The global e-learning market is projected to hit more than $460 billion by 2026.
The industry is growing fast and doesn’t show signs of slowing down as more individuals and organizations use Edtech for engaging, convenient and results-driven education.
To find out the key Edtech trends coming your way in 2023, we talked to over 2000 leading creator-educators working in the space right now.
Here are the 5 top 2023 Edtech trends you need to know about to help you grow your business and take advantage of the technology that’s on the horizon.
- What is Edtech?
- Why is Edtech important?
- 3 top benefits of Edtech in 2023
- What are the new trends in Edtech?
- 5 top EdTech trends for 2023
What is Edtech?
Edtech or Educational Technology is digital technology that’s designed to enhance or aid teaching and learning, utilizing computer hardware, software, and educational theory to enrich learning experiences.
The term covers all aspects of computer-aided education, including virtual lessons, microlearning programs, community-led social learning platforms and more.
Why is Edtech important?
Edtech is on the rise in schools, businesses, and institutions thanks to the engaging, diverse and personalized learning experiences it can offer students.
Edtech gives learners the chance to acquire knowledge faster, easier and cheaper than ever before. At the same time, educators have the chance to create, deliver and refine content wherever they are, at a fraction of the cost and time of in-person, on-site lessons.
Advances in Edtech in recent years have seen a democratization in the education industry – opening up the opportunities to teach and learn to a wider range of people, and delivering a better educational experience at the same time.
Here are the key benefits of Edtech in 2023.
3 top benefits of Edtech in 2023
More accessible
At its heart, Edtech is about making learning more accessible to more people.
Gone are the days of asking students to sit in physical classrooms listening to a teacher deliver hour-long lectures. Edtech has opened up opportunities for people to learn anywhere, anytime.
This has huge implications for frontline workers, school students, individuals with special needs and more. Content is now accessible in a wider range of formats to suit different learning needs and styles, with highly individualized learning pathways that can be tailored to each person and accessed whenever it’s convenient.
Increase engagement
Edtech has the powerful ability to make content more engaging for learners. The development of bite-sized microlearning tools, for example, gives educators more opportunities to make educational content fun and interesting. From gamification to short, snappy videos, Edtech has transformed the way students learn – and it will continue to do so in 2023.
The opportunities Edtech presents for increased engagement has a knock on effect too. Edtech can improve course completion rates, knowledge retention and performance.
Reduce costs
By moving education and training online, organizations can dramatically cut costs too. Edtech helps administrators to automate repetitive tasks like enrollments, assessments, gathering feedback and more.
As Edtech becomes more widespread in 2023, those costs are likely to reduce even further with online learning becoming more affordable for students and organizations, as well as reducing start-up costs for course creators and coaches.
Launch your online learning product for free
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So what are the new trends coming in 2023? Here’s what you need to know.
2023 Edtech trends
The top Edtech trends for 2023 follow a clear pattern. In fact, they can be distilled into 3 Cs.
Community
This year is going to be all about community as Edtech gets more social. Communities will become the most valuable resource for content creators, coaches and educators as more businesses recognize the importance of a strong community for connecting with learners, selling more products, and gathering critical feedback and audience insights. Community will become your core and most important product in 2023.
Convenience
Online learning and Edtech is all about convenience in 2023. Gone are the days of clunky user interfaces and long-form, dull lesson content. The key Edtech trends in 2023 are all about quick, easy, seamless learning experiences that fit into the daily flow of life. That means more microlearning, mobile-first platforms and education experiences tailored to social media.
Control
In the face of increasing economic uncertainties in 2023, Edtech is shifting towards greater control for content creators. More educators and creators are looking to take control of all aspects of their business – from revenue generation, to community building, to marketing and promotion. That means they’re looking for content hosting platforms that put creators in the driver’s seat and where they get to keep more of what they earn from their content.
5 top Edtech trends for 2023
Here are the top trends coming your way in 2023 and what they mean for your business.
We’ve seen microlearning become one of the top methods of teaching and learning online in recent years – and in 2023 it’s going to be even more dominant.
Unlike traditional learning formats, microlearning lessons are kept under 10 minutes – generally they’re around 30- to 60-seconds long. Short-form YouTube lessons, TikTok recipes, Instagram DIY reels. What do they all have in common? They’re offering learners super quick, super addictive content that makes learning new things fun.
The evidence speaks for itself – our research found that:
- Over 60% of people learn new things from content on TikTok, YouTube or Instagram.
