Technological trends of Industry 4.0 in education: opportunity navigator

Abstract

Introduction. This article aims to comprehend the possibilities of application of the technological trends in education initiated by Industry 4.0. The technological trends announced for application in education are understood as digital technologies included in the list of strategic programs for national development (in the context of Industry 4.0): the big data technologies, virtual and augmented reality, robotics and sensorics components, artificial intelligence, new production technologies, industrial internet and wireless communication technologies, quantum technologies and distributed ledger systems.Problem Statement. The article is aimed to identify the specifics and potential of digital technologies of the Industry 4.0 era, both separately and in their integration, which are provided to education in the context of its digital transformation and acquisition of its new quality as Education 4.0.Methodology. The methodology of the study is based on the author’s approach to the formation of the source base for the subsequent tasks of its analysis and synthesis. The work analyzes more than 50 foreign studies published in international citation databases over the past decade, i.e. since the moment when Industry 4.0 began to emerge.Research results. The conducted multilateral analysis of frontier foreign sources showed that not all digital technologies are equally applicable in education, but have a character ranging from “actively applied” to “potentially applicable” in this area. Significant applied potential of the digital technologies is fixed in the technologies of big data, virtual and augmented reality, robotics and sensorics, as well as artificial intelligence in the context of creating data warehouses, introducing new models of learning and educational agents, implementation of customized educational solutions.Conclusions. The vector and nature of the digital transformation of the branches of industries, including education, are set by digital technologies, which the national programs (in the context of Industry 4.0) have placed at the heart of this process. The ongoing digital metamorphosis of education, based on the active implementation and effective use of the digital technologies, allows the latter to acquire new forms and quality on the way to Education 4.0.