The online space has been going through a large change for a number of different industries, entertainment has seen it the most, the adjustment for straight to streaming movies and virtual music events have led the way for online entertainment, gaming has seen a similar shift with traditional brick and mortar locations like casinos have made way for the accessibility offered by online services as there are some options available all over, and the workplace has seen a similar change with in-person meetings replaced with zoom calls and offices replaced with the home.
The education space was one to see change early on as bigger institutions put measures in place that would see remote learning extend throughout 2021, but as the year starts to draw to a close, there are questions around whether or not remote education in its current form is here to stay, or if there could be more change afoot. But what could factor into the decision for the schools that are on the fence?
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Student preference should play a part – There are those who certainly benefit more from the remote learning experience, as large numbers have suggested that the balance found with remote learning has helped in a very large way. This will certainly be a consideration and allowing those who learn more effectively from home will be a big call for why the change should be kept permanently.
Cost will be another big factor – Complaints that came through quite early were from the students paying for a certain education experience, particularly through higher education at university level, and weren’t receiving an ideal experience – calls for costs to be cut or discounts to be issued may have muddied the waters and left some questions around whether remote learning will be hampered by the unwillingness to bring costs down, but this is yet to be seen.
Competition breeds new innovation – As with the workplace, there has already been a lot of suggestion that schools who are unable to offer remote learning options may lose out on students to other schools that are able to offer this – having the competition of different online opportunities at different schools will lead to innovation in online education and a better way for it to be approached, which may make it even easier for other schools to follow too.
There’s certainly still a lot of change to come as education facilities change and adjust to the possibility of the permanent change to remote options, but it certainly appears as if it’s here to stay as many individuals take advantage of the flexibility it offers, and those who have yet to make the change will need to in order to keep up with those ahead.
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