Want to learn how to weld? There’s a course for that. Curious about crocheting? There’s a course for that too. Over the past 5 years, the online course industry has boomed, attracting teachers and learners.
Today, there’s almost every kind of course out there for anyone interested in leveling up their professional skills, learning a craft, or taking a deep dive into a topic of interest.
Content creators are learning that knowledge is power. Their knowledge could be turned into a marketable product, and they could grow a relatively passive income by teaching people how to do anything, from planting indoor gardens to learning computer coding.
If you’re a course creator, changes in the industry will impact your ability to reach and teach more students.
The good news is that advances in learning tools, user-friendly technology, and online education trends have noticeable trajectories that point to more opportunities on the horizon. The course creators who are prepared will benefit from these opportunities. So it’s becoming increasingly important to stay ahead of the latest trends and predictions.
In this blog, we’ll explore the online course industry, the trends that are driving its growth, and what the future holds for creators.
Industry Overview
The online course industry has been growing rapidly in recent years, driven by advances in technology and the increasing demand for flexible, accessible education. The affordability of online courses has been the main catalyst for the industry’s growth.
Consider these interesting statistics:
- Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have gained widespread popularity, as of 2021, Coursera alone has over 95 million registered students worldwide.
- The global online education market is expected to reach $325 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period (2020-2025) according to a report by MarketsandMarkets.
- Online learning has seen a significant increase in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 online enrollment was up by 20% from the previous year.
- In the corporate sector, it’s predicted that by 2025, over 80% of the workforce will require technology skills, this is leading to the rise of online professional development courses.
- In the K-12 sector, the online school market is expected to reach $93 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 14.5% during the forecast period (2020-2025) according to a report by MarketsandMarkets.
These statistics show that the online education market is rapidly growing and as more and more course creators enter the industry, the trends are beginning to shift and evolve.
Predictions and Trends
As more course creators enter the market, the course creators’ industry is expected to become more competitive over the coming year. There will be an increased emphasis on quality, innovation, and customer service in order for courses to stand out from the competition.
There will be changes in the types of courses offered, the platforms used, pricing, as well as more sophisticated monetization and marketing strategies.
Some of the exciting trends coming up for the industry include:
More personalized learning experience
The rise of video
More personalization
One of the most notable trends coming up in the course creator’s industry is the shift towards more specialized courses and personalized learning experiences.
Over the coming years, more courses will be tailored to the needs of individual learners. We will see an increase in the number of specialized courses, as course creators focus on specific topics and niches.
As more and more people turn to online learning, they will continue to look for courses that are tailored to their specific needs and interests.
In fact, this shift has already begun to take place with more niche courses offered over the past 2 years than ever before. Instead of offering generic courses, course creators have begun to focus more and more on specific and focused topics.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning will be used to create more personalized learning experiences, such as adaptive learning platforms that adjust to the individual needs of each student.
This trend will continue as the demand increases for shorter, more focused courses that teach specific skills, and are tailored to specific learning objectives.
This will increase the number of tailor-made courses and help course creators differentiate themselves more clearly from the competition.
The rise of video
Another trend coming up in the course creators industry is the rise of video courses.
Video is already becoming an increasingly popular format for online learning because it allows for more engaging and interactive learning experiences.
Over the coming years, creating engaging video courses with high-quality production values will become more cost-effective for course creators, and will require less time and resources to produce.
Video courses will become even more popular as course creators become more familiar with ways to engage their learners on video more effectively.
Interactive tools and technology
There will be a drive towards more interactive courses over the next few years. More and more courses will use activities, quizzes, and other interactive elements.
These interactive courses will become the norm, as course creators focus on creating more engaging experiences for their learners.
Gamification features are a big hit in online courses and significantly boost learner engagement.
Technologies that revolutionized the entertainment industry, like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) are expected to do the same for online courses.
By using these tools and technologies to make courses more interactive, learners will get a more immersive learning experience, helping them learn better.
Adapting to the future
Overall, the course creators industry is expected to continue to evolve therefore adapting to meet the changes will be key to the success of future course creators.
Learners will have changing needs, will look towards more tailored courses, and seek out technology that will help them get more out of the course they enroll in.
To help you take advantage of the upcoming trends, here are some key things course creators can begin to do today:
- Focus on making your course as specialized as possible in order to stand out from the competition.
- Incorporate video into your courses in a way that engages your learners, and helps you to teach them more effectively.
- Make your courses more interactive to keep your learners more engaged.
- Invest in marketing and promotion strategies to help you reach wider audiences.
- Stay up to date on the latest trends and predictions.
By staying informed and up to date on the latest trends, you can ensure that you’re always ahead of the competition.
For more insights, reach out to our team at ClassGrowth.
