The Evolution of the Learning Experience

The internet age has revolutionised the way in which we learn. Gone are the days where textbooks and encyclopedias are opened to find out the answer to a question, instead replaced by two simple words: ‘Google it.’ At the same time, even if people wish to gain further educational qualifications, they no longer need to go to educational institutions given the plethora of online courses and e-learning materials readily available.

This change has created endless opportunities. For example, for those who are not suited to the ‘school’ learning environment, who are restricted by other commitments or who would like to customise their learning experience, they now have more opportunity to pursue further education.

However, the sharp increase in information online and the increasing number of people learning leads to more rapid innovation, which in turn renders information we learn valuable for a shorter amount of time.

This can be measured by looking at the ‘half-life’ of information, a term that people should be a lot more familiar with thanks to HBO’s Chernobyl. In this case, it is essentially how long it takes before our know-how is replaced by new, fresher versions.

This ‘half-life’ is decreasing all the time due to the wealth of resources at our disposal nowadays, making it increasingly difficult to keep up to date with the latest knowledge in our fields.

Therefore, current know-how is becoming more and more crucial to stand out from the crowd in a world where degrees, diplomas and qualifications are not only commonplace, but also whose value are diminishing from the moment we stop learning them.