In 2015, the market value of e-learning was estimated at $ 166.5 billion, and it is expected to increase this year to $ 255 billion.
In a recent research study conducted by the "Global Shapers" community on 25 thousand young participants from all over the world, it revealed that 77.84% of the participants had more than one online course over the past year.
According to the Research Study for Online Learning last year, conducted by the Babson Group for Research Studies in partnership with many other institutions; The number of American students learning distance increased from 7.1 million students in 2014 to 7.4 million students in 2015, and the study also revealed that more than 5.8 million students were studying at least one online course during 2015.
According to the previous results, e-learning via distance has become the best alternative to traditional education, but is considered the future in the field of education as a whole. The increase in the market value of e-learning is only matched by the increase in the number of students and learners entering the world of distance learning, and joining high-quality courses and training courses through Internet.
What kinds of e-learning?
Distance e-learning depends mainly on the learner, as the student can directly learn anywhere and any time he wants, unlike traditional learning, e-learning is formed in two main patterns:
Simultaneous learning: It is learning similar to the real classroom, as it is conducted through the educational rooms via the Internet, and involves active participation at the same time between both the lecturer and the learners, or the learners with each other, so interaction is done through chatting, instant messages, or voice meetings. And the video, which helps continuous follow-up and personalization of the learning process.
Asynchronous learning: learning that allows learners to complete courses or training courses at the appropriate pace for them, and at the time that they choose, but it does not allow learners to participate and live interactions with the lecturer, while providing communication between the lecturer and learners through message boards and discussion forums in contrast to synchronous learning , So the learner can access the educational material whenever he needs it anytime, anywhere.
What distinguishes e-learning from traditional education
There are now millions of learners in the world who rely mainly on e-learning to acquire skills, expertise, and learn what they want.
A study by the US Department of Education in 2008 to assess both traditional and electronic education revealed; Distance learning is superior to traditional education in the classroom, and the study confirmed that the main reason for this is to provide e-learning the real need for students, as it provides the most appropriate learning experiences for them individually, which is not provided by traditional education through the classroom.
A study conducted at Portland State University, funded by the National Center for the Study of Adult Education and Literacy, also confirmed that self-learning alone or in conjunction with traditional education is much better than traditional education in the classroom.
E-learning possesses many advantages that its traditional counterpart lacks, and these advantages led to the spread of e-learning at a very rapid pace, there are now millions of learners in the world who rely mainly on this type of learning to acquire the skills, experiences, and learning what they want, and the advantages that led The e-learning has invaded the field of education and even surpassed its traditional counterpart:
Expenses
The annual study cost for university education students in the United States of America during the academic year 2013-2014 reached more than $ 18,000 for government institutes and universities, while this cost amounted to more than $ 36,000 for private institutes and universities, so university study costs an average of nearly 20 thousand dollars annually, which plunges students and their families into debt. The average debt of students during the past year was about 30 thousand dollars.
Therefore, the biggest real disadvantages of traditional education are the high costs borne by students and their families, in contrast to e-learning, which is now almost completely free. Hundreds of universities and international institutes have offered many high-quality courses offered by the best lecturers and professors through different e-learning sites.
Even the most expensive intensive online courses do not cost half the cost of traditional education in one year. The cost of one of the most expensive training programs to learn programming is approximately $ 10,000, where lecturers and experts focus on teaching students the necessary programming skills, so that the student becomes a programmer and developer. Professional during 12 intensive weeks, and 90% of graduates of the program can find a job opportunity in less than 3 months after graduation.
So when comparing this program to traditional education within the university, this intensive program is considered better and saves time and money, because its cost is $ 10,000 in just 12 weeks, while the cost of university education is about $ 80,000 during the four years of study.
Flexibility
The learner can start learning or studying wherever he wants, and wherever he wants, he only needs a computer and an internet connection
Unlike traditional education within the walls of schools and universities, e-learning provides absolute flexibility for learners. The learner is not obligated to go to the university every day on fixed and predetermined dates, as e-learning does not set specific conditions for learners.
Author: Srey Lux