The concept of education has changed significantly during the last 20 years. Being physically present in an educational institution is no longer required to acquire a first-rate education. People now have additional learning options because of the Internet's and technology's growth. Children may attend school from home, and adults always seeking new information can acquire new skills from the comfort of their sofas by enrolling in hundreds of online courses taught by professionals in many industries.  However, they are all superficial alterations that may be seen with the naked eye. Let's go further into the subject to understand the key innovations and how online learning is changing education.

The history of education is a long one, but not an especially varied one. For centuries, the epicentre of secondary school education was the physical classroom, a purpose-built space for synchronistic, tightly scheduled learning.  Then, along came online schools, which are fundamentally transforming how we understand education. In this post, let’s take a walk through the unlikely history of online learning and track how the model is elevating education today. Finally, let’s dip our toes into some speculative waters, pulling from recent research to guess how education will continue to change in the future.  Here’s a (slightly abridged) version of online learning’s impact on the education system – and the exciting path ahead.

To understand the future, you have to investigate the past.

The history of online learning goes back further than most people expect. As students in OES’s history courses understand, history is a continuum of overlapping causes and effects – big changes don’t appear out of thin air. In that vein, the history of online learning stretches back to the mid-1800s when the US Posta Service offered remote “correspondence colleges,” and enterprising institutions dabbled with the idea of televised and radio-transmitted college classes. Each of these prototypes was instrumental in developing what we now know as “online education.” 

Then came the rise of the personal computer. There’s some debate over the first institution to implement online courses in earnest. Some resources point all the way back to the Western Behavioral Sciences Institute in 1982, which leveraged fledgling computer conferencing software to offer business development resources to executives. Others maintain that Florida’s Nova Southeastern University was the first to get the ball rolling, offering accredited graduate courses in a “digital classroom.” And yet others stick the flag in the University of Phoenix, 1989, the first school to fully offer bachelor's and graduate online degrees.

 You’ll notice that high schools are conspicuously absent from the story so far. Universities and colleges had a couple of legs up in digital adoption: first, they often had computer resources, digital infrastructures and tech-fluent professors that high schools simply didn’t at the time; second, they had a geographically diverse student body to accommodate (unlike high schools, which usually serviced the surrounding community). It wasn’t until the mid-90s conversation.

– When Whitmore School in West Virginia piloted their “CompuHigh” school, online high schools entered the rest is (recent) history. As more high school students warmed to the idea of online courses, funding and accreditation mechanisms grew more sophisticated. And as technology advanced, so too did the schools themselves. Eventually, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, which acted as a sort of “proof of concept” for many students who got their first taste of online learning. (You can read more about Ontario’s online learning requirement released amid the pandemic in 2022.)

Why did a humble spin on the conventional schooling model cause such a massive sea change in education? How did the inherent qualities of online learning (and, by extension, online teaching) respond to and morph alongside emerging pedagogical theories? In simpler terms: how is online learning changing education?

That’s the central question we tackle today. Now that you know a little about the history of online schools, let’s investigate the seismic impacts of a remote, digital education model.

The usual training format always includes travel to an educational institution, which can frequently last the length of one lecture or more. Online learning, on the other hand, removes this basis, and the student now only has to take a laptop and go to the LMS or another online learning tool. The free time can be used for extra training, lecture preparation, and other activities. Related article: AI in eLearning. The Importance of Chatbots.  Training is divided into classes in standard instruction. Furthermore, online learning allows students to focus their attention on issues that are most interesting to them, which considerably increases information acquisition. Pacing of learning is also important. Students must wait till the next day or even longer to continue studying the material (depending on the schedule set by the educational institution). Online learning does not disrupt the flow of learning. Students may study as much as they need thanks to unrestricted access to all educational material.  The last benefit is the speedy resolution of all matters of relevance to the learner. For example, if a problem arises while studying new material, the student can simply write to the teacher and receive a quick response. In an educational institution, there is no need to wait until the following session to catch the teacher to clarify certain concerns. Related article: Why Edutainment is an Absolute Game-changer in Learning?

