Online education allows you to provide your child with a quality education wherever you live. Students can study from the comfort of their homes by accessing the Internet.
Approved curriculums, learning materials, and great teachers are just a few clicks away. The number of online students in 2024 is growing daily, making you wonder: Is online learning the future of education?
This article lists the main benefits of online learning and explores the most essential predictions of how it will look in the near future.
What is online learning?
Online learning, also known as online schooling or e-learning, has transformed the education landscape and started a new era of accessible and flexible digital learning opportunities.
K12 online education has evolved remarkably since its inception two decades ago. Its learning methodologies are excellent for students of all ages, from young children to teenagers and even adults.
Top 5 reasons why Online Schooling is popular
Although online education has the same goal as traditional education, which is to educate children, it still has some of its own principles that make it more modern.
For many parents today, it is not an alternative but the primary way of giving their children the knowledge they need. And here are some of the reasons why it is so:
1. Flexibility
With online education, you and your child enjoy full flexibility in terms of accessing the learning material or booking classes. You can organize the school day the way you want and still have time for other activities.
2. Accessibility
Online education solves the commute problem that going to traditional classrooms requires; all you have to do is open your laptop, computer, tablet, or smartphone and ensure a steady internet connection.
Not only do you save time but money on transportation, as well.
3. Customized learning experience
Online classrooms tend to have smaller groups than conventional classes, so teachers can dedicate more time per student. Tutors can adjust the lessons to the learners’ individual needs.
Many interactive course materials make online education more engaging and a better learning experience than traditional classes. Online students can learn at their own tempo giving different amounts of time per lesson, making it totally customizable.
4. Wide selection of elective subjects
Whether you prefer group or individual classes, and how many of them you want to attend is entirely up to you. You can have a full schedule of classes or just a few.
Nothing is predetermined except the core subjects; you choose everything else, including elective courses. Students have the opportunity to explore their areas of interest through a long list of contemporary electives.
Traditional schools offer a small selection of elective subjects, and even then, it depends on the number of students who apply and whether you’ll be able to follow them. Online schools offer a significantly wider range of subjects from which you can choose.
5. Easier way to connect with people
In online classes, you can meet people from all over the world. You never know; maybe your child’s best friend is on the other side of the Earth, and online school activities can bond these two.
What is the future of online education? Predictions
Prediction 1: The Growth of Online Learning Will Continue
The trend of many educational institutions being compelled to switch to distance learning is likely to continue. According to data from a new analysis by Research and Markets, the Online Education Industry is expected to grow with a double-digit CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 13.8% during 2021 -2027.
Unlike traditional learning, online studying is all about technology and learning with videos. It is more efficient, productive, and straightforward.
Prediction 2: Personalized Education Will Become Commonplace
Personalized learning involves customizing educational materials to meet each student’s unique requirements and preferences. This strategy is gaining traction, and it’s expected to standardize educational practices in the future. Individualized learning has many advantages, as students are free to choose the learning style and speed that best suits their needs and also create and personalize learning environments.
Prediction 3: The Education Revolution Will Come From Artificial Intelligence
One more reason online education is the future of education is the presence of AI. Artificial intelligence (AI) already transformed education, which is expected to continue in the future.
AI can support educators in concentrating on more important work by handling administrative duties like grading. It can also create personalized learning experiences. Intelligent tutoring systems, which offer students individualized help and instruction, are another application of AI.
These tools can pinpoint knowledge gaps, offer more materials and data, and even modify the learning curve and speed to meet the needs of certain learners.
Prediction 4: The Education System Will Change with Virtual and Augmented Reality
Through the use of VR and AR, learners can practice skills and explore topics in a more engaging and useful way by simulating real-world events.
This very affordable learning approach guarantees students are up to date before being placed in the real environment for the first time. It is especially useful for training in high-risk situations where safety is crucial and equipment is highly valued (like chemistry classes).
Virtual reality has the magical ability to bring various locations from all around the world in front of you without traveling anywhere. These technologies allow students to get a closer look at details of the Colosseum in Rome or the Parthenon in Athens while sitting on their sofas.
It can also be exciting to view interactive materials through VR and AR. For instance, geometry students can use AR to examine 3D geometric forms from various angles and even from the inside.
Prediction 5: Microlearning will become everyday practice in education
We never get thrilled about big projects, no matter how old we are. By breaking up the learning materials into segments, students in cooperative classrooms have displayed far higher performance.
Is online teaching the future of education through the utilization of microlearning and skilled tutors? By segmenting study material into small portions, also referred to as microlearning, teachers have discovered that students retain information more quickly and effectively. This learning method will be used more and more in the future.
Prediction 6: Learning Management Systems are new school libraries
Recently, the idea of educational institutions having a learning management system (LMS) has spread throughout the world. Professors can now design, document, and register courses and study materials on an LMS platform, which is useful to them and learners.
Platforms will be important for storing different learning materials in one place, from where you can watch math exercise videos or read online books. This will be the base of the future of online education because they are very useful and important in today’s digitally connected and technology-driven environment. This trend will continue to grow, and the number of institutions with LMS platforms will increase.
Prediction 7: Blended learning will spread much more widely
Online classes are the future of education, but combining them with offline classes can be an excellent learning method. A well-rounded educational experience combining online and in-person components can give flexibility in addition to practical, in-person, or group activities.
Online learning – The Future of Education
After all the predictions you read in this article, there is no doubt that online learning is the future of education.
There have been debates about whether online classes will be the future of education, yet they are already present and will continue to increase in popularity in elementary, middle, high, and university education.
It could be said that traditional learning was part of education that did training for online learning, which took the best aspects from it and adapted it in its own digital way.
In conclusion, while some people are more focused on the cons of online education, in the global picture, it gives students an overall more engaging experience, which will be even better. The future of education is online.
Author: Nina L.
