E-learning is the new trend in the education sector. It has been made possible with the rise of digital technologies and internet platforms like YouTube which make a vast body of information accessible to all, often free or at a minimal cost. Not surprisingly, people have seized the opportunity to gain new knowledge and learn new skills. There has been a rise in e-learning platforms that teach school-, college-, and university-level courses to anyone willing to learn. In addition to being cost-efficient, e-learning also has the benefit of being more flexible. As a result, students who are already enrolled in colleges and universities also make frequent use of e-learning to strengthen their studies.

The question, however, is whether e-learning represents a genuine transformation of the education sector or whether it is just the latest fad, destined to die out sooner or later.

Breaking Geographical Barriers

In the traditional model of learning, students have to physically attend institutes for education. On the other hand, e-learning allows people to gain education from their homes. Not only is this very convenient, but it also allows students to access a larger variety of courses. Previously, if the course a student desired to take was not being offered by any institute in his area, he would have to attend an institute in another region. Obviously, not everyone could do that, therefore many people were unable to take the courses they wanted due to geographical barriers.

With e-learning, these barriers no longer exist. Anyone can take any of the unlimited numbers of courses from around the world. Students who are studying Ulearn subjects in the institutes they physically attend can additionally take social sciences or humanities courses through e-learning platforms. Students of social sciences and humanities can take software development or similar courses through e-learning. This represents a fundamental change in the way learning is carried out. Not only are geographical barriers being broken, but the barriers between the different courses are also being broken as e-learning allows students to explore a variety of different kinds of courses.

Encouraging Constant Learning

In the traditional model of learning, people would spend a certain number of years in the education system before entering the professional world. After that, very few people would get the opportunity to go back into the education system and update their knowledge or learn about a new subject. Therefore, there was a kind of division between the education and the professional worlds, and the process of learning typically ended once one entered the professional world.

However, e-learning is changing that. Professionals who have long exited the education system can continue to update their knowledge or learn new subjects as e-learning allows for a flexible way of learning according to the learner’s schedule. Furthermore, professionals from specific fields can learn about fields other than their own. In this way, not only is constant learning encouraged, but the barriers between different fields are also overcome.

A Post-COVID World

There is no denying the fact that the Coronavirus pandemic has affected our way of life in several important ways. Over the last two years, people have learnt to avoid large gatherings and limit physical contact. More importantly, the lockdown restrictions pursued by the governments of different countries in order to contain the pandemic have also caused people to start working from homes and students to start learning from homes. The new rise in learning from home has led to a rise in popularity of e-learning platforms as well as platforms which allow educational institutes to hold online classes. Students have also gotten more familiar with the different platforms and methods of e-learning.

It is unclear how long this state of affairs will last. But one thing that is certain is that even after the pandemic ends, we will still retain some of the habits we have learnt during this time. The convenience of e-learning, especially, is something that has been noted by a lot of people and the new familiarity with e-learning platforms will also ensure their continued popularity. Therefore, it is easy to see that e-learning will retain a lot of its current popularity even after the pandemic has ended and people are able to attend their educational institutes physically again.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the trend of E-learning platform is here to stay. It is not just a glamour or the latest fad. Rather, it represents the way digital technologies and the internet are transforming the traditional model of education by increasing access and flexibility, breaking geographical barriers, encouraging constant learning and reducing the costs of education. In a globalized world where information is more accessible than ever, it is safe to say that this transformation is not something that can be easily reversed by itself. Rather, e-learning will continue to be popular and likely even increase in popularity.