Progressive Change’ the New Catchphrase in Online Learning Trends in 2013

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So, in the year 2012 the world did not end and we are all safe. Despite the unlucky stigma of the number ‘13’, the year 2013 holds new plans and surprises. While, there are strides of improvements and new dimensions in diverse sectors of the globe, the world of education is geared up to gifting the world new changes in this field.

The idea is to bring the world closer with a more simplified educational system through use of technical tools. As the world has shrunk to finger tip, there is no doubt to it that the combination of computer and internet has significant role to play in daily lives. Knowledge is just a click away making education accessible from almost anywhere and at anytime. The year 2013 witnesses top five major trends in education, where the computer and internet has major impact.

2013 to witness Major Trends in Education

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                      ·   Social Media is expected to play a huge role   

            

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Social Media is acting the benefactor of connecting people and bringing people together from round the world. Social media is now making its way from advertising, entertainment and sports. So, it is natural for social media to take up a domineering role in the world of education. In the past two years, social media has emerged in leaps and bounds but in 2013 it is expected to make an even bigger splash across the globe. From SMS marketing and students creating YouTube videos, Facebook pages and professors designing classroom focused blogs; it is expected that everyone will benefit a lot from social media.                                                                      

                                                                                                                  

•         College graduates to witness less stress for job hunts

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The year 2013 is expected to witness more number of college graduates. Besides, they are hopeful to feel less stressed in job hunts too. The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) conducted a survey in which it found that employers will be hiring 9.5% more graduates from class of 2012 than the previous year batch. Added to this, those students acquiring degrees in Engineering, Mathematics, Technology and Science are highly valuable to employers. So, the advice for the young generation of today is to upgrade their skills and update their LinkedIn profile to get maximum benefits from jobs.

                   ·         Game based Learning is the talk of town

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Ask anyone and you will get maximum votes for a good game. Today, the trend is to enjoy game-based learning (GBL), which is not just becoming popular within classroom walls, but also for teachers and students who can gain maximum from this mode of learning. Remember, game based learning comprise of anything ranging from serious games to video games and learning simulations and so on. The best part of GBL learning is that it is particularly designed to balance subject matter and game play. The ultimate objective is to enable students quickly learn and retain what they have picked through the games. Though already in practice, 2013 is yet to witness more such learning processes, which are regarded as highly imbibing.

·         MOOC trend is supposedly to bring on more Impact

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MOOC, which stands for Massive Open Online Courses has been a rage and is expected to become more popular in 2013. Though, the term was coined back in 2008, it will have its best and most useful implication in 2013. What is best is that MOOC is actually revolutionising and changing the way people think and learn. The courses available are free. You simply need a computer to learn. In 2013, it is expected that MOOC will gradually become a useful mechanism, which students will use to receive official college credit. Research says that MOOC reaches out to 200 countries in a variety of 44 languages. This mode of learning boasts of 4500 learning centres across the world.

·         More number of Universities will involve in offering Online Learning

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From online learning tutorials and free podcasts, distance learning is making it feasible to push the limits of educational boundaries to greater stretch for convenient accessibility of education from anywhere in the world. So far, people have been witness to paid degree programmes and online classes, but the current trend is to offer free courses. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Hopkins University, University of California, Stanford University and Berkeley are offering free courses. Users now have access to online learning materials for free anytime and from anywhere. So, given the progress in online learning universities offering online learning are expected to multiply in number and more number of students are expected to enrol. Source

So, we can put it in this way that 2013 has already shown instances of progress in education but is yet to witness more with the coming of time. Today, as it seem the world of computer and internet has overwhelmed the world and everyone including students and professionals are taking advantage of it. Whether it is the use of social media tools or simply the internet, the idea of seeking online education has become quite in vogue.

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Naturally, changes are popping into this world with online learning coming to prominence with much more impact. But students have always been interested in enrolling with distance learning coursesassociated with world recognised universities. In this regard, UK universities deserve special mention which have world accredited qualifications. Thus, enrolment with such distance communities seems to be always in demand.