The Internet plays less of a role in lifelong learning for those with lower levels of education and income. A new report on lifelong learning and technology from The Pew Research Center has found that Internet access plays a key role in personal learning. Following are some key findings:
● 52% of personal learners used the Internet for learning, but there was a 15 percentage-point gap on either end of the education and income spectrums.
● 58% of personal learners with college degrees used the Internet for personal learning in the past 12 months, compared to 43% with high-school diplomas or less.
● 60% of personal learners in households earning more than $75,000 used the Internet for personal learning, compared with 44% living in households earning less than $30,000.
Those who are better educated get more benefits from learning:
● 72% of personal learners with college degrees say their extra learning expanded their professional network, compared with 50% of personal learners with high-school diplomas or less.
The general public has little awareness of some key digital learning platforms:
● Distance learning: 14% of Americans say they’re “very familiar” with it and 24% are “somewhat familiar.”
● Khan Academy: 9% of adults say they’re “very familiar” with the site and another 10% are “somewhat familiar” with it.
● MOOCs: 5% of adults say they’re “very familiar” with MOOCs and another 13% say they’re “somewhat familiar” with them.
● Digital badges: 4% of adults are “very familiar” with digital badges and another 12% are “somewhat familiar.”
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