The Covid-19 pandemic impacted every aspect of education, including online learning. As a result, hundreds of thousands of digital teachers worldwide took to the internet to educate students while shielding themselves from the pandemic. Amidst all this online learning, a few gems stood out.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

Firstly, MOOCs have seen unprecedented growth during the pandemic. Coursera, one of the biggest MOOC platforms, saw more than 400% growth in the number of its students between March and May 2020. Similarly, EdX, another well-known MOOC platform, also reported an increase in student engagement and satisfaction while learning during the pandemic.

The Khan Academy, a non-profit educational organization with more than 1.7 million students, saw a 600% increase in enrollments compared to before the pandemic. The platform offers free, open-access, world-class education to anyone, anywhere. For more than a decade, The Khan Academy has been providing education to students regardless of their socioeconomic status. During the pandemic, due to increased digital connectivity and remote learning, students can now access The Khan Academy’s educational content from any device or location. Furthermore, the platform offers online tutoring through its “TKan Academy Connect” platform. With the help of a tutor, students can reach their full potential and get confident in their studies.

Blended Learning

While many universities and colleges shut down their educational institutions, some opted to continue their operations remotely. As a result, there has been a boom in online and blended learning. During the pandemic, more teachers are likely to adopt a blended learning approach, which combines online learning with in-person instruction. Blended learning allows students to access educational content anytime and anywhere via any device. It also saves instructors the stress of having to balance online and in-person training.

Taught By Experts

The pandemic laid bare the lack of pedagogical expertise present in many educational institutions. As a result, many have opened their doors to online tutors, providing them with an opportunity to share their knowledge with struggling students. In an ideal world, every educational institution would hire experienced educators who have the knowledge to engage and motivate students. However, in the real world, many institutions remain short of faculty, especially in subjects such as mathematics and science.

Increased Student Engagement

The Covid-19 pandemic has increased student engagement in a variety of ways. First, due to the fear of being isolated, students started seeking educational content online. Second, as learning became a necessity, students started seeing it as a fun activity. Finally, the pandemic provided the digital teachers with the opportunity to connect with students and help them realize their full potential. According to a recent study by Convince & Convert, a marketing analytics firm, students are 17% more likely to engage with an online tutor, compared to those who learn on their own. Additionally, students who seek assistance from a digital tutor report higher levels of academic engagement and satisfaction.

Value Proposition

The pandemic revealed a number of flaws in much of the educational content available online. In the world of business, this is known as a value proposition. Essentially, the value proposition is a sales pitch that explains why the customer should buy a product or service. In the case of education, a value proposition would highlight the benefits of a specific learning platform or course compared to traditional learning methods.

Customer Segmentation

The pandemic revealed a number of problems with much of the education content available online. One glaring issue is that much of this content does not cater to the needs of individual customers. That is, much of the content is built with the assumption that all the customers will be exactly the same. For example, most e-learning courses assume that individuals will be computer enthusiasts who have a desire to increase their technical knowledge. However, as we’ve learned, this is not always the case.

Now, more than ever, educational institutions need to individualize their value propositions. That is, institutions need to identify the needs of their specific customer bases and create content that is tailored to their requirements. As a starting point, they can segment their customers based on their needs and interests. Once they have done that, they can craft unique value propositions, attracting a more precise audience.

Digital Marketing

In order to attract more students to their educational programs, many institutions have turned to digital marketing, creating websites, landing pages, and social media accounts. However, these channels present their own unique set of challenges.

Firstly, the content needs to be informative, compelling, and easy to understand. According to HubSpot Blogs, only 7 out of 10 digital marketing tasks can be attributed to pure luck. The remaining 3 tasks require a lot of planning and research. This is crucial when it comes to attracting, retaining, and optimizing a potential student’s interest in a particular program. Every aspect of the learning process, from application to graduation, needs to be taken into consideration. As a result, a poor digital marketing strategy can lead to a poor student experience and potentially lost revenue.

Personalized Learning

One of the biggest draws of the online learning environment is the ability to individualize a student’s learning experience. This is a powerful option for students who prefer a more hands-on learning experience or want to study content that is more relevant to their life experiences. In order to reap the benefits of personalized learning, educational institutions need to adopt a few smart techniques.

Firstly, they need to segment their student population based on individual needs and interests. This is critical because each student will have a different level of experience, knowledge, and interests. With personalized learning, the content and the way it is presented is just as important as the actual knowledge you are imparting. Too often, educational institutions present information in a way that is so generalized that it becomes irrelevant to anyone other than the most basic computer enthusiast. Instead, they need to identify the specific needs and interests of their student populations.

Secondly, educational institutions need to adopt a content curation strategy, gathering and organizing information from a variety of sources. Although it is tempting to just go with the flow and find the information wherever they may be, doing so will not lead to a successful educational experience. Instead, educational institutions need to follow the same proven SEO methods, using tools like Google’s SEMrush to ensure the content they are curating is authoritative and easy to find.

Personalized Learning 2.0

With the rise of social media and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, online learning has changed forever. Traditional learning institutions need to evolve with the times, transforming their approach to personalized learning.

For those seeking further education, the options are endless. Not only can they continue their studies online, but they can also access an entire library of content, curated just for them. Furthermore, much of the content is available for free, helping to make education more accessible and affordable.

The future of education looks incredibly promising, as more and more people embrace the benefits of digital learning. This is mostly thanks to the pandemic, which exposed many of the inefficiencies of traditional education methods. However, it is also the result of dedicated students who saw an opportunity to learn more while sheltered at home.