Inevitably as online learning becomes the norm so too do searches for online learning on search engines like Google. Searches for e-learning between November 2019–October 2020 vs a year earlier increased by over 58%. Analysts have poured over the details and according to EdTechnology have identified a number of different motivations for this, including: “parents taking on homeschooling responsibilities; more people investing in self-improvement due to being furloughed, or the shift to working from home resulting in more spare time (eliminating time previously spent commuting, for example); people considering alternative means for education due to the uncertainty and health concerns facing campus-based learning, caused by the ongoing pandemic”. The report also highlighted the most searched for questions under e-learning and the results in order of popularity were: “Which are the best online courses?; What are the best free online certificate courses?; Are online courses worth it?; How can I learn online for free?”. Clearly the classification for free is still very popular, as reduced incomes takes its effect on the population.
