By Hayley Lord, Employment and Skills Manager at South Tyneside Council
In recent years online learning has overtaken traditional classroom learning for adults, largely accelerated through necessity during the COVID pandemic.
With online learning widely acknowledged as the favoured delivery model by learners, and staunch educationalists championing the value of traditional classroom-based teaching, the dichotomy remains prevalent – but is this a case of efficiency over integrity?
The New ‘Norm’
The notion of incorporating technology into learning is a familiar concept to most, but at the intersection of evolving delivery models, the balance of human versus technological intervention is being rapidly redefined. In their latest 2024 Adult Participation in Learning Survey, The Learning and Work Institute reported the highest levels of adult participation in learning since the survey was first issued in 1996, directly linking increased participation with a rise in independent and online learning, post-pandemic.
With over two thirds of the circa 5,000 respondents reporting elements of their main learning being delivered online, an overwhelming 86% identified technology as an enabling factor in their learning, and 93% reported feeling confident in using technology for learning. However, with around one third of learners stating that they learned independently, the current trajectory could seek to redefine ‘traditional delivery models’ and signify a shift into a new era of learner-led computerised adult education.¹
The Moral Dilemma
Practitioners across the sector are acutely aware of how financially challenging the current adult skills landscape is, with the Institute for Fiscal Studies reporting significant government funding cuts per capita in further education, and classroom-based adult education recently falling victim to over 40% spending cuts in comparison to the 2009-10 figures.² Acknowledging these exigent demands is pivotal in understanding the growing use of online learning. In today’s climate, strategic leaders are often forced to prioritise wide reach, ‘quick win’ provision over the more conventional yet less lucrative face to face delivery model which often promises a more personalised and humanistic approach.
Given my role as a Quality Assurance Practitioner in funded Further Education, and a strong advocate for Social Emotional Learning (SEL) approaches, I often find it difficult not to flinch at the concept of fully learner-led, online provision. As a champion for the social aspects and human interactions that enhance lifelong learning experiences, I struggle to appreciate the alignment between fully independent, remote delivery models and the frameworks and regulations we are required to adhere to, to ensure provision is robust, compliant and high-quality.
Yet in their 2018 Research Report, The Department for Education presented ‘inconclusive’ findings of a randomised control trial (RCT) of the relative effectiveness of face-to-face compared to blended learning in 19+ literacy and numeracy provision. The report denoted insignificant variances in achievement rates, yet disappointingly cited a range of shortcomings in the ability to measure reliable outcomes in the study.³ Similar research deduces ‘the effect of e-Learning compared to face-to-face learning is essentially zero’.⁴ʸ⁵
Therefore in terms of quality, given these findings, and appreciating that we frequently see many independent, remote delivery models verified and celebrated by Ofsted, is it remiss to label all online provision as the poor relative of traditional classroom learning?
The Middle Ground
In a recent article, The European Association for the Education of Adults accentuated the importance of educators going beyond simply providing digital equipment and access. They acknowledge the challenges involved in digital delivery and inclusion, citing competence, confidence and inconsistency as the main barriers to the mobilisation of effective digital provision.⁶
This is further reinforced by Mondli Hlatshwayo, author of the MOJA Journal of Adult Education paper Digitalisation in Education: Bringing Adult Education into the Debate. Hlatshwayo cautions ‘As a starting point, equity, empathy, and compassion should be the underpinning values of digitalisation in education. It means that the human aspect of education should not get lost in the technical details of digitalisation’.⁷
A recent Financial Times article endorsed a more synthesised model for executive learners which better integrates online and face to face provision by offering both options simultaneously. This promotes the need for a blended approach to support a balanced and democratised learning experience, allowing learners to make informed choices about not only how, but also when they learn. Learners are invited into campus for seminars, but can otherwise access both recordings and digital resources, with the expectation of a highly personalised and tailored learner-led experience. The article acknowledges that learners are not monolithic beings, but instead able to adapt and adjust their learning episodes to better meet the demands and priorities in modern-day life. Whilst the article acknowledges a predisposition towards in-person delivery for higher-level learners, Louise Croft, Managing Director of Executive Education at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School introduces the notion that a hybrid approach better aligns with the current workplace practices and post-COVID lifestyle changes, which we have observed in recent years.⁸
The Wales Centre for Public Policy provides valuable insight into their move toward a unified approach to community-based wellbeing services from 2022, stating ‘access to a service, group, or activity, involves not just being able to walk through the door, but how it feels to walk through, and how it feels once we’re inside.’ Whilst they recognise the role of digitalisation in removing barriers and engaging with a wider demographic, it was highlighted that research on this topic had been more focused on ‘service efficiency rather than efficacy or experience’ reinforcing the argument that the approach may not be wholly learner centric, with the potential to erode a societal ability to connect organically.⁹
The Changing Landscape
In a rapidly changing environment, we are impacted by digitalisation in almost all aspects of our lives, both personally and professionally. A large proportion of courses offered in adult education are designed to support entry into the job market, or work-based progression, and we must therefore recognise that workforce digitalisation and growing automation require both teaching practices and practitioners to evolve, if we are to keep up.
