The new coronavirus pandemic took all sectors by surprise, including education. The so-called “digital school”, which was previously just an emerging idea, was forced to become a reality in several educational institutions in the country and around the world.
The one about digital transformation has arrived and distance learning (EAD) has never been so popular. However, anyone who thinks this is temporary is mistaken.
Read and learn all about the growth of distance learning during the pandemic!
Search for distance learning courses grows considerably in Brazil
The quarantine has been in effect for at least three months in most Brazilian states, producing a truly unprecedented phenomenon in the search for learning. According to a survey by Google, the search for distance learning specialization courses has grown by 130% since the beginning of the quarantine.
Educational institutions that found themselves needing to migrate to the online teaching have also gained market share, as is the case of Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), one of the largest colleges in the country, which has seen growth of up to 400% in the number of people taking up its online courses (mainly free ones) compared to the first two months before the quarantine.
Furthermore, there was also a huge growth in distance learning course distribution platforms, as shown by a survey carried out by Udemy, one of the largest in the market, which revealed a 425% growth in the number of enrollments worldwide and around 95% in Brazil alone.
But what is the reason for all this growth?
According to some experts, the free time made possible by the new way of working that many people are still getting used to, home office, is creating a great emotional fragility due to the unpredictability of the future, which makes the vast majority seek to occupy this time acquiring knowledge, which explains the search for distance learning courses during this time.
The suspension of in-person classes boosted the search for distance learning classes, however, the modality had already been growing for a long time
To say that distance learning was no longer becoming a reality is to lie to oneself. In 2018, a Higher Education Census survey, carried out by the MEC, found that, for the first time in history, there were more places offered in distance learning colleges (7,1 million) than in face-to-face courses (6,3 million). In 2019, the Brazilian Distance Education Association released data which show that there were already 9 million students with distance learning.
However, as of March 18 of this year, the Ministry of Education published ordinance no. 343, authorizing “on an exceptional basis” the replacement of all face-to-face classes, whether in courses, colleges or schools, by distance learning classes, which, in addition to promoting an increase in the number of distance learning students, is also opening the eyes of many people who believed that distance learning was not a good deal.
What are the main benefits of distance learning?
Analyzing the data above, there is no doubt that distance learning is growing in Brazil. However, to understand this expansion, it is necessary to consider the reasons that are leading many students to opt for this modality, disregarding the suspension of in-person classes.
Check out:
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Flexibility
Whether it's a live broadcast of a class or a recording, everything is available to be reused as many times as you want. As long as there is no need to update the material, It is possible to keep the same content active on any website or platform to distribute and enable students who have other things to do to access the content at the time they are available to study.
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Ease of access
To take a course, the student only needs to have a computer with internet access and a desire to learn, without even needing to find a way to get around, which makes it a great way for people to prefer distance learning to face-to-face classes.
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Cost benefit
For many individuals, taking a distance learning course is worthwhile because it provides quality education at a much lower cost than institutions that offer in-person classes. Furthermore, since the content and assessments of remote and in-person courses are the same, there is no distinction between a distance learning degree and one from a conventional university, resulting in an excellent cost-benefit ratio.
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Modernity
Today, technology allows distance learning classes to be much more dynamic, interactive and modern. Many universities that offer distance learning courses have their own platforms (the so-called Virtual Learning Environments), with software designed to streamline the teaching-learning process, which attracts many people.
Although it is not yet unanimous, the preference for this modality has been increasing over the years and, with the situation caused by the pandemic, it may be even greater.
As previously mentioned, the preference for distance learning is increasing more and more each year. However, we cannot deny that this modality still suffers from some prejudice and people still have difficulty with online education. Therefore, with the difficulties created by the new coronavirus, the tendency is for the population's mentality to change and for everything to become so natural that, when it is all over, distance learning will no longer be something strange for most people.
With that in mind, it’s time to start thinking: how can your company enter this universe once and for all? How about we reflect on this together? Get in touch with one of our consultants!