
Physical textbooks aren’t used as frequently, high-resolution projectors have taken over dusty blackboards. The sound of pens scratching against the paper has been largely silenced, substituted by the soft tapping of keyboards and swipe of a touchscreen.
Millennials and the generation before that are looking to find the old-world charm as the traditional tools of learning are rapidly disappearing from lecture rooms.
Sophie, feels she still prefers textbooks in place of eBooks or other digital reading material. “I see GenZ students coming to the lecture without any notebook and pen, just using their smartphones and tablets. I’m old school that way.”
Pradnya, who completed her master’s about more than a decade ago, is now using ChatGPT to fine-tune her presentation. She feels that it’s a blessing to have tech around the classroom. “Coming from an older generation, I like this transition since all monotonous tasks are being automated. Change is the only constant.” In comparison, Sophie was shocked to learn about Chat GPT and its involvement in the classroom.
“Change is the only constant.”
Technology, particularly artificial intelligence and digital tools has changed how students study, research, and interact with educational content. There are sleek MacBooks and tablets in place of physical notebooks, and students can be seen working on documents real-time. Perhaps the most popular tool is the smartphone through which students access digital course materials, participate in live polls, and engage in instant research. The usual printed textbooks are being replaced by e-books, digital learning platforms, and AI-powered study aids.
When I was completing my undergraduate degree 14 years ago, virtual classes and WhatsApp groups were non-existent but now these group chats are often the first point of contact for pictures of lecture slides, result notifications and any last-minute assignment queries.
Avi, an MBA student who is returning to academic studies after 14 years, sees these classrooms as “A whole new world. In 2010, lectures were all about the professor monologuing while we scribbled down notes. Now, we have virtual lectures and collaborate with classmates through Zoom and Teams." When being asked about sharing the classroom with Gen Z classmates, Avi feels the fluency with memes, TikTok trends, and a digital-first mindset has been “amusing and enlightening. Despite the generational gap, being back in a classroom is exhilarating.”
Artificial intelligence has emerged as a particularly transformative force. Tools like ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude, and specialized educational AI platforms are helping students in unprecedented ways. Yoga explained that "It's like having a 24/7 tutor that can break down complicated ideas in multiple ways."
Lecture halls are equipped with advanced recording systems. Digital learning management systems like Canvas and Blackboard have replaced traditional course catalogues and physical assignment submissions. However, digital transformation isn't without challenges. Older students returning to education must quickly adapt to new technological landscapes.
"It can be overwhelming," admits Pradnya. "But the flexibility makes it easy to revisit course contents."
“My Gen Z classmates are deep into technology, I realised I needed to adapt.”
Michael, 36, found himself in a similar spot during his return to education. "I was lost when the lecturer asked everyone to scan a QR code for an assignment," he recalls. "While other students effortlessly scanned and answered, I was struggling to figure out my phone." What struck him most was the stark contrast between his old-school learning and today's tech-driven classroom. It was an eye-opening experience that highlighted the digital divide between generations.
For Hitesh, who last attended a course about six years ago, the new classrooms are friendlier for shy students as they can voice their opinion more easily, and sometimes anonymously with tools like Vevox and QR codes. He feels he is among the people who have seen the old-style simple classrooms before tech changed the way we learn today.
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