Monica Eliza Mortoga articulates this relationship beautifully in The Journal of Educational Sciences, stating ‘The synergistic combination of adult education and digital technologies not only imparts tangible skills for today’s workforce, but also fosters a broader understanding of diverse global perspectives, ultimately equipping learners with the knowledge to address complex challenges in an increasingly interconnected world.’¹⁰
What is important, is that whilst we acknowledge the benefits of human interaction, we must not forget to embrace the role of digital technology and the ways in which this medium can enhance delivery and learner experience, producing learners who are both prepared and attractive in the current employability market.
The Evolution
The opposing rationales for digital versus classroom-based delivery present equally compelling arguments and points for consideration. Acknowledging elements such as the significant reduction in carbon footprint that digital delivery produces requires careful balance against the instinctive understanding of human emotions and personalities gained in a classroom, which one can simply not gain through a computer screen.
Is this a case of fear of the unknown, resistance to change, or in some instances, have we just not quite established the happy medium between the levels of human and digital interaction in the optimum delivery model? What is clear is that both technology and education are here to stay, and when used collaboratively and thoughtfully, can significantly enhance the learning experience.
So perhaps I should not flinch in future when presented with the challenge of quality assuring elements of learner-led remote delivery, but instead approach this with an open mind to be persuaded to better embrace the new digital era. To put it simply, as Charles Kettering, prominent American inventor and engineer known for his significant contributions to the automotive industry famously said, ‘The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.’
Bibliography
1 Learning and Work Institute, “Adult Participation in Learning Survey,” (2024).
2 Institute for Fiscal Studies, “Education Spending- Why 2025 is a critical year for FE funding,” FE Week, (2005).
3 J. Anders, R. Dorsett and L. Stokes, “The relative effectiveness of blended versus face-to-face adult English and maths learning,” Department for Education Research Report 791, (2018).
4 R. M. Bernard, P. C. Abrami, Y. Lou, E. Borokhovski, A. Wade, L. Wozney, P. A. Wallet, M. Fiset and B. Huang, “How Does Distance Education Compare With Classroom Instruction? A Meta-Analysis of the Empirical Literature.,” Review of Educational Research, vol. 74, pp. 379-439, (2004).
5 J. Hattie, “Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement,” International Review of Education, vol. 57, pp. 219-221, (2011).
6 European Association for the Education of Adults, “Making technology work for adult learners: our 6 key research findings,” (2025).
7 M. Hlatshwayo, “Digitalisation in Education: Bringing Adult Education into the Debate,” MOJA Journal of Adult Education, vol. 1, pp. 46-50, (2022).
8 Financial Times, “Business leaders return to face-to-face learning,” (2025).
9 Wales Centre for Public Policy, “What does ‘blended’ digital and face-to-face provision mean for access to services during the cost-of-living crisis?,” (2022).
10 M. E. Motorga, “Digital transformation in adult education: empowering global,” Journal of Educational Sciences, vol. 2, no. 48, (2023).
11 M. Hlatshwayo, “Digitalisation in Education: Bringing Adult Education into the Debate,” MOJA Journal of Adult Education, vol. 1, pp. 46-50, 2022.