Maximizing E-Learning In Regions with Low Internet Penetration
Learning has changed. Quite a number of us can vividly remember when we could only get a degree or take a professional course by physically attending classes, taking long commutes sometimes from city to city or generally relocating altogether to get a chance of getting that much desired education.
Today the case is different! Anyone anywhere can decide to study in a school thousands of miles away without having to take a step out of their door. The age of social media has further influenced this change overtime by cultivating a taste for fast-paced and dynamic content in most users. It is safe to say that the learner or student of the 2020’s has far evolved from whom we knew decades before. This evolution is marked by a seamless integration of Ed-Tech platforms and E-learning, which has empowered many individuals to easily navigate the now dynamic world of learning with curiosity and flexibility.
The Global Need for E-Learning:
Just as social media and other forms of technology have grown significantly and altered the way we consume content, so also the global demand for E-learning has surged unprecedentedly. The need for accessible and flexible education are likewise factors for this surging demand. As of 2021, there were approximately 4.6 billion internet users worldwide, and this number continues to rise, underscoring the immense potential for e-learning platforms to reach learners across geographies, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
One of the most compelling reasons for the global need for E-learning is its ability to bridge the education gap. According to UNESCO, around 258 million children and youth were out of school before the COVID-19 pandemic. The subsequent closure of schools due to the pandemic further highlighted the digital divide, with over 90% of students affected by school closures lacking access to a computer at home in low-income countries. E-learning has emerged as a lifeline, offering a way for these students to continue their education remotely.
Furthermore, the rise of remote work and the evolving nature of job markets have heightened the demand for upskilling and reskilling. According to the World Economic Forum, 42% of the core skills required for jobs were changed by 2022. E-learning provides a flexible avenue for individuals to acquire new skills and stay relevant in a rapidly evolving professional landscape.
In the heartlands of our world, the demand for E-learning resonates with an urgency that mirrors the vastness of open fields and the quiet strength of rural communities. As we journey through this digital age, e-learning holds the promise of bridging the educational gap that often separates rural areas from urban centers. The need for E-learning in these regions is not just a response to technological progress, but a lifeline that can empower rural learners with knowledge, skills, and opportunities previously beyond their reach. The COVID-19 pandemic further underscored the importance of E-learning in rural areas. School closures left many rural students without access to formal education. In areas with unreliable transportation and limited resources, E-learning became a vital tool to ensure that learning could continue. For many rural students, E-learning became not only a way to access education but also a pathway to remain connected to the world beyond their immediate surroundings.
Statistically, the growth of E-learning in rural areas is on a promising trajectory. In 2020, the adoption of e-learning tools in rural schools increased by 400%. This surge in usage highlights the eagerness of rural communities to embrace E-learning as a means to empower their youth and cultivate a sense of hope for the future.
The Struggle of E-Learning in Regions with Zero or Low Internet Penetration:
Rural communities often face unique challenges when it comes to education. Geographical isolation, inadequate infrastructure, and limited access to quality teachers have historically created barriers to learning. One of such challenges is zero or low internet penetration which is critical to digital infrastructure.
In the vast geographical regions where limited or no internet penetration is a reality, the struggle to harness the potential of E-learning is an uphill battle that reflects the stark digital divide that persists in our interconnected world. While E-learning has revolutionized education for many, it’s crucial to acknowledge the challenges faced by areas where internet access remains a distant dream. As of 2023, a significant percentage of the global population is still without internet access, with the majority of these individuals residing in rural and remote areas.
For these communities, the absence of reliable internet infrastructure compounds existing educational challenges. UNESCO reported that, even before the pandemic, over 70 million young people were out of school in regions with poor connectivity. The shift to remote learning during COVID-19 exacerbated this divide, with an estimated 500 million students lacking access to necessary technology and connectivity. The struggle to bring E-learning to these regions is a matter of social justice, as lack of access to quality education perpetuates cycles of poverty and limited opportunities.
While satellite and mobile technologies have attempted to solve this problem, other issues such as high costs, limited bandwidth, and inconsistent signal strength persist. For E-learning to truly thrive in areas with zero or low internet penetration, a multi-faceted approach is necessary. This includes not only infrastructure investment but also innovative solutions like offline digital content distribution, community learning centers, and mobile-based learning platforms.
Chalkboard Education makes e-learning accessible and easy in remote regions
Initiatives are underway to address these challenges. A case study to consider is Chalkboard Education — a Learning Management System that helps deliver training to learners remotely with or without the internet. Our LMS solution has been built to give learners in regions with zero or low internet penetration 24/7 offline access to educational content through their mobile devices. Through our platform that helps distribute educational content seamlessly, we have offered several institutions — corporate and non-profit a great relief by reaching learners remotely where previously was unreachable and delivering learning content to their staff or students. Our platform also enables teachers or trainers full control and flexibility with their content, as they can customize their content to suit the learning capacity of their trainees or beneficiaries.
One stand-out feature of our LMS Solution is the Impact Dashboard. Institutions such as Non-Profits who are keen on measuring the progress of their social interventions are able to track the engagement of every learner or beneficiary via the impact dashboard. More so they are given access to a dynamic API that gives them real time progress reports that are available on demand. Hundreds of thousands of learners have benefited from Chalkboard Education’s digitization of their learning curricula which are delivered in multiple languages eliminating any barrier that may arise by distributing similar content across many geographies.
Chalkboard Education is revolutionizing the adoption of E-Learning, and bridging the gap that previously existed for many in the vast regions with zero or low internet penetration, by making it easier than ever to train people offline and via SMS. We can also expect that in the coming years further innovations from platforms like Chalkboard Education would help improve the global access to quality education, just as we all desire.
You can visit www.chalkboard.education to learn more about Chalkboard Education’s Learning Management System for zero or low internet penetration communities.
Discover how Chalkboard Education is solving the problem of internet penetration with its offline-first LMS.
