The author’s views are entirely his or her own and may not always reflect the views of Reverb.
Having taught for ten years in higher education and seen the evolution of distance learning and accompanying technologies – yes, remote education is not going away.
COVID-19 has cemented distance learning in both higher education and even in K-12.
Here are the facts:
- In higher education, distance learning programs give institutions greater scalability.
- Distance learning is less costly than on-the-ground and offers a more cost-effective path to getting a required degree. Plainly said, students and institutions save money.
- There’s not just regional and domestic reach with distance learning, but global reach. Distributed education programs create international collaboration opportunities at a cost and scale not easily accomplished by on-the-ground teaching.
- Experts and expertise can be gathered and shared in a forum that is difficult in on-the-ground learning. Teachers can be recruited from the global network to provide a more inclusive experience for students.
- Remote education encourages lifelong learning and teaches virtual collaboration. These are integral parts of the 21st-century skill set necessary to compete in the workforce.
So again, a resounding yes – distance learning isn’t going anywhere.
If you’d like to learn more – check out how to prepare for distance learning or how to use asynchronous audio to bridge communication gaps.
Do you have any cool or interesting experiences with distance learning? Please share them in the comments below!
