At the height of the pandemic, we had to make adjustments to manage and control the spread of the virus. There were many changes across different facets of life, from how we do business, to how we school, work, access healthcare and even practice religion.
Since the pandemic, many people expected that things would go back to the perceived normal. However, the pandemic has created a new normal for us, that we have to adapt to. Online degrees have become more prevalent in the education sector, and there is an increased adoption of online learning across all levels of education.
Although online learning has been present since the 1980s, the proliferation of more educational technologies and other factors has made it a go-to option for many people. The popularity of online degrees is largely due to their suitability for the big data age. The social-cultural shifts that we are experiencing today have transcended our work lives.
As a result, online degrees are bridging the gap between work and life, allowing many the flexibility to pursue knowledge and upskill without making major compromises. In this article, we will explore some ways online degrees are a solution to a post-covid world.
Table of Contents
Technology has become more accessible and immersive.
Developments in the tech space in recent times have become a lot more immersive, especially with the improvement of virtual and augmented reality. Unsurprisingly, the education sector has also experienced tremendous technological growth. As a result, educational tools that will make online learning easier and faster are more accessible.
Virtual classrooms with breakout rooms, screen sharing, and artificial intelligence, among others, have made learning more interactive online. This means you don’t need to live in or near the city of Louisville, for example, to be able to enroll in some of the best online degrees in Kentucky. With this, you will become equipped with the tools to upskill and grow professionally simultaneously.
People are more particular about work-life balance.
The aftermath of the pandemic has seen many people redefining their values and focusing more on their lives outside work and learning. The death toll from the pandemic globally was about 6.6 million. With a death toll that high, there was hardly anyone that was not affected negatively in some way by the pandemic. That kind of collective trauma has created a cultural shift, in which people are more protective of their time and prioritize their wellbeing. As a result, online degrees, which make it easier for people to manage work and life, have become more popular.
Change in institutional culture
Since covid, institutions are more open to changing their processes and how things work. As a result of the change in employee attitudes discussed earlier, employers now have to be more proactive in getting their employees to stay at work. Many employees favor organizations that prioritize their wellbeing and are less afraid to leave those that do not. As a result, more employers are investing in their employees’ growth and actively encouraging them to upskill and get further education. Whereas before covid this might have been discouraged, employers post-covid are partnering with learning institutions to get their employees trained.
It has further reduced the barriers to accessing education
For some people, getting a degree the traditional way is almost impossible. Some people must deal with regional conflicts that take away their ability to attend an institution of learning physically. For example, with the ongoing Ukrainian war, many students have had to resort to some form of online learning, as going to school has become either impossible or unsafe. Also, some students do not have access to the quality of learning they desire in their current locations, and they can now take advantage of the new improvements in online learning.
The flexibility that online degrees offer makes them a popular choice.
Since covid, people have become more aggressive in pursuing their dreams and doing things they want. For those whose dreams are tied to getting a higher education and who do not have the option to leave work to pursue this dream, online degrees have become their best choice. Online degrees over the years have expanded to include many traditional courses that were initially thought impossible to be taught online, such as nursing, making it even more popular.
Regardless of the pandemic, online learning would most likely have become as widely adopted as it is today. Online degrees offer many benefits to tutors and students alike, from the flexible hours to the cheaper tuition and self-paced, customized learning. The downsides of online learning, if any, were already unjustifiable against the benefits for many people, so it was only natural that they would go for it post-covid.