The Internet has forever revolutionized the way we live and also the way we acquire knowledge and skills. The web democratized learning to the point that anyone who is curious about any subject and has a device with internet access can begin a digital course to specialize in whatever they want.
Either because of the accessibility or because it allows flexibility with time and space, the truth is since the global isolation experienced in 2020, online education experienced a boom that has not stopped, and that has made that until 2022, 66% of people feel motivated to virtual learning (at least in the US).
If you are part of this population and have yet to decide whether to start the course that always got your attention, we leave you 10 statistics of e-learning and digital education to boost your skills in 2024.
1. When learning any skill or lesson, 70% of students prefer to consume video rather than text content.
Video is not only the most consumed format for digital marketing but also the favorite one, according to students who bet on eLearning over written documents. At least this is what 70% of employees of some companies who answered a Finances Online survey say.
This trend, which has made digital education an industry valued at 120 billion dollars by 2021, was already seen coming before the lock-in caused by the pandemic. In 2019, for example, an appropriation of video made this format responsible for 80% of Internet traffic.
The previous boom also directly impacted eLearning since, according to data from the last source, video generates 9% better information retention in the viewer than text.
2. The average information retention rate of eLearning increases between 25% and 40%.
You may think that due to the freedom that digital education allows, a student may be more easily distracted and catch less information than in a classroom. However, the data points to the contrary.
A study by the American Institutes for Research carried out in some universities in Georgia, US, showed the average information retention rate of those students who attended online courses increased between 20% and 40% over those who took face-to-face classes.
Other studies had already tested the previous scenario a few years earlier in other regions, such as Asia, when some teachers from universities like Rajabhat University in Bangkok showed that eLearning was more convenient and efficient for the students than traditional education.
3. 43% of US college students find virtual education tools helpful when doing homework.
If you still want to compare the educational value of a face-to-face school versus e-learning, keep in mind that even if you are a traditional student, you will probably end up complementing your face-to-face studies with digital tools.
That has been demonstrated since before the pandemic by studies such as Statista, in which 43% of college students surveyed in the US said they find virtual education tools a great help when doing their homework.
According to the same statistics, 81% of that population said that e-learning technology helped them increase their grades.
4. Companies that offer training programs earn up to 218% more revenue per employee than those that do not formalize any.
Perhaps "training" sounds expensive as a company because you start thinking about instructor expenses, mobility, etc. However, you must remember that we are in an era where more than 90% of smartphone or PC owners consume video.
That would explain why companies like IBM have saved up to 200 million dollars in training since they migrated to eLearning.
In addition to the above and the flexibility that benefits the employee by motivating himself to acquire more skills, companies also see a return on investment in their team members.
In 2019, Forbes cited a study that showed companies that offer education to employees obtained a return of up to 218%. In addition, according to that source, the income increased by 24% in their profit margin.
5. 87% of millennials and 69% of non-millennials believe career development is crucial in any job.
A few years ago, when virtual education was not at its peak, it was typical for most of the population interested in their professional development to split their day into two days. One for work and the other to commute to a school or university to continue their academic training.
However, the data shows that in 2022, not only 87% of millennials and 69% of non-millennials believe that career development is an essential part of any job, but also companies have taken advantage of this concern. The result? The use of webinars and Internet tools to contribute to their employees' development through digital education, which in the end, benefits all stakeholders.
The growth of corporate e-learning is such that even Forbes states that this market is expected to grow by 15% annually, reaching a value of 325 billion dollars by 2026.
6. 61% of HR leaders believe that credentials earned online have the same validity and quality as those achieved in person
A decade ago, doubting the quality of online education was more common than it is today. However, even considering the boom in telecommuting and eLearning since 2020, a Northeastern University survey conducted in 2018 revealed that digital learning was on its way to being as valid as traditional learning.
According to that same study that considered the recruitment staff of several companies, 52% of them assured they believe employees will obtain most of the credentials online. Also, 61% of HR leaders believe those certifications have the same quality as those obtained in person.
Given the advantages of digital education, corporations now lead this type of preparation by themselves. According to data, companies with more than 10,000 employees invest up to 50% of their staff training and development budgets in e-learning.
7. Demand for online courses related to technology and software has increased by 3,600% since 2019
In a world that started to get used (by health obligation) to migrate the operation of its businesses to virtuality, it is not surprising that the demand related to cyber security, technology, and software development services has skyrocketed in 2022.
According to a market study by Thinkfic, interest in online courses linked to computer science increased by 3,600% between 2019 and 2021, making it the most in-demand industry in the eLearning world. In second place is the health and fitness industry, with an increase in demand of 2,650%, and in third place is the arts and entertainment industry, with an increase of 2,500%.
8. 35% of Hiring Managers believe business and information professionals will benefit most from online learning
In addition to working independently, online training offers other benefits, such as the ability to use technology and online platforms.
According to a Future Learn survey of more than 1,000 US hiring managers, 35% responded that thanks to the acquisition of the above skills, they believed that the industries that would benefit most from eLearning were business and information. On the other hand, 16.4% believed it would be education, 10.8% agriculture, and 9.1% finance and investment.
9. 23% of employees who educate themselves online are more likely to receive a promotion
Online education has many benefits. According to a study by Future Learn, 51% of employees surveyed said that spending time on digital courses has given them the skills to work independently.
However, those who work directly in a company also have numerous advantages regarding appropriating e-learning tools. Not only do they contribute to a greener education since eLearning emits 86% fewer greenhouse gases, but also, according to the previously cited survey, this type of preparation has positive consequences for the development of employees.
The data show that 23% of employees who educated themselves online are more likely to receive a promotion and 19.8% to receive an increase in their salary.
10. The US and Europe account for more than 70% of the global eLearning market.
Although some statistics for 2021 reflect that 70% of the global eLearning market belongs to the US and Europe, the Asia Pacific market is gaining more and more strength.
Data from leading platforms confirms the above scenario, where one of the most popular ones had 28 million new students from Asia enrolled in 68 million online courses in 2020.
For its part, the US leads the consumption of digital education, with 27% of its citizens aged 16 to 74 participating in a virtual course in 2021 alone. Just one year earlier, 17.3 million Americans enrolled in a digital class, making it the leading country in the consumption of virtual education, followed by India (13.6 million) and Mexico (4.8 million).