It all comes down to how successful online education is in comparison to traditional schools. Let's face it: in the early days of online learning, many of us were suspicious. It seems to us that nothing better than ordinary classrooms would be produced, and that sitting at a computer instead of in a class could only decrease learning effectiveness. However, history has demonstrated the exact reverse. For example, 43% of students polled claimed online learning is better than courses, while just 15% said it is not as good as traditional schooling.  You're still not convinced that online learning is improving education's efficiency? So there you have it. In recent research, IBM discovered that participants absorbed roughly five times as much content without increasing training time. All this is due to the tremendous flexibility of online learning and the ability to tailor curricula to each unique learner. Another element influencing efficiency is that students may design their own curriculum and, in certain situations, pick who they want to learn with based on the profiles of the trainers.

Ordinary learning appears to be collaborative as well, which is tough to dispute. Online training, on the other hand, has substantially broadened the scope of this relationship. You may learn in the same classroom as a student from another continent, from the comfort of your own home. Different social learning approaches may be used in training courses to help you engage with other participants more effectively. Collaboration may be developed through a variety of collaborative exercises, work in pairs, discussion simulations, and other activities.  Another way that online learning is transforming education is by moving all communication and collaboration to the internet. There are numerous chats, forums, and emails for general contact, while several online conferencing technologies are available for in-class participation and more active cooperation.

"Variety of Learning Formats" refers to the different methods or modes through which learning content can be delivered to accommodate diverse learning styles, preferences, and environments. These formats aim to enhance engagement, understanding, and retention. Common examples include:

These qualities are one of the primary advantages of online learning over traditional classroom instruction. The instructor and the student select their own learning speed, allowing them to better balance the learning process and integrate it with other activities. Furthermore, don't overlook the widespread availability of online learning. Related article: The 10 Best Prototyping Tools for Designers.  Aside from that, one of the primary ways that online learning is altering education is by making it available to everyone who wants to learn new things. In addition to freedom, you have access to an infinite number of training courses, both paid and free. Thousands of subjects and tens of thousands of hours of instruction are available with a few mouse clicks.

The third way that online learning is altering education is by making the educational process more cost-effective. All of the benefits of online learning mentioned above enable educational institutions to maximize their educational expenses. Online learning, for example, may help universities save operational expenses by 3% to 50%. Furthermore, the cost-effectiveness works both ways, and students gain as well. Online education is several times less expensive than college tuition since the expenditures of textbooks, dorm living, and other training expenses are eliminated. Related article: How to Find an App Developer for Your Business Requirements.  Wrapping Up

Recently, Google released comprehensive research it conducted into the future of education. In it, they note a shift in teacher roles from “gatekeepers of knowledge” to “choreographers of learning.

”  We like the ring of that! It recalls the seminal research of Alison King, a professor of education at California State, who argued that a teacher shouldn’t be a “sage on a stage” – they should be a “guide on the side.” King’s reasoning was that students should not be passive recipients of knowledge; if students are to meet 21st Century demands head-on, they will need the critical thinking skills you can only get from a self-directed, active education.

The teachers at OES exemplify the best of this “choreographer of learning” concept. They are knowledgeable, compassionate, and attuned to their students’ individual needs. And, when they need to be, they are “guides on the side,” enabling their students to reach their highest potential.

These were the main ways in which online learning is changing education. As you have noticed, these changes have benefited the entire industry and have opened up new ways of delivering educational material, improving engagement,  and student performance. Technologies do not stand still, and who knows how else learning will change thanks to online training.

However, it would be wise to prepare for the future now, and if you want to transform your learning process, you need a complete online learning solution tailored to your needs. To create this solution, you can turn to a professional eLearning development team like us. Raccoon Gang is a team of online learning solution developers with a long list of custom-built online learning projects for businesses from all domains. Drop us a line, share your idea with us, and we’ll bring it to life with our expertise and technical skills.