About Online Learning in the Present
The first wave of online learning was less than successful. Universities that went online were far ahead of the hesitant market of online learners, and the technology was not nearly good enough to support a strong online learning environment.
The second wave, though, has ridden in. Online learning, from online degree programs all the way to online guitar lessons are experiencing strong growth and popularity increasing at a constant pace. New technologies, from podcasting to augmented reality, are helping to make online learning into many things that traditional learning never could be.
As one prominent analyst has put it, “e-learning has become learning.” What this means is that e-learning has grown up to be much bigger than it once was, and learning online has been integrated into many aspects of traditional learning. The boundary between online learning and any other form of learning is now significantly blurred.
Today, many companies are building their own learning infrastructure to help employees learn as they work. In 2003, according to the Sloan Consortium, 34% of all universities offered online degrees. An increasingly older demographic is seeking out learning online.
New Advances in Technology Will Only Improve the Online Learning Experience
Still in the Real World
Almost all online learning will require the student to meet with the professor one way or another. Many students who take online courses will still work with a college or university that is close to home. This gives them the best of both worlds:
- Access to the instructor in the event of an emergency or pressing question.
- And the ability to learn in their own time, at their own pace.
The flipside of this is that online learning will also require the student to use many real world resources, including textbooks, library materials and interaction with other students in their area (if possible).
