By Lucia Dore and Reece George.

Lucia Dore recently received an email from the University of Auckland encouraging interested participants to undertake a Masters in Business Administration (MBA), online. How times have changed. Once learning online was seen as a marginal activity and not one from which you could obtain a “proper” degree. Now, an online course is seen as a way for many tertiary establishments to survive and for students to upskill, efficiently and cost effectively. Being online makes it easier for everyone to learn.

As a result of the Covid pandemic, online education has taken on a new dimension, especially in China. Everywhere, and in China in particular, it’s become more acceptable to complete a university degree online. It already has a high rate of students undertaking higher education, and online education will change that. According to a study carried out in 2022, citing China’s recent census, approximately 15 per cent of its population has a higher education. This percentage is considerably higher among the young, with a steadily growing percentage of the population attending college. However, according to Wikipedia, in which it cited research completed by The Telegraph in 2017, less than 1 percent of people in China speak English conversationally.

However, indications from our own anecdotal research shows that India is less accepting of online education than China, but this is slowly changing, especially as students seek to find ways not to be stuck in traffic. Statistics also show that in the US, enrolment rates have been declining for traditional courses. In a research report dated 17 May 2023 by Deloitte entitled: “Trend No. 1: College enrolment reaches its peak”, it states that enrolment rates have been declining in the US for generations. “Enrolment of traditional students has been falling for more than a decade, especially among men, putting pressure both on the enrolment pipeline and on the work ecosystem it feeds.” Now, India and China are predicted to surpass the US “as the front runners in educated populations within the next decade or so”, it states. The researchers believe that traditional campus teaching has probably “reached its peak”.

AI can improve student engagement

What do we mean by “engagement”? According to research undertaken by the University College London, “engagement’ in the context of teaching and learning, can be broadly defined as a set of positive student behaviours. These include attention to and completion of work, visibility and active involvement in that work, and similar involvement in their interactions with peers, the teaching team and the wider university community. While “engagement” does not mean that students are learning per se, and indeed there is evidence to show that students tend to engage more in learning activities that do not challenge them too deeply, higher levels of engagement do correlate to increased absorption of information. Some research suggests that students absorb information better when they learn online. Indeed, learning online is attributed to much of students’ improvement in learning.

There are four types of engagement: behavioural, cognitive, collaborative, social and emotional, according to research published in the National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information. The online mode of instruction and AI can enhance engagement in all these areas, research shows.

Research also shows that student engagement with learning is now much better than it once was. Wharton School attests to that, as seen in the five videos entitled “Practical AI for Teachers and Students”. They show the best way that AI can be employed by teachers and students.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwRdpYzPkkn302_rL5RrXvQE8j0jLP02j

Embracing online learning, alongside classroom-based learning (which is the traditional form of learning) may also be the way for institutions to survive. Known as “hybrid” learning, which refers to teaching online and on-campus simultaneously, The University of Queensland, in Australia, is one educational institution that has embraced it.

However, although hybrid learning increases flexibility, it can be harder to manage students, including keeping them engaged. As a result of lessons being conducted virtually and in-person, teachers may find it difficult to create a sense of fairness between cohorts and for everyone to engage in the same activities.

Pros and cons of learning online

Like most things, however, online learning has pros and cons. For example, learning online is more flexible than having to rush into a physical classroom, or into  a classroom-teacher situation.  If a course is online, all students can learn at their own pace. People may have conflicting commitments- a person may want to stay at home and look after children for example- and being online means that it is possible to make this commitment. Students may not be able to attend a classroom physically because they may have health conditions that prevents them doing so.

Moreover, students may not have the money to pay for a course that requires physical attendance.  Fortunately, many online courses are cheaper than they would be in a physical classroom and several universities offer cheaper courses online. For this reason, online courses can create more equitable outcomes and can ensure economically disadvantaged students get access to learning.

An online course also necessitates that other classmates and teachers work collaboratively and because students are likely to come from all over the world, learning online is a chance to learn about different cultures, generate ideas and debate. Horizons are broadened. We know that collaboration helps students not only absorb information, but remember it.

A small number of students from all over the world can also discuss topics and chat together in break out rooms. A tutor may choose to sit in one room, or move around to others as well.

Participating in an online course also makes it possible for students to use the style of learning that suits them best – whether it is reading, quizzes, videos, kinesthetic learning – that is a tactile approach to learning-  virtual reality or augmented reality (or everything connected to the metaverse). Even if there is a preference for kinesthetic learning,  this can be enhanced by learning online since students are able to touch and feel items at their leisure. Students who are not academically inclined, or who may find academia is not for them, such as people who have dyslexia, can transcribe using speech recognition software. For example, Gradescope, which relies on a combination of machine learning (ML) and AI to make it easier to grade, saves teachers and educators time and energy. By connecting the learning to a Learning Management System (LMS) learners can also review their performance and see where they have been successful and where they can improve.

Most importantly, an online course is always up to date because it is easier to update than a printed one. It is also easier to set up and usually more cost effective. It is possible that an individual educational institution could provide any student who has access to the internet an opportunity to acquire a degree. In other words, learning online can encourage lifelong learning. This is something Lucia Dore learnt a great deal about when she was co-writing the book entitled: “SeniorITy:  how AI and tech can enhance senior living”. If a course is online, people of all ages are encouraged to learn.

Research too has also taken on a whole new dimension because it is now easier for students to work online. Clearly, AI tools have helped, including chatbots and collaboration software.

However, although online education can be useful and powerful, it is important to know how to get the most out of an online platform, especially with the rise in the importance of AI.

Technologies like ChatGPT or Bing AI could help in facilitating group discussions by providing prompts, including controlling the time, and keeping track of what people are saying. (Some of these options are advocated by Wharton School at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwRdpYzPkkn302_rL5RrXvQE8j0jLP02j).

Although online learning has been facilitated by these technologies, they too can have failings. Since data is aggregated from across the internet, a person still has to know what is correct. This will certainly matter to a student when writing essays. So, although generative AI technologies will make research  and online teaching more efficient, they must be used well to achieve the best results in education.

For more information go to www.learnbusinessenglish.net or lucia@learnbusinessenglish.net