How online learning has changed with modern technology
–Education is the earliest and most fruitful investment that you can make. By obtaining the right education and schooling, you can play an important role in society by applying the knowledge, skills, and experience you’ve gained from that education in your specific field. Most importantly, education grants you the qualifications you need for your desired profession, meaning you can achieve the success and stability that you desire.
Without education and learning, mankind would not have been able to develop technology as much as we have and explore its applications in the world. The technology existing today wouldn’t be possible without the explorations made using skills that professionals learned through education.
Moreover, it’s important to understand that education doesn’t conclude after stepping out of academia—it’s merely the beginning of a lifelong journey of continuing to develop your skills and learn about further advancements in your field. Thankfully, technology is there to aid people as education and technology evolve together.
In this article, you’ll be exploring the numerous advantages to online learning, its humble beginnings, how online learning became relevant, and—most importantly—the impacts of modern technology on online education as they progress in tandem.
Online Learning and Its Exceptional Merits
The past year has facilitated and emphasized the rise of online learning. With the introduction of various online facilities like streaming video, chatting facility, discussion boards, and forums, to name a few, the dominion of traditional classroom education is diminishing day by day.
The convenience and affordability of online education also emphasizes why it’s so much appreciated by students across the world. Online learning can be conducted from the comfort of your home by verified and highly-qualified instructors. Students don’t have to spend extra money for moving or travelling and commuting. The only thing that they need to do is to simply search for the right online school which would grant them online learning. Online learning encompasses a variety of disciplines, including health care, management, communication, sales, education, and more, so there’s something out there for everyone.
Online Education Through the Years
How did conventional education transition into the online and remote model? How did technology contribute in this pursuit? First, we have to look at technology and its impacts on the current world.
The earliest form of online education practice first occurred in 1960 at the University of Illinois, where they designed an Intranet for their students to enable access of course materials and recorded lectures by linking computer terminals into a central system. Later, it flourished into Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations (PLATO), the earliest form of computer-facilitated learning.
This original program would, overtime, lead to the development of programs like Blackboard, one of the prominent learning management systems, and evolve further with the advent of screen sharing, chat rooms, and message boards.
Moving forward to the present-day online education, here are specific ways that online learning changed with modern technology:
- Gain Degrees and Certifications Through the Internet
In the past, if you wanted to pursue a higher education, you had to make the time commitment to go to school in person. Online learning, however, now allows learners to earn just about any kind of collegiate degree, both undergraduate and graduate, without needing to relocate in order to attend a school in person. You can learn at your own pace, do coursework, and complete your education from the comfort of your own home.
Learners should take note that online education is just as important as a traditional in-person education. If you’re considering pursuing an online degree, you still have to find the best schools and universities to take your desired degree programs. The spread of options for online education is not necessarily identical to those for a traditional experience, but there are still many renowned institutions that offer online curricula. Thankfully, students who are restricted by geographical barriers won’t be restricted by online learning, enabling them to enroll in a specific program or course from across the country.
By taking online courses and degree paths, you can stay ahead of the learning curve, earn multiple certificates or degrees, and achieve career advancement. Additionally, you can even partake in online courses while studying conventionally in your university, while accomplishing a thesis, or while raising your children.
With so many options for online course work and certificate programs, it’s easy to see why online learning has become such a popular alternative. Most of these programs are supported by high-quality content and interactive testing. Therefore, students can be confident that they’re getting the highest quality education possible when taking their classes online. Many online programs are accredited and come with guaranteed course completion, which you can use as a qualification when job hunting.
- Improvement of Learning Materials and Resources
Learning through modern technology has definitely helped learners improve their education and career prospects as more universities and colleges adopt online learning. Certainly, modern technology cut costs involved in teaching and student accommodation and it also simplified processes of evaluation, assessment, training, and development. However, the multiple benefits will only become obvious as time is channeled into furthering innovation of learning tools, resources, and materials into the research and effective application of these new technologies.
The improvement of learning resources is an evident byproduct of how technology has revolutionized online education. Learners can now access learning content from anywhere in the world. Instead of going to physical libraries, students can navigate through online libraries as well as their inclusive online school resources and databases.
In addition, because of how technology has been developed into specific applications, it has also ensured that these applications are suited specifically to the learning needs of particular people. This isn’t the only factor that contributes to the success of online learning, but the sheer variety of the learning tools available today is another.
