Mike Lovell is the SVP of Marketing at Class. He has dedicated his career to technology and the applications that can innovate the way people live and learn.
Mike Lovell is the SVP of Marketing at Class. He has dedicated his career to technology and the applications that can innovate the way people live and learn.
As advancing technologies continue to shape personalized learning, 2024 has demonstrated the transformative potential of student-centered learning strategies, making them a cornerstone of modern education. This approach—defined by Education Week as “placing the student at the center of the learning process, prioritizing their needs and interests, allowing them to actively participate in their education, and tailoring instruction to their individual learning styles”—has evolved far beyond traditional teacher-led lectures.
In 2024, student engagement emerged as a key focus for schools and districts. New tools and data-driven insights allowed educators to move beyond anecdotal evidence, transforming how engagement is understood and enhanced in virtual and hybrid environments. The year showcased the impact of aligning technology and pedagogy, but what does that mean for 2025? The coming year holds even greater potential, with schools poised to leverage these advancements to unlock student success on a broader scale.
Student-centered learning thrives on three essential pillars—pedagogy, technology, and interoperability—that together lay the foundation for meaningful educational transformation.
Designing student-centered learning must start by aligning strategy and pedagogy with the student experience. Rather than designing lesson plans and then delivering them to the full class, student-centered learning considers added flexibility to uplift the entire child’s experience and incorporate engaging, peer-supported projects to reinforce this.
Imagine classrooms—virtual or hybrid—where learning is active, inquiry-driven, and deeply collaborative. These environments empower students to engage with peers, explore complex problems, and take charge of their education in ways that promote both academic growth and personal development.
Incorporating social and emotional learning (SEL), mental health resources, and mentorship programs helps ensure the whole child is supported which heightens engagement, as well as individual investment.
Healthline notes, “Kids have been through a hard few years. Many will need extra support. SEL programs are ideal for providing that support. SEL programs can help kids manage the overwhelming stress and emotional impact of COVID-19 and can help them readjust to the school environment.”
When educators pair flexible schedules with differentiated instruction, they create pathways for students to thrive in ways that respect individual strengths and needs.
Technology has long expanded educational horizons, but 2024 delivered a leap forward in tools designed to foster deeper student engagement.
Platforms built with education in mind have transformed virtual classrooms into dynamic learning hubs. Features like enhanced breakout rooms, interactive polls, and integrated whiteboards are no longer novelties—they’re necessities. Coupled with advanced analytics, these platforms empower educators to track and act on real-time engagement data. This isn’t just about seeing who’s paying attention—it’s about creating targeted strategies that ensure no student falls through the cracks.
Perhaps not a typical word associated with pedagogical approaches to successful learning outcomes, the new reality of student-centered learning is seamless. This means that the multiple systems now leveraged to provide an enhanced student experience, virtually and via hybrid settings, must work together in order to offer a learning environment free of frustrations, multiple logins, technical issues, and back-end management.
By streamlining workflows, not only is the student experience simplified, but instructors spend far less time managing their edtech stack or duplicating work in multiple systems. The top-end virtual classroom platforms now integrate with a school’s learning management system (LMS) in order to leverage existing course content and pass grades, attendance, and more data back automatically. As Douglas Konopelko and Tim Clark point out in EdTech Magazine, with the right integrations “teachers no longer need to transfer data manually; rather, that time can be spent on learning to interpret actionable data to better meet students’ needs. Finally, more time can be spent on how to develop a nurturing learning community in the classroom using technology resources that have the potential to improve collaboration and communication.”
As we look to the new year, most schools that saw promising advancements in 2024 have circled three main areas of focus for 2025: student outcomes, budgeting for a complete edtech stack, and ongoing improvements.
The question isn’t just, ‘Are students engaged?’ but rather, ‘How is engagement driving measurable results?’
By leveraging best-in-class virtual classroom platforms, schools gain unparalleled insights into their learners’ engagement, trends in knowledge retention throughout the year, and deeper data around outcome analytics. This rich dataset moves schools from “potential correlation” assumptions to understanding “direct causation” evidence.
While every school district has a variety of platforms and tools in its edtech stack, the push for top-performing schools in 2025 is to budget for a connected, complete edtech ecosystem. Budgeting strategically for these tools ensures they work in harmony and provide a frictionless student and instructor experience.
Finally, schools recognize that continuously tweaking and improving processes, technology, and more are essential to best serving students and remaining on top of education developments. With the rapid advancements AI brought to 2024, 2025 will see even more heightened degrees of tech-incorporated learning opportunities. The challenge—and opportunity—will be translating these advancements into impactful, real-world applications.
As has become evident over the past few years, advancing technologies—and the proper incorporation of best practice pedagogies into those technologies—are at the forefront of industry shifts. Finding the best ways to stay up-to-date and quickly adapt will be pivotal for schools in the coming year.
Is your institution prepared to adapt to these coming technological opportunities? Reach out to a Class team member today, and discover how to empower your learners for tomorrow’s challenges.
Mike Lovell is the SVP of Marketing at Class. He has dedicated his career to technology and the applications that can innovate the way people live and learn.
Mike Lovell is the SVP of Marketing at Class. He has dedicated his career to technology and the applications that can innovate the way people live and learn.
Get our insights, tips, and best practices delivered to your inbox
Sign up for a product demo today to learn how Class’s virtual classroom powers digital transformation at your organization.
Features
Products
Integrations
