Recession – Online School Technology Renews Interest in Education

The president of AIU Houston, Steve Malutich, has stated that the growing popularity of Online Tech Courses is because they make university education more accessible to a broader audience. This is due to factors such as rising transportation costs and technological advancements. More and more students are juggling school, jobs, and family responsibilities. This trend will likely lead to more schools incorporating distance learning into their curriculum.

Changed Opinions of the Education Sector amid the Recession

A growing number of students are enrolling at universities and colleges around the globe as a result of the current economic downturn to secure employment during the tough times ahead. Many Americans aspire to improve their employability, knowing that a college education can give them a leg up in today’s competitive employment market. An education focused on preparing students for specific jobs is called “career-based education”. It is oriented because it delivers results through instructors with real-world expertise.

The New Educational Requirement

The school system, which many claims was already becoming irrelevant, has been further upset by this pandemic. Scholar Yuval Noah Harari argues in his book 21 Lessons for the critical thinking and flexibility, two abilities that will be increasingly valuable in the workplace of the future. The shift to online education raises the question of whether or not it could serve as the impetus for the development of a novel and potentially more efficient approach to teaching. Many others, having experienced the benefits of online learning firsthand, hope to make it a central part of their “new normal,” despite concerns that the rapid pace of the transfer online might have hindered them.

How Online Tech Transforms Education?

The increasing number of adults who feel compelled to return to school because of the economy has contributed to the meteoric rise in the popularity of online education. The number of students enrolling in at least one online course increased by 12% over the previous year, according to a recent survey conducted by the Sloan Consortium. This survey showed that more than 3.9 million students were doing so during the fall 2007 term. With the flexibility offered by online learning , students may better balance their academic and personal commitments. They make higher education accessible to people living in remote areas or far from a university, increasing the potential for a richer mix of perspectives and backgrounds in the “classroom.” It has been discovered that offering students a combination of online and in-classroom courses gives them the greatest of both worlds, allowing them to tailor their education to their schedule while benefiting from the personal connections and support that traditional classroom learning can offer.

Community Re-Skilling with Online Tech

In April 2020, there was a significant rise in the unemployment rate across the United States (14.8 per cent), particularly affecting women, people of colour, and those without a college degree. The latest BLS figures show that the national unemployment rate has dropped to 6.2% but that the layoff rate for Black workers remains high at 9.9%. Many municipalities are teaming up with businesses and non-traditional online educational institutions to combat the ongoing pandemic-induced recession and the resulting renewed calls for economic fairness.

The Efficacy of Education through Online School Technology

Learning online is more efficient in various ways for those with the necessary resources. According to the findings of specific studies, pupils remember 25-60% more information while learning online as opposed to only 8-10% when learning in a classroom setting. Students can learn at their own pace thanks to the advent of e-learning. It allows them to go back and re-read, skip, or accelerate through ideas as they see fit, resulting in a time savings of 40-60% compared to traditional classroom settings. However, the effectiveness of receiving one’s education online is highly dependent on one’s age group. The vast majority of individuals believe that young children, in particular, require a more structured atmosphere because they are more easily distracted. To get the most out of online education , you need to make a concerted effort to give it structure and go beyond simply simulating a real classroom or lecture through the use of video capabilities. Instead, you should utilise various methods for online conferencing and student participation.

The Difficulties of Education through Online Technology

To be sure, there are obstacles to conquer. It is a worldwide and even more widespread problem that some students, especially those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, have difficulty taking part in digital learning because they lack access to consistent Internet and/or appropriate technology. According to OECD statistics, while 95% of pupils in Norway, Switzerland, and Austria have access to a computer at school, only 34% of students in Indonesia have.

When asked whether they had access to a computer at home, more than 90% of affluent 15-year-olds responded positively, whereas nearly 25% of those coming from disadvantaged homes did not. Many people worry that the epidemic may expand the digital gap, despite efforts by some institutions & governments to provide digital equipment to pupils in need. This is what happened in New South Wales, Australia.

Conclusion

As a result of the economic downturn, competition for admission to public universities has increased while applications to private, more expensive institutions have decreased. Numerous educational institutions have had to lay off staff and reduce budgets, and some financial aid programmes have been shut down due to a lack of funds. In this case, colleges and universities must change how they accept applications and start offering Online Tech Courses to fix the problem.