The increasingly important role of online education in a COVID-19 world

Never in the history of education has open access to education, educators, qualifications and training been more important. In a world where the COVID-19 virus can shut down schools, neighbourhoods, cities and countries the ability to find, consume, development wisdom and gain success are more important than ever before. It is widely believed that one of the best ways to reduce and halt the impact of disease or other disruptive factors is to close schools.

Initially, for global students, graduates and employees to gain access to ivy-league schools the options were limited. One of the first opportunities was Coursera with its 3000+ courses, specialisations, professional certificates, Mastertrack certificates and now online degrees as explained by Class Central. Due to 2020’s international shut-down of schools and lock-down of entire countries, universities, colleges, high schools and elementary schools have moved their entire faculty, programmes and students online.

Hidden Gems in Online Education

But most people do not understand that world-class education has always been available but not always visible. Universities on the innovative end of sophistication have been offering certificates, degrees, masters and even PhD programmes online. As long ago as four years (which seems like an eternity in online-terms) there were 6.3 million students in the USA completing online courses. While the growth of the online learning industry at a rate of 25% every year underscores its growing acceptance in India alone. In other words, the number of users enrolled for various online learning courses was around 1.6 Million in 2016, Which is expected to grow about 9.6 Million by the end of 2021, which is truly staggering.

The successful university of the future understands the increasingly important role of online education in a COVID-19 world. Technical and trade learning has been online for more than a decade. Gaining professional qualifications has been available for over 15 years. What makes these courses great, according to Smartbrief are not the subjects they teach but the way learners are able to:

1. Access the content on any device
2. Learn and relearn at any hour of the day
3. Interact with the educators and content in a way that reflects the student’s learning style, and,
4. Learn at their own pace.

The best-in-class universities offer social learning opportunities in any timezone. Says Craig Hansen, Director of the University of Applied Research & Development (UARD), “There is no excuse for any university today to deny 24/7 access to quality learning opportunities. With Facebook’s social learning groups, Zoom or Skype’s instant communication features and Google Classroom’s comprehensive assignment features, any institution with the desire to teach can meet their students’ desire to learn.” UARD is a prime example of walking-the-talk with its Master of Education being delivered to motivated educators in Indonesia, Nepal, India and Canada with faculty from all over the world (contact UARD via the STORM APP - see below).

The University fo Delaware tells us that the majority of students take online courses due to their personal schedules of work, other programmes of learning, sports and family commitments. With the rise of online education at all levels, increasing numbers of students access learning anywhere, anytime.

Online education: staying safe in a COVID-19 world

Today, there are close to 28,000 online degrees offered. With the United Nations saying students need to observe strict hygiene procedures at all times due to COVID-19, learning from home has become a critical option that must be provided. Learning on a mobile phone, submitting assignments, getting feedback from tutors, working on a group project, creating multimedia content to demonstrate learning objectives and taking assessments must be completed anywhere, anytime. This is not only effective but also safe in a COVID-19 world. 

You deserve the best in educational opportunities. Applications are still open for universities around the world. With over 20 years in education, we know where you can find the university that you need - both online and offline.

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