Improvement of learning resources is an important part of how technology has influenced learning. There have been several changes to the way that teaching is done. Teachers no longer depend on physical books and other reading materials to teach their students. They can now utilize selected portions of online texts, articles, and journals, as well as other digital media, as their material for their curricula. On top of this, they now use various teaching tools such as computer-based training programs and websites that give necessary instructions in a clear and organized manner. The biggest advantage of this is that instructors can now save time and effort when making their own lessons interesting and engaging for students.
- Collaborate through Education-Specific Apps and Software
Peer collaboration has changed the way many educational systems around the world teach students. Peer collaboration, or collaborative learning, essentially encourages learners to discuss concepts and solve problems by working in pairs or groups. Over the years, this type of educational model has evolved and now includes online learning along with traditional face-to-face classroom instruction.
In any case, one of the most powerful features of peer collaboration is the ability for one team member to be able to see the work of other team members, then evaluate, critique, and fill in the gaps someone else in their group may have. This is why peer-to-peer collaboration has completely changed the educational landscape—it will continue to have a huge impact on the educational system in the years to come.
To facilitate these collaborative activities, various software and platforms emerged which can help teams accomplish both their short- and long-term goals. The collaborative tools, programs, and platforms available today aren’t just for academic use—they’re also highly applicable in the workplace.
Furthermore, some universities have partnered with software creators to curate their own collaborative platforms within the school. Since the software is specifically designed for their institution, they can integrate other systems such as student services, administration, financial management, marketing, and the like into the same platform.
- Ditch Pen-and-Paper Examinations with Online Assessments
The old method of learning was based on the students sitting in a classroom and participating in group projects, discussions, and individual assignments. They were then evaluated based on their performance by their instructor. As more information became available to educators about how people learn, they introduced assessments through tests and quizzes to standardize educational expectations and requirements. Since online assessments and evaluations were introduced, many schools have made the switch.
Today, there’s no longer a need for people to be in a classroom to take tests or quizzes. Students can do it all online at home from their personal computers. Students prone to distress and anxiety because of their testing environment can shift to online assessments instead and improve their performances. Also, schools can minimize the administrative burden of preparing, organizing, and operating the examinations, as well as reduced expenses on testing materials.
One downside is that it is harder to monitor test-takers in order to ensure that there is no cheating as there are no testing administrators present. However, there are some ways to at least track what students are doing on their computers during their exams to ensure they are not looking up answers, and there are other measures that can be implemented depending on the systems used.
In terms of big examinations, modern technology also gave way to online review programs to help learners prepare for their academic- and career-defining examinations, such as college admission tests, licensure examinations, and more. Fortunately, there are several resources and review centers available for free, and there are a wide variety and pay scales of paid centers available as well.
- Engage in Interactive and Immersive Activities
Did you know that a number of educational institutions are using digital labs and simulation systems to teach their students? Virtual laboratories and simulation systems generally provide learners a hands-on experience of what can be applied in real life.
Even without the learner’s presence in the actual laboratory, these simulation systems aid students’ learning and comprehension while creating a safer and more comfortable learning experience. This learning flexibility is one of the reasons why more students are opting for online programs.
Here are some ways on how educational institutions can take advantage of virtual labs:
- Serve as a visual aid in teaching complex concepts and lessons
- Utilize as a pre-lab exercise to teach safety, techniques, measures, and procedures
- Utilize as a post-lab exercise to evaluate student’s learning and reflections
- Use as a material to recall student’s knowledge before a new discussion
- Facilitate online learning during emergency events
Another way simulations have improved education is for training purposes. Real-life situations are simulated in training environments to prepare new employees for the workforce. In these types of educational settings, real-life problems can be addressed in realistic ways. By teaching employees how to handle various scenarios, companies can train their employees for any type of job, whether they’re applying for entry-level jobs or those of higher salaries.
Online Education: A Solution You Didn’t Know You Needed
The importance of online learning has been well-explained and emphasized by the previous points, and particularly, everyone has witnessed how extremely relevant online education is in the current global situation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, modern technology demonstrated that online, remote learning is feasible on a larger scale than previously thought possible.
However, along with the benefits of online learning are the challenges of navigating the digital world. While many developed countries such as Norway and Switzerland are perfectly fit for distance learning thanks to their reliable internet access and tech availability, the under-developed countries don’t have the same opportunities to support education.
Preparing Students for the Online-Based World: The Bottom Line
These points about how online learning is transforming education as we know it is just the tip of the iceberg. The most important purpose of modern technology in online education is how it is accessible to a wider range of people than traditional education, and progressively hones their critical thinking skills, teamwork, and adaptability to different challenges. Online learning takes the initiative to address the incompetencies and inequities present in the field of education in a way that has long been necessary.
