eLearning
With learning and the accessibility of information seeming to be at all-time highs, the demand for eLearning is no different. Toddlers to great grandparents are experiencing the lasting effects of the information age. Just about everyone has the ability to connect to the internet in a matter of seconds with one hand. People can have a video conversation with their professor who is an ocean apart. This powerful tool has allowed people to take online classes anywhere and at any time. Currently, women are taking advantage of this at a much higher rate than men with females representing 67% of online learners (Merriam & Bierema, p. 196). The trickle-down effect of the information age has also had an immense impact on the higher education system currently and will dramatically affect its future going forward.
Looking back, it’s hard to imagine the world as it previously existed, a world that forced kids to ask their mom, dad or whoever it took to find out who the 17th president of the United States was. The answer, so everyone knows, is Andrew Johnson. This evolution of technology has changed what people learn, how they learn, and the mediums through which they now learn. Whether people like this shift or not, it’s here to stay and looks like it will continue to advance at the rapid rate it has going forward (Merriam & Bierema, p. 195) .Schools offering online education have seen a rapid growth rate in the last ten to fifteen years. Many people can easily recognize the names of popular online institutions like University of Phoenix, Capella University, and Strayer University. The enrollment growth rate for online schools from 2002 to 2011 was 18.3% when compared to just a 2% growth rate for the overall higher education student population (Merriam & Bierema, p. 193). Take a look at the overall effect of technology and eLearning in this energetic YouTube video:
Looking forward, it’s hard to imagine the world as it will be. A world that may have schools with almost entirely online classes, professors who live on different continents than their students, and where information will be accessed at an even faster rate than we ever thought possible. A world where elementary school kids may be more technologically savvy than most adults, if it isn’t that way already. Not only has the explosion of technological advancement made eLearning possible, but it’s made it the future (Merriam & Bierema, p. 204). Technology, the world in general, and everything in it is changing at the speed of light; and the adult learner has the opportunity take full advantage of it.
Reference
Merriam, S. B., & Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
The eLearning Revolution. (2012, January 19). Retrieved April 13, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlJshzOv2cw
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