Online education was an existing option before COVID-19 but gained widespread popularity across all age groups during the pandemic. The forced shift to online learning made people recognize its convenience. Pre-pandemic, online classes had various benefits and challenges, and the pandemic likely introduced more of both. In this blog, we’ll delve into the trends, benefits, and challenges faced by students in the USA.
Table of Contents
History of Online Education
As previously mentioned, online education is not a recent development. Its origins trace back to the 19th century when correspondence courses enabled students to study through mail. With the increasing availability of radio, television, and computers, online education evolved into various distance-learning formats such as webinars, e-learning platforms, and audio and video courses. The advent of the Internet further facilitated the expansion of online education, increasing its accessibility, diversity, and quality, thereby granting students worldwide access to a wide array of courses and educational resources.
Benefits of Online Education
Many students wonder if the experience of online classes is the same as on campus. Well, at least 8.5 million students in the United States are enrolled in at least one online due to its flexibility and other benefits of virtual learning. Let’s explore some of the benefits that online education entails
Flexibility
When compared to classroom mode, online classes are way more flexible. Students have more control over learning material, students often choose the appropriate access time, sequence, pace and amount of information. With learning material available in the form of audio, videos, electronic notes, and slides with the added benefit of accessing anywhere and anytime – enhances the flexibility of online education. For working individuals, online education is considered a godsend as it provides them with far more autonomy in deciding their own schedule, so they don’t have to worry about finding a course that is available after their working hours.
Reduces Cost
Another benefit of this mode of learning is that there is a significant difference in the cost. Education can be expensive, especially in the USA. Generally, online education is less expensive than traditional education. Not only does tuition tend to be more affordable but the additional expenses, such as commuting costs and course material are eliminated in an online program.
Learner- Lecturer Interaction
Online education can boost learner-lecturer interactions by corresponding via email regularly. Being in direct contact with the lecturer via email has helped some students maintain a level of motivation especially if they are receiving positive feedback. In a study conducted, some teachers pointed out that chat groups, video conferencing and document-sharing spaces have made it easier for them to reach out to the students.
More confidence
Online programs often require students to engage in online forums and discussions and to express themselves in a relatively unfamiliar space. This helps them be more confident and it also pushes them to focus more time on improving their English speaking and writing skills.
Challenges of Online Education
In a survey, 60% of students who shifted to online education have come to the conclusion that the online learning experience is boring and have struggled with motivating themselves to pay attention in class. In another survey, 77% of the 800 college students said they preferred classroom mode better than online learning mode. These statistics show that there are some challenges associated with online education that should be addressed. Some of them are:
Lack of Motivation Students
It was thought that online learning would be a fun and interactive learning method and the first phase is usually filled with a high level of excitement. However, as the days go by, students tend to start to lose motivation. As there is a lack of face-to-face interaction, some students have trouble focusing during online classes. This happens because the physical absence of instructors or classmates takes away the sense of urgency that students need to feel motivated to attend class on time and meet deadlines. This could be the leading reason for procrastination and declining grades.
Lack of Technological Equipment
Another challenge that many students face is the lack of technological equipment. In order to attend online classes, students need a computer device and a strong internet connection. But they are not always readily available to some. There are some economies where these facilities are expensive and people can’t afford them. Strong internet connection is also hard to find in rural areas of many countries which creates barriers to online learning.
Online Distractions
The Internet is filled to the brim with learning opportunities but as the saying goes ‘with great power comes great challenges”, it also comes with a plethora of distractions. Constant notification from social media platforms, blogs and videos can become a cause of distraction and become a hurdle when it comes to online classes and meeting deadlines. Once they become distracted by these notifications, it is very easy to go down the rabbit hole and scroll away your day.
Trends and Prospects in Online Education
Below you will find trends and prospects in online education that reflect the growing impact and innovation in the field of online education:
1. Blended Learning: A combination of in-person and online instruction for a more flexible learning experience. Even after the resume of in-person classes, there are multiple courses and programs in the USA that are being taught in both online and in-person mode. This mode of learning is said to become more common as time goes by according to experts.
2. Microlearning: Microlearning is short, focused lessons and modules to cater to busy schedules. Basically, it delivers content in small bursts. Microlearning consists of small or short courses that use content design and the learning process is organised into small units and steps to cater to the learners’ specific needs. Content that is used in this learning process includes images, quizzes, text, audio, video and games.
3. Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI can be a personalised learning path for students. We can start finding traces of AI in many colleges and universities that use it to drive enrollment and streamline operations. One area where AI can prove to be exceptionally good is personalised learning. For example, auto-recommendation systems can be used to interact with students by keeping track of their behaviour, profile and performance. Systems like these can track if a student is having difficulty with a topic through testing and recommend resources like videos, games, or simulations to help them understand the topic better. Students may have more engaging learning opportunities with the usage of AI and machine learning.
4. Virtual Reality (VR): There are some programs or certain classes that are more difficult to offer online than others. For example, you can easily learn English in an online environment rather than biology as it may require you to be in a lab. However, many experts such as Schroeder say that these barriers can be broken down with the help of virtual reality and can make hands-on courses more accessible online.
5. Gamification: At least 97% of the young generation in the USA play video games, it is safe to say that games are deeply embedded in the youth. Hence, using game elements like points, badges, and leaderboards to increase students’ participation in school activities, motivate them to explore learning outside of the classroom and also help them be more interactive with their peers. According to a study, learning through gaming has been effective in improving students’ cognitive abilities and it has made it more fun as well which makes students spend more time learning.
6. Data Analytics: Another trend is using data to track and improve student performance. As the popularity of online education continues to increase, universities and colleges can collect an increasing amount of data to predict how students will perform in online classes. This tracking of how students are engaging or not engaging with the course material can help education providers understand why some students struggle and what they need to do to improve learning outcomes.
7. Flexible Credentialing: Universities and companies for years have offered smaller credentials such as alternative forms of traditional college degrees like digital badges and micro-credentials. These credentials are often focused on providing students with industry-specific skills.
Online education is the future of our rapidly evolving world. And with the integration of these technologies and strategies, we can make it more enjoyable and easier for students in the USA.
