20 Fascinating Online Education Statistics to Know in 2024

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While distance learning has been around for quite some time now, it was during the past 7 months that all education institutions shifted to virtual and distance learning. Getting up every day to log in to a Zoom class wasn’t easy for many students and teachers, but they pull it through. The Covid-19 pandemic introduced a lot of ‘new normal.’ Still, we shouldn’t be too quick in seeing e-learning as an effect of the pandemic, as the word “e-learning” was coined back in 1998. Isn’t it fascinating? Read on to find out some of the most amazing online education statistics.

Fascinating Online Education Statistics

Online Education Statistics - image 1

  • An impressive number of 6,932,074 students enrolled in distance education courses in America’s degree-granting institutions in 2018 alone.
  • Most distance education students are undergraduate.
  • More than 40% of Fortune 500 companies are using e-learning regularly and extensively.
  • The e-learning market is now 22 years old.
  • 43% of U.S. college students found digital study technologies extremely helpful for doing homework.
  • By 2025, the massive open online course (MOOC) market could be worth $25.33 billion.
  • All eight of the Ivy League schools have already adopted online education.
  • High education institutions will soon start to implement VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) learning tools into their programs in the near future.

Growth of Online Education Statistics

Let’s find out more about the e-learning market today, what are the trends and projections for the years to come.

1. Between 2020 and 2024, the U.S. e-learning market could grow by $72.41 billion.

(BusinessWire)

The growing trend in online education, especially during the pandemic when the entire country was in lockdown, suggests that the U.S. e-learning market will grow exponentially. Even though earlier estimates had poised the growth to around $12 billion, experts now believe that the market will likely grow by $72.41 billion in the 2020-2024 period.

2. By 2025, the massive open online course (MOOC) market could be worth $25.33 billion.

(Global News Wire)

America’s online education has seen an unprecedented spike in the last few months. The demand for distance learning has been increasing steadily. Market pundits have estimated that by 2025 the massive open online course (MOOC) market will have a net worth of an impressive $25.33 billion.

3. E-learning is time-saving. Corporate e-learning takes 40% to 60% less time to complete.

(eLearning Industry)

A cursory look at online classes vs traditional classes statistics shows that the latter are more time-consuming. In today’s fast-paced world, people will want to do more in the shortest time possible. Online education is more popular among people because it requires less time. Statistics show that when compared to traditional learning, corporate e-learning takes 40% to 60% less time to complete. Employers are more likely to invest in a medium that saves them time.

4. An impressive number of 6,932,074 students enrolled in distance education courses in America’s degree-granting institutions in 2018 alone.

(Distance Education Research)

Online college statistics show that many students have been taking advantage of this opportunity for quite some time now. In 2018 alone, more than 6 million students completed their studies via distance learning.

5. In 1995, only 4% of corporations used online learning. Now 90% of corporations have shifted to this mode of learning.

(KPMG)

Research shows that in 1995, a small fraction of companies (4%) were using online learning. The number has now risen to an impressive 90%. All of these points at the online education success rates and suggests that in the future, the business sector is likely to be the biggest growth driver in the online education industry.

6. The eight Ivy League schools have already adopted online education prior to the pandemic.

(InsideHigherEd)

One of the fascinating facts about online classes is that they have been popular across prestigious schools for quite some time. In an attempt to reach a wider segment, all eight of the Ivy League schools introduced some form of remote learning well before the pandemic forced schools to introduce some restructuring.

7. As compared to 39% in 2016, in 2019, 46% of faculty members had taught an online course.

(InsideHigherEd)

Online learning trends in higher education cannot be studied without comments from the faculty. It is true that online education needed some time to gain momentum. However, slowly many schools are introducing this format of learning into their curriculum. In 2019, the percentage of faculty members who have taught an online course increased significantly (from 39% to 46%).

8. Compared to the 17% who used already-built courses, under 70% of instructors teaching online built their own courses in 2019.

(ResearchGate)

Online schooling statistics also show a fascinating fact about teachers’ behavior. With so many online learning platforms, teachers have the liberty to tailor their own courses and not to stick to a limited syllabus. This helps teachers from all over the world to teach the necessary concepts in their own style. On the other end, the option to learn at your own pace designing your lessons of up to 30 minutes is a great advantage for students. Popular platforms that are specifically built for creating e-courses and educational content are iSpring and 360Training.  Find the full reviews here.

9. 47% of students chose online degree programs in 2018 due to other commitments making it difficult to attend class on campus.

(Educations.com)

The rise in the percent of students taking online courses is due to various factors. Most of the time, students are compelled to take online classes because their household circumstances and financial conditions don’t allow them for on-campus learning.

10. Most distance education students are undergraduates.

(National Center for Education Statistics)

Online education enrollment statistics highlight the fact that, contrary to popular belief, it is the undergrad students who enroll most in distance learning. As stated above, there could be so many reasons for this pattern and this preference on the part of students. And with so many options to go with – Verbling, Italki, and Cambly are just some of the platforms we’ve written about – it’s no wonder undergraduates see it as convenient.

