What is traditional education? According to law insider traditional education means education in which instruction takes place between an instructor and students where all are physically present in the same classroom. This is probably your own view of traditional education too. If you have been observant in the least you will notice that this system of education has been grossly displaced.

However, what is online learning? According to sciencedirect, online learning or online education is instruction that is delivered electronically through various multimedia and internet platforms and applications. Other terms that can be used in place of online learning are; web-based learning, e-learning, computer-assisted instruction, and internet-based learning.

This means that the graphic designing or copywriting you just learnt was learnt through the internet and is a part of online learning. From the statistics gathered from bestcolleges.com in 2021, about 6 in 10 college students took at least one course online. About 30% of students took classes exclusively online. Another 30% had some, but not all of their classes online and 40% of students did not take any online classes. This means that an unprecedented number of students still in academia are turning online and their institutions are beginning to recognize the value of online learning.

However, we have not considered the bulk of online students that are not in academia. Take a look at this stunning figure; $198.2 billion. This is the global online education/E-learning Market value as of 2022, and by 2030 it is projected to reach a value of $602.0 billion. This is no small figure. It clearly shows the future of online learning; it has come to stay and it is fast growing too. This article will also consider the impact of online learning on traditional education currently.

1. Online Education is more Accessible than Traditional Education:

Most of the time-consuming and friction-filled means of admission and other processes that characterize traditional education are boycotted in online learning. If you have been upskilling, think about the last time you registered for an online course and compare it to the last education you had in a proper classroom. The rigours of getting yourself physically present for your class were nonexistent in online learning, true? Traditional education is currently trying to retain numbers as more and more people are choosing the easy way out. They are beginning to integrate online processes into their education system to remain relevant.

2. Online Education is more Flexible and Customizable:

In this era where technology rules the day, online education being founded on technology has found a way to easily adjust and move with the trend. Traditional systems of education that were established many years ago and are very rigid have not easily adjusted to this change. Efforts are being made but the speed has kept a lot of people on the list of preference of online education.

High-impact skills like copywriting, Search Engine Optimization, Community Management etc. are not yet being offered by traditional institutions, in fact not much has been done to integrate them into the system, yet these are the skills in vogue, of course, people would prefer online education.

Most online learning platforms allow students to learn at their pace. If it does not, it has good reasons for that. Self-paced learning accommodates much more people than traditional education could ever be able to accommodate. This is a big win on the side of online learning.

3. Online Learning is Adapting Winning Teaching Methods:

The teaching methods in online learning are also worth our attention. All kinds of learners are being carried along. Exercises and lessons in the form of gallery walks, blended learning, widespread use of multimedia, interactive learning content etc. are some of the many teaching methods of online learning. Technology is changing the way we teach and the way we learn. Certainly, online learning that is hinged on technology is the big winner yet again.

I once saw a Facebook post. There were pictures of cars from the past century and pictures of cars from 2023, there were pictures of phones and computers from the past century and pictures of phones from 2023, there were also pictures of hospitals of the last century and pictures of hospitals from 2023. You can already guess how different each comparison would look; we have really come a long way. However, there was also a picture of a classroom from the past century and a picture of a classroom from 2023, guess what? There was very little difference between the classrooms. In fact, the only difference that I was able to note is the furniture. It had changed from dark wooden furniture to more beautiful and portable ones, however beyond that, I noticed no change.

This is the reality of traditional education. While the rest of the world has moved on, our traditional education system has not. It is therefore a beautiful thing that online education is growing bigger and stronger. It is improving the way we teach and learn.

4. Continual Improvement that is Data-driven:

This is a big one. There are hardly any changes being made in the traditional education system, except that which they are being forced to make because of the tough competition that online education is putting up.

While traditional education has been at ease with herself and her achievements for a long time, online education has continued to improve. Online education is wonderful today but it will certainly be better tomorrow. In online education, changes are not made abstractly, for example by the best human psychologists and teachers who lock themselves up in a room and decide and implement all the changes they think are worthwhile. No, the improvements and changes being made both to the content and method of online education are all data-driven. This is a guarantee that things can only get better.

Online learning is also forcing traditional education to make its own changes and adjustments. Today educators are required to be tech-savvy to an extent. They are being forced to adapt to new teaching methods and technology. So today an educator does not need just industry-specific knowledge, expertise in technology is also a requirement not just for the educator but also for the student.

5. Online Education Displacing Traditional Education:

Online learning is currently more popular than traditional learning among Gen Z today, however, the traditional learning system may never be displaced and it should not. In-person interactions- a beautiful thing that traditional education has to offer is something online education may never be able to give. However, for many of the jobs available in the world today, especially in tech, you don’t need a degree certificate.

I would rather say that it is a healthy relationship that exists between the two; as traditional education is integrating the essence of online education into its system it is evolving, and traditional education must adapt to stay relevant. I posit that in a few years, if the picture I saw on Facebook were to be updated, our future classrooms will be a far cry from what was formerly obtainable.

Now that you know the future of online learning and some of the impact of online learning on traditional education, it is time for you to adjust accordingly. What are you doing to learn online since even traditional systems are trying to copy online teaching and learning methods? At Heels and Tech, we have so many opportunities for you to learn online. Don’t procrastinate, start learning something new today. Your future will thank you. For even more information on this read up.