There isn’t an industry on the planet that the internet has not touched. Despite the drama of the Dot Com Boom in the early era, software development remains one of the hottest markets for investors and workforce members to get involves in. Even pre-pandemic, we saw the boom of eLearning as software giants like Blackboard, Moodle and Canvas placed themselves in public and private sectors of learning. Nowadays, the average student is the average person, and eLearning happens everyday outside and inside of formal learning spaces.
Online learning platform development is a prime case study of illustrating the explosion of eLearning options. Once upon a time, developers were brought up in the classrooms of tech savvy institutions- looking at you, MIT. Nowadays, developers are hired in a similar way that artists are: portfolios. While the traditional education path is alive and well, many developers are taught via virtual bootcamps, coding groups, mentorships, self teaching or a combination of all. They load their projects onto the cloud and link their virtual portfolios to every application they submit. eLearning has leveled the playing field for anyone with internet access and a desire to live their coding career dreams.
MindK has guided many clients through the process of software development, and we have full confidence in the lucrative market that eLearning presents. Below are just a few of the reasons behind that confidence:
- The market sector shows promising growth on an international level
The worldwide e-learning market is expected to be worth $325 billion in 2025, compared to $165 billion in 2015. The world-wide-web has ensured that information has never been more accessible, and as the internet reach grows, so will the technology it hosts.
- eLearning accessibility increased with mobile apps
In the android, apple and google app stores you can find an application genre of “Educational” media. These apps range from formal university applications to everyday consumer content. Ever heard of Duolingo?
- Students are benefiting from the digital revolution of media
The majority of today’s student body has never known life without internet, so why would eLearning be anything but beneficial? 81 percent of respondents agreed that digital learning technology was helping them improve their grades. Not to mention the monetary advantage students can reap by not having to commute or relocate for an education.
- American faculty are enabled and enabling the growth of eLearning
A survey by Bay View Analytics revealed that over half of faculty at American colleges and universities employed eLearning methods for the very first time. This alignment with student learning preferences has enabled all parties involved.
- The demographic of students has shifted, indicating increased adult learning
Research from Academic Partnerships found that 97 percent of the students and alumni in 50 institutions they support are working adults – 35-44 years old was the majority age.
This new demographic is working adults, either looking for continued education in their field, or a complete career switch.
- The evolvement of learning platforms from paper to web material has enabled creatives.
Ever heard of the term “gamification”? It is a term describing the use of gaming mechanisms for tasks that are typically not considered “games”. This development of online learning platform development has opened doors for game and curriculum design collaboration as online learning demands engagement of the audience.
- eLearning market expands with allowing learners to self-pace their study
A common stat you’ll hear is “human’s attention span is shorter than a goldfishes”, while true or not, we cannot ignore the fact that 4 hour lectures can quickly become snooze-fests. Even with a Grande latte, who has hours of free time to devote at a time to learning? eLearning becomes even more accessible to larger parts of the market by enabling learners to participate with personalizes timelines.
- The value of eLearning has been recognized post-pandemic
Schools have included online learning in their budget for now and the foreseeable future. 49% of students plan to continue to enroll in online classes even after their institutions return to in-person instruction, and their demands will be met by institutions that value their attendance.
- Online degrees are cheaper for students
For public 4 year degrees, when tuition and the cost of attendance are compared between an online degree and an in-person degree, the online degree is $10,776 cheaper. As accessibility is increased on economical playing fields, we can expect demand to only increase.
- The demand for online learning in corporate trainings have become dramatic
Time is money, and no one knows it better than corporate America. With this in mind, and the need for a skilled workforce: 90% of companies are using eLearning as a training tool.
