MOOCs and Coronavirus
Before our physical classrooms dramatically started drying up due to COVID 19, there’ve been indications forever that online learning and MOOCs are kind of a big deal.
Pre-Covid 19 projections already estimated the MOOCs Market to grow by over £14 bn in 2020-2024, with a 40% CAGR within this same period.
We can safely say at this point that the coronavirus menace is so far having a hefty but positive impact on these projections. For example, Chinese E-learning giants are reporting over £2.5 bn boost in earnings as panic-stricken students take to online courses in their droves.
With so many businesses and institutions taking the worst of hits in history, online learning is prospering wonderfully. MOOCs are suddenly taking on an unprecedented number of subscribers and you get the impression that this is more than a mere glimpse of the future of education.
At this point one burning question on the tongue of every infopreneur ever is: what kind of courses are students flocking to?
The top 10 most popular 10 list of courses students are taking, curated by one of the biggest MOOCs, Coursera, is as follows:
Machine Learning
Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects
The Science of Wellbeing
Programming for Everybody
AI for Everyone
Neural Networks and Deep Learning
English for Career development
Algorithms, Part I
Introduction to TensorFlow for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, And Deep Learning
What is Data Science?
Data Science is King
70% of the most popular courses amongst students are data science/digital technology related. This is up 50% from last year’s list and features two courses – Machine Learning and Algorithms, Part I – from the previous year. There might be other factors at play that influence these numbers. For example, from experience, you’ve probably realised that the practical nature of IT courses favour online learning much more than other courses. I mean is there anything better than learning and practicing within the same digital environment? On the other hand, would you try an online course on say, golfing or wrestling?
It’s also interesting to note the relatively introductory level courses on that list, possibly suggesting a growing interest in innovative IT skills from different kinds of backgrounds.
Overall, this should give you an idea of where the world is clearly headed with education.
This is kind of expected, as digital technology – especially the courses in question – are touted by business leaders as the catalysts for economic development and job creation. For example, the global market for machine learning is projected to be over £7 billion by 2022, compared to £1.1 billion 2 years ago. Job postings related to these technologies have also shot up astronomically since last year, and supply is barely keeping in step with demand.
It’s not difficult to see how the Machine Learning and related technologies will grow in relevance for the foreseeable future.
