Over the last few decades, we have seen the significant growth of the online education industry. Today’s tech innovations made online learning possible. Yesterday’s online learners usually consist of professionals wanting to advance in their careers and students who are visionaries and have faith in modern education.
There were some educational institutions that were already offering online education to learners pre-pandemic. They realized that with the right curriculum and strategy, they can offer high-quality education despite the distance. They also want to give learners the chance to enroll in their preferred classes even if they are in a different country or state or have a different time zone.
As time passes by, more educational institutions started embracing online education. Slowly, more joined in and offered online classes or blended learning methods. But still, traditional offline learning dominated the online education landscape.
The Growth of Online Education Mid-Pandemic
After the pandemic hit, all schools were forced to stop traditional classes. With lockdowns implemented, they had no choice but to immediately switch to online learning. This is since the health and safety of everyone matter more than ever, onsite learning is no longer an option.
Students from all levels started learning online. Many have a hard time first since not everyone was used to learning remotely. Some kids felt disengaged, their parents were stressed out, and teachers had to learn how to effectively teach their students despite the challenges of teaching online.
There were a number of tutorial services offered online before the pandemic. Now, one can enroll their kids and enable them to learn different things online. This is not just limited to private tutoring services for students that either need help or want to take advanced lessons on selected subjects online.
Some parents now allow their kids to learn voice and music lessons without having to leave the house. There are also education programs meant to cater to students with special needs. Now, there also exist reliable educational institutions offering online reading programs for kids with autism.
Emerging Innovations in the Online Education Sector
We now make use of different tools to make online learning possible. Others use Zoom, Facebook messenger, and other video chat messaging apps. Others invested in educational tools such as LMS or Learning Management System.
An LMS is a software application used to plan, assess, and implement a learning process. This usually has two distinct parts. The first one is a user interface and the second one is the server.
There are other emerging tech trends that are changing the online education landscape. This shows that the rapid advancement of tech innovations continues to improve and influence all sectors, including the online education industry. Some technologies experts expect to impact online learning are as follows.
Wearables
These are also known as wearable devices. More of today’s smart technology can be worn or implanted in the user’s body. Experts believe we will soon find more learners embracing wearables to boost their online learning experience.
Wearables are advantageous to learners since one can use and take these virtually everywhere at any time. This makes learning more fun and interesting. This can also help learners experience better scenarios that will help boost user experience.
Virtual Reality (VR)
Most tech users are already familiar with VR technology. This enables users to enjoy different scenarios using different props, VR headsets, and multi-projected environments. Such innovation can make learning engaging and can help boost the retention rate of learners.
Now, VR educational apps are in the market. Online education leaders are already preparing to use such apps to aid in their learner’s online learning experience. This will help students better visualize hard-to-understand concepts.
Augmented Reality (AR)
If you are familiar with Pokemon GO, this is the perfect example of AR. Such technology overlays digital images over the real environment, giving users such a composite view. AR offers a 3D view of an object, thus giving learners the chance to experience better comprehension.
In a sense, AR makes learning more fun and exciting. It helps visualize digital objects in real life. Instead of learning by simply reading a textbook and looking at the pictures, you can better appreciate the image since AR enables us to see how an object really looks like in real life.
Even as schools in some countries and states slowly return to normal, we can expect online learning to still be a sought-after option for many people. Its numerous benefits make it the go-to choice of numerous learners and their parents. We like learning online due to its flexibility, efficiency, and affordability. It offers a range of learning style options perfect for students who want a personalized learning environment. It also helps reduce the late and absence rate of students since one only needs to log in on the corresponding site or W to take their classes.
We can expect the online education industry to continue to thrive even after the pandemic. This is since learners are more than willing to invest in online learning and dedicate their time learning in an environment that better suits their needs. It already influences the education market now and will continue to do so even after we get past these challenging times.