Learning Light, the Sheffield-based e-learning industry expert, has teamed up with investment bank IBIS Capital to launch a study aimed at potential investors in the sector.
The Global E-Learning Investment Review study looks at education trends and technology innovation in the sector.
Charles McIntyre, of IBIS Capital, said: “The e-learning sector has reached a tipping point where we now have the digital infrastructure, the mobile and tablet penetration, the software platforms and most importantly the consumer demand to see education innovation in the digital age become an integral part of teaching and corporate training.”
David Patterson, from Learning Light, added: “We’ve been delighted to put our market knowledge at IBIS Capital’s disposal – to help put into context some of the events in the e-learning world over the past couple of years.
“The IBIS report will provide a window onto this world for anybody seeking to invest or build businesses in the e-learning sector.”
In addition to looking at trends in the e-learning sector, the Global E-Learning Investment Review also examines 47 significant education mergers and acquisitions, 75 per cent of which have taken place in the e-learning sector over the past two years, and totted up a total transaction value of $3.8 billion.
Key points in the study include a prediction that a rise in peer-to-peer platforms will result in large amounts of educational content becoming available free of charge, forcing companies to focus on delivering chargeable premium bespoke and ancillary services.
The study says learning will become increasingly personalised with e-learning becoming tailored to meet the individual’s learning patterns and aptitude and available “anytime, anywhere” thanks to the rise of mobile and tablet devices.
It also suggests that as the range of e-learning expands, it will become increasingly important that the qualifications offered and standards set are formally recognised and accreditation will become unified over time, with educational brands reducing to a small number of global players.
Copies of the study can be downloaded from Learning Light’s website: www.learninglight.com/e-learning-market-research.
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