Mobile-first microlearning is now the go-to solution for learners who need quick, easy content that helps them learn on-the-go. As more people try to fit more activities into every day, microlearning will become the most important Edtech for learners in 2023.
For course creators, this Edtech trend is a clear call-to-action to start making content that’s mobile-friendly and extra easy to absorb. Shorter content is cheaper, faster and simpler to produce so it’s a no-brainer for your 2023 content strategy.
To learn more about how to make this EdTech trend work for you – download our 2023 Digital Learning Trends Report.
2. Creator-Entertainers become Creator-Educators
The past 10 years have seen the rise of the influencer economy as more people make the move to being digital creators – either full-time or as a side hustle.
But sometimes the buzziest professions aren’t the best route to a successful business and a solid income. In 2023, we can expect to see a shift from creator-entertainers to creator-educators as more entrepreneurs and creators leverage the power of educational content to boost their revenue.
Educational products like online courses, coaching and educational apps are a great way for creators to turn their existing audience into revenue. And it’s what audiences want to see.
According to our research, more than 2X as many people are interested in creators making digital content for education rather than entertainment.
You don’t have to be a natural born entertainer or big-name influencer to grow your following, build a brand, and generate income. In fact, you just need high quality educational content in a niche that people are interested in.
3. Community is the priority
In 2023, we can also track a clear trend towards community in Edtech.
As education becomes more social – and the line between educational platforms and social media becomes blurred – we’re going to see more emphasis on communities for both creators and organizations.
It used to be the case that your audience would come for your content then stick around to be part of your community. But in 2023 that dynamic is changing. Your online community will be the driving force behind monetizing your content and growing your business.
Our research shows that:
- 53% of people are more likely to buy a product if it’s recommended to them by a member of a community they belong to.
- 60% of Gen Zs say online communities are very important to them according to research from Tapatalk.
Your community is the fastest and most effective route to building a successful education business in 2023 – and opening up a new and lucrative revenue stream.
At an organizational level, social learning will also be a top priority in 2023 to encourage more engagement from employees with gamified learning elements like leaderboards, rewards and social-media style messaging becoming commonplace.
Online community platforms are on the rise in 2023 – and you can expect to see more creators and organizations getting in on the trend.
Find out how to make this EdTech trend work for you – download our 2023 Digital Learning Trends Report.
4. Diversify your income
For small businesses, diversity is key – and this will become even more apparent in 2023.
In the face of economic uncertainty, it’s more important than ever for creators and infopreneurs to have multiple revenue streams they can draw on to help them respond to future challenges.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, we saw countless businesses move online to cope with widespread closures of brick-and-mortar sites. In 2023, we can expect to see businesses fully embracing this shift as more educators recognize the power of Edtech to bring their knowledge to a wider, more diverse and more global audience.
Creators now have the opportunity to create multiple digital products – such as an online course, downloadable resources, a paid membership site, one-to-one online coaching and more.
- Our research shows that the share of creators with multiple income streams has risen by nearly 50% in the past five years.
- More than 8 out of 10 top educational creators already offer multiple services and products.
There are tons of ways to diversify and future-proof your business, no matter what 2023 brings.
To learn more about how to make this EdTech trend work for you – download our 2023 Digital Learning Trends Report.
5. Invest in personal branding
Edtech has made it possible for teachers, educators and coaches to build global, personal brands centered on their expertise.
To retain more control in 2023 and grow your business further, it’s time to invest more time and resources into your personal brand. Trends point towards personal branding becoming even more prominent – and lucrative – throughout 2023 as creators capitalize on thought leadership for marketing, generating revenue and opening up opportunities for brand partnerships.
Take Millie Adrian as an example – she transformed her experience of growing a following on social media into a knock-out online course – enrolling more than 600 students and generating over $400,000 USD in less than 2 years.
Gone are the days of course marketplaces with libraries full of generic courses and faceless creators – in 2023 it’s the person behind the brand that will give digital products their value.
Make the most of these Edtech trends in 2023
There are clear trends emerging in Edtech in 2023 that will have far-reaching consequences for course creators, consumers and organizations. From the ever-increasing importance of community to the emphasis on convenience and greater control for creators, 2023 is set to be an exciting year for the Edtech economy.
Find out what each of these Edtech trends means for you and how to make the most of them for your business, along with key statistics, expert insights and real-life examples – download the 2023 Digital Learning Trends Report.
Launch your online learning product for free
Use Thinkific to create, market, and sell online courses, communities, and memberships — all from a single platform.
Updated January, 2023 to include new eLearning Trends Report and new 2023 trends.
