With the advent of computers, digital learning transformed from a futuristic ideal into a realistic possibility of daily life, changing our ideas about education. The technologies offered new ways to look at the educational process and improve it in unprecedented ways. By the end of the 1990s, the concept of e-learning had been already coined, opening the doors to the ever-growing field of digital education.
Top Facts About Online Learning
Although everyone realized the potential of digital education from its early days, nobody suspected the massive growth of over 900% that occurred between 2001 and 2017. Surpassing everyone’s expectations, e-learning become an industry with a huge impact and an exponential growth that still continues today.
What E-Learning Means in 2019-2020
Although the changes in the e-learning industry are only limited by our imagination, there are predictions that suggest that 2019 and 2020 are a favorable period for the expansion and development of online courses. A trend of rapid growth has already been noticed. From getting a degree remotely to learning practical skills with the help of AI or gamification, the options are endless.
E-Learning Statistics – Benefits for Students
- Using digital tools to study takes up 60% less time than traditional classroom learning.
- E-learning increases the retention rate to between 25% and 60%. This is a huge increase compared to the 8% to 10% retention rate of classroom environments.
E-Learning Statistics – Benefits for Companies
- Businesses that provide e-learning courses registered a 42% rise in profits.
- E-learning is environmentally friendly with the Open University reporting a 90% energy saving rate when switching to digital education outlets.
- Companies reported an 18% in employee engagement.
- US businesses reported a 42% increase in income from switching to digital learning.
- Various predictions suggest that by 2025, the e-learning industry will be worth $325 billion.
- 2,500 companies experienced an increase of 24% in profits by using online training programs for their employees.
Key Developments in E-Learning
- 8% more students around the world enrolled in online courses in 2014.
- In just two years, between 2013 and 2015, there was an increase of 46% in the number of students who took online courses.
- 80% of American students believe they could improve their grades with the help of virtual learning.
How E-Learning Changed Higher Education
Higher education is the domain that has known the greatest progress due to technology. In fact, e-learning has not only brought new ways of learning, but it has also improved traditional learning. Using online tools, a student enrolled at a traditional college or university can vastly improve his experience. Online courses, online tutors, custom writing services, and electronic books are there to help students learn easier and better.
A Popular Trend in Online Learning Among College Students
The reality is that custom writing services have become an important facet of higher education. Despite the fact that the Earth changes quite frequently and in most of the cases it is hard to stay up to date, something hardly ever changes. Whether student is learning online or studying in the university or college, he or she always thinks “Maybe it is better to pay someone to write my paper?”. It depends on what answer is the best but almost always it is preferred to say “yes”. A student exploring e-learning will inevitably come across these online offers that can improve his studying methods significantly.
Current Trends in Online Learning
- VR or Virtual Reality – promotes immersive and stimulating learning by allowing users to have real-life experiences in the virtual world
- Gamification – promotes the blending of the gaming experience with educational content
- Webinars – a new learning format where an expert shares insights with a community using video and chat
- E-learning – establishes a massive library of information online
- Adaptive learning – promotes the incorporation of e-learning market statistics to achieve personal goals
Main Benefits of E-Learning
E-learning has opened the doors to better education, improving people’s chances of learning in a convenient and stimulating way that was hard to come by before. Although the statistics are impressive, typical students who want quality education are attracted to the benefits presented below:
- Digital learning and digital tools allow anyone to study from anywhere with the help of a day-to-day tool like their smartphone. This leads to an increased ability to balance study, work, personal life, and hobbies.
- 24/7 Accessibility. With digital learning, your schedule depends exclusively on you as the courses and resources are available at any moment of the day.
- Accelerated Learning. Digital learning allows anyone to study at their pace, finding their own personal rhythm of retention. Some people learn faster and get bored easily, which is why for them e-learning is a constant cause of renewed enthusiasm.
- Inexpensive resources. Although e-learning resources are not always free, they come at affordable prices and can seem incredibly cheap when compared to the tuition fees at a regular college or university.
- The number of available online courses, webinars, online journals, and online libraries is astounding and continues to grow.
Best E-Learning Resources for College and University Students
MOOCs are massive open online courses that allow students to enroll in online courses provided by world-class universities. Computer access can thus give anyone from anywhere in the world access to the latest information and the experts in their field. MOOCs have gradually become the greatest promotors of e-learning, bringing together millions of users. These are the most popular platforms in 2019:
- EdX
- Coursera
- Udemy
- Canvas
- Udacity
- The Open University
Together, these websites host tens of thousands of courses, covering any possible field of human knowledge from art to science, technology, and even practical skills.
Popular Webinar Platforms for Online Learning
- WebinarJam
- GoToWebinar
- Zoom
Top College Majors that Benefit from E-Learning
There are fields of study where e-learning has almost a transformative power, and many students couldn’t even how to study without digital tools. In these fields, e-learning statistics and facts reveal great progress:
- Accounting
- Computer science
- Engineering
- Business
- Criminal justice
- Nursing
Considering the rapid growth of e-learning, the future of this innovative industry looks bright. In college or university or outside of it, students from across the world can benefit from digital tools for a rewarding and efficient learning experience.