Since the Coronavirus outbreak schools, universities, and businesses have been forced to close across the globe, and adapt their move towards online learning and teaching. Meaning that teachers, academics and employers have dramatically changed their learning and working materials to digitised options.Therefore the distinctive rise in online learning during the pandemic has increased rapidly.
Globally the education sector has completely changed.For schools in particular 1.2 billion children are out of the classroom. In the UK learning materials and curriculums have been adapted to ensure the continued education of 2.3 million plus higher education students and 10 million school children.Even before COVID-19, there was already high growth and adoption in education technology, with global edtech investments reaching US$18.66 billion in 2019. According to the Research and Markets 2019 report the overall market for online education is projected to reach $350 Billion by 2025.
As the internet and education combine to provide people with the opportunity to gain new skills, Online learning has shown rapid growth and has become more imperative in people’s lives during this time.Research suggests that online learning has been shown to increase retention of information, and take less time, meaning the changes might be here to stay.
E-Learning Market
There is currently a number of online learning platforms available in the market Whether it is language apps, such as Duolingo, Babbel and Busuu, home schooling virtual classrooms to video conferencing tools, such a Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Or online learning software. That serve millions of people across the globe. It is clear to see that there has been a significant surge in usage and the increased desire for personal development and progression since COVID-19.
According to research carried out by Guardian. “increasing numbers of people are using the time to build their skillset, with an upsurge in enrolments on online learning platforms such as edX, FutureLearn and Coursera, which offer “massive open online courses” – or Moocs.
Coursera, for instance, has seen an eightfold increase in enrolments for social science, personal development, arts and humanities courses since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. “It’s unprecedented,” says the company’s chief product officer, Shravan Goli. (In late March, its Science of Well Being course saw 500,000 new enrolments in a single weekend.)”
In the local market within Northern Ireland, Belfast based Edtech firm Komodo reported a fourfold increase in global demand during Covid-19 pandemic.The technology firm created a home maths learning system for children aged between 5 and 11.The firm had around 5,000 global customers with a focus in overseas markets such as the United States. According to the company founder he stated that the increase in online learning during the lockdown has seen more interest in recent weeks.
“Komodo was never intended as a replacement for school, but with schools closed it can provide a structured learning programme to develop maths skills. It’s designed for ‘little and often’ learning in 15-minute sessions, which means kids aren’t kept at the screen for a long time and parents can fit them in between their own work.”
Advantages of online learning
Online learning offers many benefits and advantages of flexibility as educational institutions and students increasingly recognise that when it comes to learning, one size often doesn’t always fit all. Students will often devote differing amounts of time to a topic to fully understand it. And learning online has a great advantage of allowing learners to study at their own pace, as we all learn in different ways and at different rates. Adult learners in particular will hold a wide range of pre-existing knowledge and skills from earlier studies. And this is a strength that adaptable online courses can help learners use to their advantage.
Upskilling
In the current tech world, upskilling is becoming increasingly important simply because technology changes so fast. An increasing number of people are also choosing to progress mid-career as well as develop their skills later in life. This is a great move in an uncertain economy and it allows people to merge new found skills as well to differentiate themselves from the competition.
How to stay motivated?
During this difficult time, you may find yourself out of routine and it can be hard to find the motivation to stick to your new hobby or continue the momentum you initially had when you set out to start your new course.
There are many ways to stay motivated whilst you study. Such as treating your new course like a physical classroom that you have to attend and participate in, complete the tasks,reward yourself, take regular breaks or even team up with a family member or friend virtually that you feel would also benefit from the online class.
