Education Continues To Push Online This Year

Education is ditching the textbooks and making great leaps into the technological age. This may or may not be for the better but only time will tell. With over 77% of people now automatically reaching for a phone when they have nothing to do this attention span is moving into education.¹ But with changing trends in hot topics and courses from online to in class room Trend Seeker is here today to bring about the best information.

Game Based Learning

According to Carnegie education this year will continue to see the development of education based on learning games.² This will be using two seperate principles including game based learning which is where lessons and content is taught through video games. The second principle being using video game design principles in order to teach more effectively. This process is also called gamification and is often used in business practices. Many companies have started to hire ‘chief gamification officers’ in order to help with workflows and processes. The aim of this is to make learning fun and more engaging for digital natives who have shorter attention spans. The theory behind this is that by using the best parts of video games people will be more likely to stick with learning and retain information.

Online Learning Is Skyrocketing

Education especially in the tertiary fields is moving more and more to online portals and platforms. Many Universities shut down their physical campuses and sent all their students home to learn online. This changed the landscape of education probably forever. Many people who may not have had the opportunity to go to University before can now do so from the safety of their own home. This is especially true for international students who may not have been able to get a student visa or may have had other obstacles in their way. This year will continue to see this trend with more and more Universities offering online courses.

The Decline of the Textbook

With technology on the rise it is no surprise that one of its casualties is the textbook. In 2017 alone textbook sales fell by 6.1% with used book sales dropping even further by 11%. This is because people are now able to find almost everything they need online for free or for a very low cost. In addition to this, many schools and Universities are now issuing iPads or other tablets to their students which come preloaded with the necessary textbooks. This is not only more cost effective for the institution but it is also more convenient for the students who no longer have to carry around a heavy backpack full of books.

Is Psychology Still A Popular Course?

It seems that the popularity of psychology courses has not waned in recent years. In fact, according to the American Psychological Association, the number of students taking psychology courses has increased by 3% since 2016. This is likely due to the growing popularity of mental health awareness and the desire of people to understand themselves and others better. In fact an estimated 1.5 million psychology degree holders are in the American work force currently.³ It is safe to say that psychology is here to stay and will continue to be a popular course for many years to come.

Coding Continues To Become More Mainstream

Coding used to be a very hard course to learn and understand but with the rise of coding bootcamps and other such institutions it is becoming more and more popular. In fact, a recent report found that the number of people looking to learn coding has increased by 54% in the last year alone. This is likely due to the growing demand for coders in the job market as well as the increasing popularity of coding as a hobby. It is safe to say that coding will continue to become more and more mainstream in the coming years.

The Continued Rise of MOOCs

MOOCs or massive open online courses have been growing in popularity in recent years and this trend is set to continue. These courses are often free or very low cost and offer a flexible way for people to learn. In fact, it is estimated that by 2022 there will be around 10 million people taking MOOCs. This is due to the growing popularity of online learning as well as the increasing number of courses available.

Education Is Still Paramount

These are just a few of the many trends that we are seeing in education for 2022. One thing is for sure, education is still paramount and will continue to be so for many years to come. Whether it is online or in person, education is the key to success. To lifelong learning subscribers!

Reference:

1. https://time.com/3858309/attention-spans-goldfish/
2. https://www.carnegielearning.com/blog/2022-education-trends/
3. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/07/datapoint-psychology-major