How The Ease Of eLearning Facilitates Education
The old tradition of sitting among other students in the impersonal setting of a classroom, coupled by the leer of a professor as students rush to copy down text-heavy slides is quickly becoming an obsolete form of learning. To the older generations, this may be a little frightening, but this form of learning has occurred for centuries in some way or another. The only difference being that instead of tablets and books, students now have access to far more resources through the recent medium which is modern technology; here is how the ease of eLearning helps to increase student engagement and improve learner retention.
Technology has now progressed to the point where students and professionals alike can store and manage almost all of their information online. Trends in setting up online portfolios, business sites, and Facebook pages have become the go-to learning spaces for students, and these trends have certainly been noticed by those in the education industry.
Universities, colleges, and other educational institutions have sensed these changes and are now making online learning more accessible to all students. Whether it is to watch a recording of a class students were unable to attend, collaborate with students within an online forum, take an online exam, or simply search the details of an upcoming assignment, every student can reap innumerable benefits from online learning.
What Is The Online Education Industry?
The online education industry includes various groups of educational institutions that deliver online education to students. To be considered an online provider, over 80% of the course or unit content offered has to be delivered online. With online learning, students can complete the majority of their study online while only needing to travel for practical units. Online education includes study at all levels of education and can be accessed through most current devices with a basic wifi connection.
Australian Education trends are changing. Vocational studies have seen a rise in popularity over the years with online education. Courses in aged care, commercial cookery, child care and other such studies have seen large numbers of people taking interest in these courses thanks to the expediency of online learning.
The question is, what kind of change will online college courses provoke in the paradigms of students, professors, and educational institutions in the coming years? Whether or not eLearning becomes the more popular form of learning between online and traditional learning, universities and professors will still offer students crucial skills and will still be required to teach students the practical skills in vocational studies.
Why Has eLearning Become So Popular?
Online Learning’s current popularity is often attributed to 4 factors: The ease of eLearning, savings, online cooperation, and modern technology. Besides being able to study in your pajamas in the comfort of your own home, online learning allows students to work at their own pace while avoiding the stress of missing crucial information or inhibiting other students.
One of the biggest perks of online education is the money saved. Students studying online only need to pay a fraction of what other students need to pay. Without the cost of commuting or the cost educational institutions need to pay to preserve their utilities, achieving an education is now easier for those who cannot afford to go to university or college. The online environment allows platforms for students to communicate 24/7 with online forums and efficient information sharing systems, utilizing other students as resources and thus allowing the class to excel together through cooperation.
And lastly, students can utilize a number of devices to complete their studies instead of needing to rely on the often outdated technology universities and colleges provide. Even without a device, students can utilize the computers at their local library or even use their own phones to complete units of study in some cases.
This shift in the paradigm and the overall change in the way of learning makes perfect sense at a time when a myriad of under-30s hardly engage with print media, preferring to access their information online or through other digital channels such as mobiles or iPads.
Flexibility
The life of every student is different. Though some find it painful waking up around 6am to attend classes they would otherwise be late for, there are many students who simply do not have the means or physical capability to travel to a university or college. With online learning, students who are unable to travel or attend their classes can now learn on equal terms with their peers whenever it suits them.
Whether it is in the early hours of the morning or in the dead of night, students always have access to the information they need to be productive and successful. With more time to study, sleep—something every student needs more of—and focus on other commitments, online learning allows students to engage in activities they would be unable to otherwise. Students unable to study due to their own commitments can utilise the flexibility of online learning, allowing for a diverse range of schedules to suit any student’s needs.
Financial Support
Many forms of financial support exist for students who are unable to pay their student fees. There are a variety of financial support programs available for students in some vocational courses such as Vet fee help and certificate 3 guarantee, being only a couple of the programs available to help students with their financial difficulties.
The reduced fees of online learning compared to the general fees of studying at a university or college allows for more flexibility with payments, ultimately allowing the majority of those wanting to study online to afford their course with seldom drawbacks.
Industry Analysis And Industry Trends
According to research conducted by IBISWorld, the online education market has grown rapidly as improvements to modern technology and internet services continue. The report also shows that the incorporation of online learning has increased over the past five years with other businesses adopting this trend. According to IBISWorld’s report, industry revenue for online learning is believed to have increased at an annual 10.9 per cent over the last five years to $5.2 billion. This includes growth of 8.2 per cent over the current year.
The recent recession left many unemployed over the past five years. Increasing rates of unemployment have forced many people to acquire additional online qualifications which cost less and offer more flexibility to protect themselves from redundancy. These factors coupled with the expediency of online education has allowed it to become one of the most popular forms of education to date.
