Learning without boundaries: Almost everything can be done online; so why does higher education have to be any different?

Aamirah Thayibah

Over the last decade, online learning has grown significantly as the internet has made it possible to continue with your studies or learn new skills without leaving your home. The pandemic has made online learning mainstream, with many major universities operating remotely. Students didn’t want to waste their locked in years and universities saw that online learning opened up newer markets.

People have realised that an intense sixmonth course can be equivalent to a year on campus. “I’ve always wanted to study at London School of Economics (LSE), but even with scholarships, the expenses of living as a student abroad wasn’t something I could afford. So last summer I opted for an online course that the university was offering and got a chance to learn under esteemed professors at a fraction of the price,” says Komal. Armed with a diploma from a prestigious international university, she was able to secure a job at a hedge fund company.

Like LSE, many elite universities are also democratising education by making online courses available. Online courses in computer science, engineering, mathematics, business, art, and personal development are available from Stanford University and Harvard University.

Moreover, there are numerous online learning platforms in the market such as Udemy, Coursera, and Skillshare that offer courses from skill-based know-hows such as graphic design to more academic, careerdriven pursuits such as data analysis.

Even before the pandemic, research predicted that the online education market would be worth $350 billion by 2025, a figure that has only grown upward since the COVID-19 outbreak. In India, the online learning platform Coursera reported a 49 per cent growth in students in 2021, showing the country’s booming demand for online higher education. In fact, India is only second to the USA when it comes to the number of learners.

One of the reasons for this increase is the ever-evolving job market. Employers are constantly setting the bar higher for the required skills and abilities of employees. How are those seeking jobs to cope? “For students, the biggest difficulty is figuring out what talent requirements are emerging and what they can do to compete in the global economy.” says Gowda, a computer science professor.

We live in a world that changes so quickly that skills that were valuable three or four years ago are now obsolete. Students are confused, and they have no idea what they should be learning. “At this time, online learning is proving to be a powerful catalyst for people and businesses to embrace this rapid change in the globe,” says Gowda.

All online learning platforms include a large amount of user data, which allows them to use machine learning algorithms to improve people’s learning patterns. Pattern recognition is used by machine learning algorithms to personalise material for each individual.

When a student struggles with a concept throughout the course, for example, the platform can change the e-learning content to provide more specific information to assist the learner. “With the way the course functions, I am unable to proceed to the next level until I’ve cleared the level I am at,” says Sidra, who is learning spoken Mandarin on Coursera. “While being stuck does get annoying, it is better than moving at a fast pace but not retaining anything,” says she.

The platforms’ quick feedback loops, such as chats and breakout rooms help to increase the learning curve. This also allows timid or shy students to join in class discussions more comfortably than they might in face-to-face sessions. There is an emphasis on time management and self-regulation that makes online learning both a challenge and a boon for students of higher education.

Another major benefit is time-saving. People can scale and adjust themselves by arranging their schedules according to their convenience. This creates a tremendous potential for working people to swiftly expand their knowledge assets.

Mobile platforms have given access to more people to keep learning. Machine learning gives personalised solutions, which make it more personal than a “onesize fits all” approach that offline learning offers.

With the online learning business growing at a breakneck pace, it’s more important than ever for edupreneurs to keep up with the latest advances. Riya, an online life coach, says: “To scale businesses quickly, entrepreneurs might look for mastermind, coaching, and consummation programmes that may help expand their businesses and personal profile.”

While in no way a replacement for traditional learning, online learning has no doubt cemented for itself a position in the field of education.