Worldwide Demand for English Education: Can online learning rise to the challenge? - Charles McIntyre, EdTech

Two billion students will be learning English over the next decade, 80% of global companies say English is needed to succeed in their business and 55% of all websites are written in English. The English language is pervasive and the teaching of English is big business. Expenditure on English language learning is growing at twice the rate of spend on education more generally and by 2018 we expect global expenditure on English language learning to exceed $80bn, almost 4x more than the total spend on all the other languages put together. The challenge is how to deliver English language learning in an effective way. Language learning is a sophisticated skill that requires high levels of engagement and ideally a fully immersive experience. For example, it is not easy to replicate the outside world of multiple accents, different speeds of delivery and a wide range of vocabulary in a classroom. http://edtechnology.co.uk/Article/can-online-learning-rise-to-the-challenge