Covid-19 brought online learning into mainstream discussion but was far from the last word on the topic. Digital learning platforms have only continued to improve in the years since, and integrated technology is now a must-have for any educational institution – both to connect to remote students and to enhance the experience for those in the classroom.
There is no industry today that isn't tech-dependent in a sense, from automated processes in manufacturing to the agrotech space, media, finance, healthcare, and more. As innovation continues, we are finding new and better ways to integrate tech to streamline and enhance business processes.
Education is one industry where technological integration is at its highest. Schools were already finding new ways to spice up the learning process and make it more engaging for students. This need brought about the growing digitization of the classroom experience. But the Covid-19 pandemic was a huge wake-up call, causing the education industry to go full throttle on making education as digital-leaning as possible.
The rise of digital learning
When the pandemic hit, many industries ground to a halt as workers couldn't commute to work. Everyone had to find new ways to keep going. Many countries started implementing policies and infrastructure to allow for remote learning so students stay caught up in their education. Today, we continue to witness the proliferation of online degrees and full-on online colleges, clearly showing education's future. Currently, about half of the global student population has engaged in online learning, about 63 percent of US students leverage the online learning model daily, and about 70 percent of students prefer online learning to traditional learning, partly due to its much higher learning retention rates.
The impact of e-learning remains and is growing. More than this, though, this learning model has been adopted beyond the shores of mainstream education. Since the pandemic, many companies and organizations have also redesigned their interview, onboarding, and employee training methods, opting instead for partly or wholly online models. And many report better employee retention, increased profitability, better cost savings, and more.
There are countless examples of how effective digital learning can be. Simply put, knowledge is rife on the internet. With a couple of clicks, anyone can find an online learning platform that suits their needs, and these solutions come in different forms.
School faculty, corporate executives, and managers typically use learning management systems (LMS) to disseminate engaging training materials and test their students' and employees' comprehension. The LMS market is reported to be around $18.26 billion in 2023 and is projected to surpass $47 billion by 2030.
There are also more general knowledge platforms designed for individuals looking to learn new skills or upgrade existing ones. Apps like Udemy, Edx, Duolingo and Jumpspeak are testaments to how digital learning is fast becoming the mainstream channel for all forms of education. These platforms allow experts from different fields to make their teaching available on their platforms for students from anywhere in the world. It's common to find courses ranging from drawing and graphic design to more technical skills like game design, product development, or even more academic materials. Some courses and tutors also offer rigorous exams at the end of their courses, along with recognizable certifications that boost job placement opportunities.
According to Prosperity for America, Udemy was reported to have over 64 million learners in 2023, with 75,000 tutors and 210,000 courses in 75 languages. Coursera and EdX topped these numbers with 129 million and 110 million learners in the same year, respectively.
Will learning go fully digital?
The positives are only growing as we continue to find ways to tweak education and learning to be more tech-dependent. Firstly, the by-product of using any technology in the learning process is that the learners gain technological literacy just by using it. Making computers, laptops, and other devices readily available to students in school allows them frequent access to tools and programs that will be useful long after school.
Online learning is also easier to customize both for schools and businesses. Education can be delivered as a one-size-fits-all or as a custom program. This doesn't surprise Paul Alex Espinoza, an author and cop-turned-entrepreneur who has used the e-knowledge model to build a successful business for himself. "Teachers and instructors could also put together their training materials in modules and deliver them at a predetermined schedule or they could structure it for self-paced learning, which is especially beneficial for organizations. Employees can make time to develop their skills without disrupting their work schedule," says Espinoza.
Gamifying the learning process is also a lot easier with online learning, and there's a plethora of learning software available to incorporate graphics, games, and more into the process to make it more exciting and motivate students to learn.
Like with any new technological development, there will always be concerns about its adoption. In the case of e-learning, there's worry about students developing an addiction to their devices or losing focus as they may easily click off to another tab on their devices while learning is going on. Parents have also been known to advocate for screen time rest while indicating worry that their kids might be exposed to unsavory characters the more time they spend online.
E-learning, online courses, and learning management systems are here to stay, and as our world becomes even more reliant on the efficiency of technology, this will only become clearer.
Of course, there will likely always be aspects of learning and training that have to be done in-person and hands-on, but this reality will likely not push back the growth of the e-knowledge space. We have yet to determine how learning will shape up in the future, but as e-learning continues to push into the mainstream conversation, we can only be excited to watch it unfold.
This article was written by Sean Kim from Inc. and was legally licensed through the DiveMarketplace by Industry Dive. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.
