The digital learning platform Preply has published a study that examines the technological infrastructure and accessibility in 30 countries worldwide. The state of digital infrastructure, the number of digital educational courses, and the market for e-learning were all analysed to uncover the countries best prepared for a shift to online learning.
School closures as a result of coronavirus exacerbated weaknesses in Ireland’s digital infrastructure. This study compares the digital infrastructure in Ireland with other countries worldwide to identify necessary areas for development. Pertinent data were analysed on the state of the nation’s digital infrastructure, digital educational offerings, and the e-learning market to give a comprehensive overview of multiple factors that influence access to e-learning.
“We are convinced that e-learning has a great potential to improve educational opportunities worldwide,” says Kirill Bigai, CEO of Preply. “The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated that access to digital education is unequally distributed, but that there are ample opportunities to begin investing in the digital infrastructure necessary for a national shift to online learning. This study aims to uncover the extent to which all learners have access to adequate digital tools and resources.”
Ireland ranks 25th place overall. However, for government spending on education per pupil, Ireland ranks second to last in the Index, ahead of only Greece. For accessibility to education, Ireland ranks 15th, with only 83.5% of students having access to a computer at home, indicating a significant degree of educational inequality. Ireland performs better in the ranking for the number of online educational courses available, with 296 – more than Germany with 220. Online teaching proves a more lucrative profession in Ireland than in other countries. Ireland ranks in the top 10 for salaries paid to tutors, at €19 per hour, compared to €16.16 per hour in the UK.
Table 1: Top 16 countries with the best conditions for e-learning, with selected factors.
|
Rank
|
Country
|
Access to computers
|
Internet-
speed Broadband
|
Tutoring per hour
|
Score
|
|
1
|
Norway
|
94.9%
|
127.2 Mbit/s
|
€22.52
|
100.0
|
|
2
|
Denmark
|
93.1%
|
141.7 Mbit/s
|
€29.39
|
99.4
|
|
3
|
Switzerland
|
90.3%
|
155.9 Mbit/s
|
€29.13
|
95.4
|
|
4
|
Luxemburg
|
95.4%
|
114.3 Mbit/s
|
€25.00
|
94.4
|
|
5
|
Netherlands
|
97.6%
|
112.8 Mbit/s
|
€18.00
|
84.8
|
|
6
|
Sweden
|
92.8%
|
141.7 Mbit/s
|
€16.89
|
79.0
|
|
7
|
Austria
|
85.4%
|
56.5 Mbit/s
|
€20.00
|
75.8
|
|
8
|
New Zealand
|
80.0%
|
114.8 Mbit/s
|
€16.77
|
73.8
|
|
9
|
Finland
|
93.5%
|
91.9 Mbit/s
|
€19.00
|
71.0
|
|
10
|
Australia
|
82.4%
|
45.9 Mbit/s
|
€18.23
|
67.7
|
|
11
|
Canada
|
85.6%
|
123.3 Mbit/s
|
€16.35
|
66.5
|
|
12
|
United States
|
72.0%
|
138.0 Mbit/s
|
€15.78
|
61.1
|
|
13
|
Germany
|
92.9%
|
91.3 Mbit/s
|
€11.00
|
60.8
|
|
14
|
France
|
84.1%
|
135.2 Mbit/s
|
€19.00
|
57.3
|
|
15
|
Hungary
|
79.7%
|
131.2 Mbit/s
|
€7.17
|
52.7
|
|
16
|
United Kingdom
|
91.7%
|
67.2 Mbit/s
|
€16.16
|
51.9
|
|
…
|
|
||||
|
25
|
Ireland
|
83.8%
|
79.2 Mbit/s
|
€19.00
|
31.3
|
*This list is an extraction of a greater study. A complete overview of all data, methodology and sources can be found at https://preply.com/en/d/e-learning-index/
Further findings:
- Mexico offers the worst conditions for e-learning offerings. Only 44.3% of Mexicans have private computer access, and slow internet makes real-time collaboration impossible.
- The United States offers 9,303 online degree programs and courses that can be taken entirely online, while also providing the greatest variety of digital educational opportunities.
- Canada offers the best value for money when it comes to internet access. In addition, the Canadian government invests around 31% of GDP per capita in tertiary education.
- Internal data from Preply reveals that the biggest market growth last year was in Portugal.
- Japan ranks surprisingly poorly, in 26th place. The technologically advanced country offers a rich market for e-learning offerings, but sluggish Internet and inadequate digital educational opportunities are holding back the potential for e-learning.