Combining a sports career and education is not an easy task. Over time, physical and intellectual exhaustion builds up and makes boys and girls wonder if the effort is worth it. So what’s next for them? Unfinished education and a complete lack of plans for the future after the completion of a sports career?
However, modern teaching methods, as well as the sudden changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, have become the starting point for change. The new technology and sports policy are now based on identifying the needs of athletes. Those, in turn, want to be ready for life after the end of their sports career. As a result, universities and schools are creating more flexible schedules, offering subject-specific tutors, changing exam dates, and promoting the adoption of online platforms.
In 2015, at the World Education Innovation Summit, the main theme was the need to completely rethink the structure of educational programs. The participants assigned a key role in the new education system to the development of new technologies and the Internet. They were supposed to radically change the educational process.
Combining Education And Professional Sports in the 21st Century
For a long time, education experts have insisted on an individual approach to students. And now, thanks to globalization and (to a large extent) the COVID-19 pandemic, an active movement in this direction has finally begun. The new system provides for more personalized learning programs, with the help of which students can better reveal their strengths and build an educational process based on the necessary skills.
It seems to be a great solution for professional athletes. In addition to a tailor-made educational program, they will also be able to receive other supportive tools. For example, seek help from a professional paper writing service, get moral support in the face of constant workloads, or get advice on how best to allocate time.
These predictions were fully confirmed at the Summit at the end of 2019. At that time, there were no confirmed data about the coronavirus. During the conference, the speakers stressed that by 2030 “live” lectures will disappear, and teachers will only guide students in their learning process. The educational program will be fully adapted to the needs of the students.
This approach will improve their skills and select the necessary academic base. The Internet will become the main source of knowledge. In such a scenario, the curriculum will become as flexible and adapted as possible, and the school, in its physical sense, will completely disappear. This approach is already practiced by professional athletes who have to combine studies and sports. And as the method gains popularity, there are more and more opportunities for improving performance.
There will be more online courses, as well as summer educational programs and weekend schools. In addition to basic education, students will access a vast source of additional education resources based on online platforms. MOOC, edX, and Coursera, to name a few. It will allow students to develop professionally based on their interests and needs. And constant training and expansion of certain areas of knowledge will allow athletes to always be in demand in the labor market. The digital transformation of the education system cannot be reversed, but this is a great opportunity for professional athletes to build a career after retirement.