11. In 2017, 4.6 million (32%) students in public institutions participated in distance education in some capacity.

(Walsh College)

The fact that public institutions had been quick to introduce remote learning programs for a lot of students is one of the fascinating online school facts. In 2017 alone, more than 4 million students took part in online learning.

12. More than 40% of Fortune 500 companies are using e-learning regularly and extensively.

(Fortune)

The online learning industry has been growing rapidly with big companies utilizing the trend to their benefit. E-learning saves a lot of time, which is the reason for many companies’ shift towards this mode of learning. Statistics show that almost 40% of Fortune 500 companies are adopting e-learning.

13. IMB saved approximately $200 million after switching to e-learning training methods.

(The Washington Post)

One of the reasons for the exponential increase in the online education market size is that it is cost-effective. And this can easily be proved by the fact that IMB saved a whopping $200 million after switching to distance learning. Due to this, the online education sphere has been growing steadily.

14. High education institutions will soon start to implement VR and AR learning tools into their programs in the near future.

(Harvard Business Review)

Thanks to technological advancements, distance learning can be more interpersonal and a lot of fun. Experts are routinely studying online degrees vs traditional degrees statistics to have a firm understanding of how well distance learning performs. With new digital tools, experts believe that remote teaching can easily become the future.

15. An American Society for Training and Development survey of 2,500 companies discovered that those with “comprehensive training programs” have 218% higher revenue per employee and 24% higher profit margins.

(eLearning Industry)

If you take a careful look at the facts about online education, you will see that not only is distance learning cost-effective, but it also provides ample money-making opportunities to companies. One of the reasons for the growing preference towards online learning is that such programs help companies make a good amount of profit. As this particular fact suggests, the companies make higher profits per employee via distance learning.

16. 43% of U.S. college students found digital study technologies extremely helpful for doing homework.

(Statista)

Online high school statistics also shed some light on the behavior of students. When studying the growth of online education, it is essential to see how the students benefit from these technological advancements. Luckily, the rise in digital education has been quite beneficial for students who have been able to get help for their homework through digital study technologies. Such tools also make students quite independent.

17. As of April 2015, 9% of students worldwide had participated in a MOOC (massive open online course) in the past year.

(Statista)

Note-worthy online learning statistics suggest that more students are drawn towards online learning. In the year 2015 alone, almost 9% of students worldwide took part in a MOOC. Online learning provides a lot of opportunities. Students don’t even have to spend a fortune to study at a foreign university anymore. Distance learning is less expensive and that’s why it is chosen by a lot of international students.

18. In 2019, the U.S. Federal Government generated about $2.2 billion in revenues through self-paced e-learning products.

(PR News Wire)

Online education growth is not possible if the government doesn’t act proactively to lead the industry. For a system to be all-inclusive, the authorities have to step up and make it accessible. The U.S. government is undoubtedly doing all it can to make online education success. It invests considerably in the sustainable growth of the industry. In 2019, it even generated about $2.2 billion in revenues through self-paced e-learning products.

19. The e-learning market is now 22 years old.

(Research Gate)

You might think that the online education industry is a newbie. It is true that e-learning, as a global phenomenon, took some time to catch up, however, the e-learning market is not new. In fact, the word “e-learning” was coined in 1998 – hinting at the marvels that the world was to see in the coming years. As of today, the market is almost 22 years old – which is fascinating since we always linked online learning with Gen Z.

20. In 2019, 39% of faculty members indicated that they supported the increased use of technology in education, compared to 29% in 2017.

(Office of Educational Technology)

Every new concept takes some time to become popular. Online education is no exception. Over the years, faculty members have also shown interest in the industry’s growth. Online education success rates have even convinced teachers to vote for this method of learning.

The Final Word

These online education statistics give a brief overview of the growth of distance learning. Whether or not the future of education lies in online classes is too early to say, but online learning statistics show that this mode of learning is definitely here to stay. More technological advancements will help people get used to it. In the coming years, we are likely to see advancement in the global online education sphere.

FAQ

What is the percentage of students taking online classes?

According to the data available, in 2018, more than 6 million students were enrolled in a distance education course at various degree-granting institutions. Another survey shows that around 33 percent of college students are taking one online course.

How popular is online education?

Even before the Covid-19 turned our lives upside down, the trend of online learning was gaining momentum as statistics even before 2020 show. A benefit of online learning is that it allows people from all over the world – who normally wouldn’t be able to attend the school – to get access to quality education. The above stats on online education also suggest that distance learning is here to stay for a considerable amount of time.

Is online education effective?

The recent government-mandated worldwide lockdown has polarized people’s opinions on the efficacy of online education. Parents who have always favored distance learning and college-going students who chose to study online have always found this method of learning effective. The number of students taking online courses before the pandemic was also quite high. Since you’re not bound by geography, you can take a class from literally anywhere in the world.

Is online education better than classroom education?

The unprecedented growth of online education suggests that a large number of people are benefiting from it. Online education can be as effective as traditional in-person classes. However, the key is to manage those classes. Both methods of learning have their own pros and cons.

2 Comments

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