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The Future of Online Learning

Some of the biggest trends in online learning will continue well into the next decade. These are:

  • More advances in technology. Technologies already in place, such as Flash and other interactive features will also become much better and much more facilitative of learning and even interaction with others.
    • VoIP is already being adopted by online degree programs.
    • Augmented reality is the use of various technologies that will help to create a virtual classroom experience.
    • Think of everything you’ve ever heard about virtual reality and apply it to online learning: a virtual teacher who can answer your questions, instant feedback on your rate of learning, and more.
  • An increasing trust of online universities. Several online universities are leading the way in adapting to people’s concerns and meeting them where they are. More will follow universities like University of Phoenix and DeVry University in bridging the gap between the world online and the everyday world.
  • A faster-paced world that is more hooked into technology. Both of these factors will be tempered of course. People are going to want “downtime” to be with families and to participate in their communities, but when they work, they will work fast, and when they learn they will learn fast. Technology can facilitate learning at any pace, and that’s why it will continue to increase in popularity. And it will become cheaper...
  • Increasing affordability. High tuition costs got you feeling down? Not so online, where costs continue to go down, even as the technology gets faster and better. Online, one professor can handle thousands of students. There are no drafty lecture halls to heat and clean. Many processes, from registration to marking, can all be automated. All of this makes online learning tuition cheaper than on campus learning. Both trends in this area show no sign of changing: online learning costs are coming down, while campus tuition continues to go up.

And of course, we can’t forget science fiction scenarios of being able to instantly download reams of information directly into your mind (think Neuromancer or The Lawnmower Man). These are still pretty far off in the future.