Education will never be the same. In 2020, we learned that most learning can be done just as well online and more and more universities and courses have embraced online learning. At the moment, internet access is the only real barrier to learning anything anywhere. 

While the world is changing, online courses are rapidly adapting to fit the new normal. This is a good thing and something that is bound to make learning more accessible to a wide variety of students. So, what can you expect to see happening in education in 2021? Let’s take a look at some of the top trends showing up.

Online Courses Are More Flexible

When you take or teach a course on an LMS like HeyBrain, you can choose when to study. That makes it easier to work your education around your current life. If you have children or a job that needs to be done, then you can simply select when you want to study and arrange it for your free times. Of course, you need to be quite disciplined to do this, but it means that even those with other responsibilities are now able to further their education and build their career knowledge. 

Flexible courses make life simpler for instructors, as well. They present the material once, on video and can then upload it and teach hundreds, thousands, and even millions of students quite easily. The new online format of education means knowledge is more available than ever. Instructors can share their expertise with those around the world who are truly interested in it.

Rapid Education

Education has been focused on longer courses for many years, but that’s changing rapidly now. People want fast courses that they can do quickly and learn the maximum amount. Cutting out the fluff and the in-between-classes time means students can really focus on what they’re doing. 

Online learning also makes it easier for students to work at their own pace, so if you’ve always felt dragged down by your classmates, online courses may be a better option. You can finish them as quickly as you like.

Applied Learning is More Important Than Ever

Finally, there is appreciation for those who can actually perform the skills they’ve learned. For too long, employers placed too much importance on education only. They are now finding that students without experience, but who have a long history of education, aren’t the best employees. Instead, people who can do what they say and have provable results are now the hot new thing . . . and you can often gain those skills and put them into practice without a 4-year university degree. 

This also means that many online courses are implanting practical sections so you need to practice what you’re learning. When you complete the course, you shouldn’t just know the theory, you should be able to do it, too.

Learn the Way You Are Meant To

Everyone is different and we have different learning styles. This has been made quite evident in the past generation, but before that, everyone was expected to learn the same way . . . seated at a desk while being lectured and reading from a text. Today’s instructors know better. 

Online courses mean you can learn the way you prefer. Many courses provide video lectures, as well as a transcript. This makes it simple for students to select their chosen learning method. Modern education is more flexible than ever and that is particularly true when it comes to courses taught outside of formal institutions.

Mini Courses Are Booming

Not everyone wants to take the pre-requisites for a university course. Sometimes you just need to know one part of the puzzle to boost your career. This has led to the creation of mini-courses or micro-learning. 

Micro-learning is all about providing bite-sized learning opportunities that you can consume in small periods of time. Because of their concise nature, you can learn specific skills in one or two sittings.

There’s no doubt that the future of education is changing. 2020 taught us all that there was a new way to learn and for some people, this opened up a whole new world of education. There will likely be educational institutions forever, but the ability to learn from those institutions or from independent instructors online has made all the difference. Are you ready to start your online education? HeyBrain is waiting for you to sign up and start taking courses. And if you’re an instructor, you can sign up, too!