Top ten predictions for online learning in 2013

By Charlie Osborne. As the distance learning industry booms, what can we expect from 2013?
Nord Research Associate and online learning specialist, Dr. Tony Bates, has released his fourth annual predictions for how online learning will change in 2013 based on the Canadian education industry. According to Bates, online learning will experience a shift and move into mainstream programs as the growth of hybrid learning — to accommodate new technologies — takes root in the education industry. Due to this, it is possible that academic institutions will give distance-based online learning methods more of a priority within their long-term strategies.
“In online learning, the only thing you can really be certain of is uncertainty,” says Bates. “A major multinational player like Apple, Google or Facebook could jump into the online learning market and, in partnership with some elite universities, take a major share of the for-credit online market.”
All in all, the researcher believes that 2013 will prove to be a “transformative” year for online learning worldwide; but what are his predictions?
1. From the periphery to the center. When online learning began to take off in 1995, it remained very much on the periphery of accepted learning practices, and is still yet to achieve the same worth as traditional classroom education. However, Bates says that in 2013, online learning will move from being a “sidebar” to becoming central to an institution’s operation.
2. Hybrid learning. Instead of relying on massive open online courses (MOOCs) to push the drive from periphery to center, hybrid learning methods may be the primary reason online learning becomes a priority of colleges and universities. Hybrid learning, a mix of online and campus-based teaching in order to improve educational quality and boost productivity, will potentially lead to full redesigns of courses. Read more...