If there’s one industry that has witnessed revolutionary changes due to mobile technology, then it’s the education and learning industry. Indeed, thanks to recent advancements in technology, particularly the widespread adoption of mobile devices, the learning industry has transformed from a purely classroom-based system, to e-learning, and now mobile learning. In fact, according to Statista, the market volume for the global mobile education industry is expected to surge to $37.8 billion in 2020, from just $3.4 billion in 2011.
Here are 5 ways education apps are changing the way people learn:
Easy and convenient access to learning programs
With a mobile app, students are able to access content and learn from anywhere, at any time. Through video lessons or standardised learning content that are distributed on these apps, students can access lectures and study based on their time and convenience, without having to be physically present in the classroom. This also serves as a boon for people wanting to pursue their higher education but are pressed for time and cannot attend physical classroom sessions. In fact, people across all age groups are now pursuing different courses via their mobile apps or online sites to stay updated on latest trends in their sector or learn something new.
Unlimited learning opportunities and options
One of the best benefits of learning apps is that it provides users with unlimited opportunities to learn from a limitless supply of course options. Whether you’re seeking longer, more complex courses or short, easy-to-follow ones, there’s something for everyone. Major universities and education institutes are developing mobile apps that make it possible for them to offer a range of free or paid courses, in addition to large repositories of research material and libraries. In addition, sites like Udemy, Coursera, eDx, and Ted provide students and teachers a vast number of options to study based on their interests and do so at their own pace.
Lower cost and more sustainable
Learning and educational apps are also paving the way for the education industry to be sustainable in the long run. By providing learning content on apps, the need for producing vast amounts of books and photocopies of research materials has been eliminated, thus ensuring less wastage of resources. This also makes mobile app development a cost-effective solution, as it enables institutes to provide learning to students at relatively affordable rates.
Improved student engagement
Students can now go through learning materials at home, by watching training videos and reading text content prior to attending classes. By doing so, students and teachers can better utilize classroom time for discussing specific topics, clearing doubts, or solving problems. Consequently, this enables students to participate more wholly in the learning process and allows them to learn at their pace, ensuring better individual performance.
Better interaction between instructors, students, and parents
Mobile apps are also helping to tackle many of the issues parents and teachers face in terms of tracking students’ attendance, grades, general performance, and participation in extra-curricular activities by allowing teachers and parents to interact directly with each other and improving collaboration. For example, apps like Evernote allows students, parents, and teachers to collaborate seamlessly, while others like TeacherKit tracks a student’s performance and keeps parents informed accordingly.
While there are many benefits of mobile learning apps, its true value lies in the fact that they help making learning a fun and enjoyable process. With mobile app development companies today looking to integrate new technologies such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence in mobile apps, learning through apps only promises to get more interactive, fun, and rewarding for students.
