Online education has become a mainstream mode
The role of technology in education is growing along with the rapid advancement in digital technologies and the rise of the digital-savvy population. The market and the Covid-19 pandemic have accelerated changes in customer (learner) behaviour. Consequently, online education has registered an exponential growth during the pandemic years (2020-21) and is poised to grow further in the coming years. The global online e-learning market size was approximately USD 101 billion in 2019. According to ResearchAndMarkets, a global market research firm, the online education market is projected to rise to USD 585.48 billion by 2027 at a CAGR of 13.8% from 2021 (USD 269.87 billion).
Listing out some of the upcoming trends in technology and features in online education.
1. Increased adoption of AI: Artificial intelligence and machine learning will be catalysts in online education in expanding the sector to new segments and providing relentless and effective learning. AI can be helpful to source prospective learners from scrapping data available online and inducting them. Enabling effective individual-level learning is the next step in online education. EdTech companies are incorporating AI-ML to ensure an adaptive learning environment based on personal abilities.
2. Micro-learning: Earlier, e-learning platforms transformed the lectures into video formats that allowed learners to control the pace. Currently, the trend is bite-sized videos, short readings, interactive practise tests/ hands-on practical assignments, etc. Based on the learners’ responses, micro-learning has proven to be a more effective online learning mode.
3. Gamification: Engaging the learners throughout the course is a challenging task for all online education providers. From daily physical workouts to financial activities, gamification is ubiquitous in the era of smart technologies. Online education is no exception. This can be implemented in two ways – structural gamification (in which the platform structure would be gamified) and content gamification. Both are helpful for students learning while playing a game as they can check and improve their performance in real-time.
4. Extended Reality (XR): It is a combination of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). Adopting extended reality (XR) in education offers students an interactive, engaging, and near-real learning experience. It helps to explore the details of different concepts and acquire in-depth knowledge of various elements. With advancements in technology and the availability of cheap VR devices, learners will have more and better immersive learning experiences in the near future.
