The Covid-19 pandemic taught us all the importance of two things – a. how precious life is and, b. anything and everything can be accomplished from the comfort of your home, including learning and education! With the power of internet and wide usage of smart phones, it was fascinating to see how everything became accessible to us, at our fingertips, while being stuck and locked up in our houses, amidst a global pandemic!
There has been a radical shift in how education was perceived traditionally – the usual four walls of the classroom, chalk and black board concept, when we were hit by the pandemic. Now, the physical classroom is not just the only way to learn. Learning has revolutionized and this era has left behind the notion of a typical classroom. Popularity of eLearning platforms like Udemy, Coursera, SkillShare, edX, Udacity skyrocketed in the past couple of years and will only further accelerate in future! Following are six reasons why I believe eLearning and virtual classrooms are the future of education –
1. Flexibility & Time/cost saving
Digital learning gives the learner the freedom to be absolutely anywhere in the world and access quality knowledge, hone his/her skills, simply by using the internet anytime. It is also easy for the teachers or subject experts to set their own pace of teaching and schedule the classes as per their convenience. eLearning enables so much autonomy for all. An added benefit - the commute time is saved which can definitely be used in creating something concrete. The cost of travelling is saved too, which is effective on the pockets of young learners.
2. Easy to pick and choose distance courses
If there’s a skill or a subject one needs expertise in, one can simply take up a distance course from a national or international university, learn at own pace and master it. The internet if used well, has infinite skills and knowledge to offer. Majority of schools, colleges and universities are offering online versions of programs that are taught on their campuses. This unique advantage makes the learning experience so customizable and learner-centric.
3. 24x7 Everyday Accessible Knowledge/Revisit lectures
Knowledge when accessible makes the learner feel so empowered. A typical classroom is distant from many resources. This gap is filled with the wonders of technology and internet. If a student misses any class or is absent due to some reason, there is always the benefit to revisit the uploaded lectures later. A typical classroom does not allow this benefit.
4. Environment friendly
Digital learning saves the students from carrying heavy bags, notebooks. Less requirement of paper implies less cutting of rubber trees. This way, it is easy on the environment since there is less usage of paper when learning is online. All the resources can simply be replaced by a tablet or laptop in a digital format.
5. Easier to visualize in an interactive mode of learning
There’s only so much an instructor can do to make the students visualize and comprehend concepts on the blackboard. Certain concepts need more than a blackboard to be comprehended. Use of versatile tools like slides, PowerPoint, videos, audios, pictures make learning interactive, engaging and interesting.
6. Meets the need of on-demand continuous learning
In this age and time, gaining knowledge and upskilling is a continuous need. Gaining new skills allows professionals to perform new responsibilities and tasks at workplace more efficiently. Digital learning as a tool can also enable an ambitious employee to earn an additional degree online and become more skillful and do so at his/her own pace. This will enhance their chances of getting hired or promoted!
With the landscape of education completely transformed and still changing, digital learning is the future and is here to stay. eLearning has mitigated several issues that restricted people’s growth and learning earlier. It saves time and money. It is environment friendly and promotes personalized learning. The influence of digitization has reshaped the face of education and opened new possibilities for learning. We are witnessing a revolution. Currently, online learning seamlessly blends images, audios, clips to make learning more attractive. But the future route to education will definitely involve use of technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), augmented and virtual reality to play a huge role. To conclude, we have a lot to look up to in the EdTech industry to transform and reform in the coming decade. And if you are the one walking hand in hand with the fast-changing world and the innovations it offers, you will reach your full potential, thus guarantying evolution, growth and success.
