THE FUTURE MEDIUM OF LEARNING

By Sanaa Hamdan

The future medium of learning can be predicted by the youngsters’ pattern of seeking information

The pattern in the internet use extends to other digital devicesexcept Desktop computers and e-Book reader

Don’t forget the smartphones!

What is the primary use of CMC

What percent of internet use is dedicated to social networking?

According to statistics from “Babson Survey Research Group” Higher Education Reports

Some key report findings include: Over 6.7 million students were taking at least one online course during the

fall 2011 term, an increase of 570,000 students over the previous year. Thirty-two percent of higher education students now take at least one

course online. Seventy-seven percent of academic leaders rate the learning outcomes in

online education as the same or superior to those in face-to-face. Only 30.2 percent of chief academic officers believe that their faculty

accept the value and legitimacy of online education - a rate that is lower than recorded in 2004.

Online Education is critical to the long-term strategy of my institution – fall 2002 to fall 2011

Resource: “Going the Distance” Online Education in the United States, 2011By I. Elaine Allen, Ph.D; Jeff Seaman, Ph.D.

I used the data from the graph below and tried to extrapolate the % of students participating in online classes on 2025.

Resource: “Going the Distance” Online Education in the United States, 2011By I. Elaine Allen, Ph.D; Jeff Seaman, Ph.D.

I calculated the equation of the (best fit) straight line from the graph on the previous slide and generated the following bar graph on excel to help me predict the % of students participating in online classes on 2025. As you see if pattern continue, then by 2025 about 71% of the students will be enrolled in online classes (12 years from today!

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80% of students enrolled in online classes

% of students enrolled in on-line classes

Some might think that the pattern in % of students enrolled in online classes is limited to certain disciplines

Resource: “Going the Distance” Online Education in the United States, 2011By I. Elaine Allen, Ph.D; Jeff Seaman, Ph.D.

Conclusion

Based on the above presented data, youngsters are more interested, savvy, and responsive to learn from online classes, classes that incorporate technology.Institutions are becoming more acceptable to include online classes in their long term strategies.A major change in the medium of learning from lecture, face-to- face instructions, to online classes, and computer based learning.