However, online digital learning is not without its challenges, as digital learning relies heavily on technology, which can be vulnerable to technical glitches, outages, or cyber-attacks. If students or educators become overly dependent on technology, disruptions to the digital learning environment could significantly disrupt the learning process.
In addition, while digital learning can help to increase access to education, it can also exacerbate existing inequities in education, such as the digital divide or socio-economic disparities. Ensuring that all students have access to reliable internet, digital devices, and quality digital learning resources is essential to promote equity in education. In this regard, the global picture is far from good. According to a UNESCO report, 50% of learners worldwide (826 million people) don’t have a household computer. 43% of learners (706 million) don’t have household Internet and this is no doubt one of the challenges in the future.
Digital learning resources must meet high standards for accuracy, rigor, and relevance
Another potential barrier when we consider an online digital program is quality control. Ensuring the quality of digital learning resources and assessments can be a challenge. Ensuring that digital learning resources meet high standards for accuracy, rigor, and relevance is essential to maintain the credibility and effectiveness of digital learning.
Lastly, one of the main barriers is the feeling of social isolation: digital learning can be more isolating than traditional classroom learning, as students may have less face-to-face interaction with their peers and educators. Despite being more isolating, digital learning can indeed create an environment that promotes social interaction, collaboration, and a sense of community, all essential to motivate students to learn and go beyond.
Lessons from neuroscience
So, does online digital learning make sense? Online digital programs are still viewed as ´new´ and ´different compared to our traditional idea of what program of study should be.
Change is pain, and change is unexpectedly difficult because it provokes sensations of physiological discomfort. Our brains are energy-saving organs and we crave certainty. We do know, however, that our expectations shape our reality. People’s preconceptions have a significant impact on what they perceive, and the correlating success or failure of that experience.
According to Dr. David Rock, the Director of the NeuroLeadership Institute, cognitive scientists have known for 20 years that the brain is capable of significant internal change in response to environmental changes, a dramatic finding when it was first made. We now also know that the brain changes as a function of where an individual puts his or her attention. The power is in the focus. Focusing on the problem only ingrains it in the mind. Based on what we know now, the focus should be on the new behavior: online digital learning.
What the data says about digital learning
What does the future look like? The EdTech market size was valued at USD 254.80 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 605.40 billion by 2027. According to Statista research, 81% of college students believe that digital learning technology, including virtual classroom chat, helps them boost their grades. E-learning is also the fastest-growing sector of the education industry, up 900% since 2000.
Moreover, a Smoothwall report showed that 96% of teachers believe technology has a positive impact on participation and learning, 56% of respondents believe that the use of technology makes students noticeably more engaged, and 54% of teachers believe that technologies help them to plan various and more exciting lessons.
E-learning is the fastest-growing sector of the education industry
In addition to this data, McGraw Hill surveyed 3,300 US college students, and the vast majority of them strongly agreed that technologies are most helpful in their education: 81% of students feel that digital technologies improve their grades and efficiency, while 82% of respondents confirmed that tech devices allow them to spend more time studying through increased accessibility.
Leadership requires both courage and action. Leaders need to prepare like experts: they need to be competent, confident and have sufficient knowledge to act in ways that create the most benefit while avoiding any harm. Furthermore, they have to survive dramatic changes in different circumstances and industries, and motivate others to follow them. It is not a question of luck but rather a prepared mind.
