Because lectures are still the most common instructional modality, many online learning providers have completion rates as low as 5%. To create high-quality online education, learning platforms must incorporate the three elements listed below.

Principles for Improving Online Learning

Several online learning systems have evolved in the last 15 years. Salman Kahn posted a video to YouTube in 2006, one year after the site’s inception, to explain algebra to his cousin. The video went viral, and he created the well-known Khan Academy two years later. Udemy, the first massive open online course provider, was launched in 2010, and other online course providers like EdX, Coursera, and Udacity quickly followed. In 2015, Masterclass popularized online learning, and in recent years, cohort-based course providers like Godin’s AltMBA and the Maven platform have grown in popularity. Working as an EdTech entrepreneur for the past decade has given me a unique view of multiple online learning platforms and long-term trends that lead me to believe that online education is still in its infancy. While more people have acquired access to technology, connection, and educational content, the learning process has yet to be altered.

Learning Science 

To begin, learning platforms will need to contain learning science, which has advanced significantly in recent years. According to research, brains do not function like recording devices. Learning consists of three steps: acquisition, encoding, and retrieval. Evidence-based learning strategies have been investigated by learning scientists such as Barbara Oakley, Roediger et al., and Lieberman.

We learn best when we connect new material to past knowledge, comprehend its broader implications (elaboration), try retrieval at increasing intervals (spacing) and in diverse contexts (variety), use testing as a learning tool, and provide real-time feedback on students’ learning. Nonetheless, most online platforms have yet to incorporate these evidence-based learning methodologies. . Future online education platforms must contain technology that expands on these discoveries. They could include testing as a tool or built-in spaced repetition elements, which would improve students’ learning outcomes and completion rates.

Education’s Digitization

Traditional teaching has mostly been digitized—for example, Masterclass, which features highly polished videos and well-known professors. Instructors, according to the Masterclass founder, create their classes. However, education experts believe that “masters” may not be the best teachers. They are most likely novices when it comes to Instructional Design and the science of learning. Masterclass and many other online education providers draw on the idea that online low-touch courses are for skill-building. However, because lectures are still the most common instructional style, many online learning providers have completion rates as low as 5%. Online education platforms will need to expand further, focusing on three areas that have previously been overlooked.

Pedagogy In Teaching

Second, online course providers will recognize the significance of pedagogy in teaching. While online platforms such as Udemy have made it possible for anybody to become a teacher, good instructional design is still in short supply. Future online platforms must consider the reality that being a “master” in a skill does not imply being an expert teacher. They must break with the underlying premise that everyone who’s mastered a talent can become a great teacher since it is faulty.

Teachers receive years of training in both didactics and means. A camera and a platform do not transform skilled individuals into excellent teachers. Online platforms will need to include some type of quality assurance or instructional training, as well as be built with pedagogical ideas in mind. eLearning platforms will very certainly incorporate some sort of teacher training to provide teachers with the skills required for efficient course design and delivery.

Analytics for Learning

Finally, next-generation online learning providers will use learning analytics to assist students in achieving their goals. Although learning analytics is still in its early stages, data will be used to enhance decision-making in teaching and learning. By giving in-depth insights into the learning process, it has the potential to alter how we measure learning outcomes. Furthermore, learning analytics can be used to boost student motivation.

Online education has great promise that has yet to be completely realized. To create high-quality online education, learning platforms must incorporate evidence-based learning technology, recognize the relevance of instructional design, and capitalize on the promise of learning analytics.