Consider your first classroom experience. Whether it was at school or nursery, chances are there was a chalkboard with coloured chalk where you concentrated the majority of your attention. You were probably working from a booklet or creating pictures by hand on paper using a pencil and crayons.

Fast forward to the 2017 classroom, and everything has changed. Chalk and crayons have been supplanted by screens, social networks, cloud computing, and augmented reality.

Technology has altered the way classrooms operate, not only at school, but across the educational system. So, from kindergarten to university, students nowadays engage in online learning from the start. Nonetheless, despite increased technical advancements, higher education institutions are functioning in an increasingly competitive and volatile market.

The concept of a “normal student” is likewise evolving. This results in a shift in how these students prefer to learn. Older students seeking postgraduate diplomas, in particular, want their education to be relevant and worthwhile. However, it must also be adaptable enough to accommodate their present commitments and duties.

Taking it online

In this approach, a properly designed online learning programme with plenty of assistance integrated in gives students with an international experience. However, it can also provide students with relevant experience and a valuable skill set for their future working lives. The online classroom, as well as the sense of collaboration across international and cultural boundaries, matches the workplaces in which these students work or desire to work.

Future classrooms

It is evident that online programmes can and should be considered as an innovative platform for continuing access to higher education. This is significant because online learning breaks down barriers that would otherwise be difficult to overcome and allows information to be shared across the globe. This gives pupils new knowledge that is enhanced by international perspectives and cultural understanding.

It also assures that learning may be accessed remotely from anywhere in the world, regardless of how unpredictable the future higher education landscape becomes. However, in order for this to occur, higher education institutions must continue to adapt and develop new methods of delivering programmes and courses. This will ensure that they not only keep up with global trends and improvements, but also that education is maintained.