The internet and informal learning
A report by UK online centres and ICM
July 2012
Foreword by Helen Milner
Since my day job is promoting the benefits of the internet, you’d expect me to be convinced of the learning powers it can offer. However, it never fails to amaze me when I visit UK online centres and see the amount of learning that is going on, quietly, and hear about the skills that people are getting.
I know people who have learnt languages online, discovered how to put shelves up or cook recipes, often because of last-minute dinner emergencies or DIY catastrophes. My nephew even taught himself to play the piano using Youtube. The internet is convenient, 24/7 and can offer an immediate solution to people’s learning needs, which is why I think this research report is so important. People are redefining what they think of as “learning” - and that new kind of instantly available, easy to find, easy to share “learning” is making information more accessible and increasing equality of access – but, of course, only for those who are confident internet users.
One of the most interesting aspects of this research for me is the benefits men are seeing from using the internet as a learning tool. They outnumber women at every step of the way, finding out information, watching videos, sharing their expertise and conversing online. While the traditional image of informal learning might be a group of women in a book group or an art class, this report makes clear that men are harnessing the power of the internet to learn more - and more importantly to share their learning - in a way we could never have imagined. NIACE's 2011 Participation Report shows women are slightly more likely to be learning or have learnt more recently than men (40% vs. 37%), and our new report then shows that men are using the internet to claim back some of the ground they have lost from women in more traditional informal learning environments.
In NIACE's 2012 Adult Participation in Learning Survey, only 1 in 3 adults (36%) have participated in learning since leaving full time education. However, when people are asked about how they use the internet in a survey about internet use, a huge 73% of people said they used the web for learning (Ofcom, 2011). Both surveys are right, but the Ofcom survey just goes to show that the way people think about learning has changed significantly.
For me, the most important thing this report lays clear is that there is now no fixed definition of
adult learning. Once we thought it might have taken place in a local college, or maybe even a community hall, with a teacher at the front and probably a textbook. But with the internet opening up new worlds, and providing knowledge at the touch of a button - or the typing of a short phrase into Google - it’s clear that the way we learn, and our need for learning, will never be the same.
This is why I'm delighted that we're running the eReading Rooms pilot. We have an ambition to dramatically increase the number of people taking part in informal learning by providing free and friendly very local places where people can discover more about any topic that interests them, linking with local people, and empowered by the use of the internet.
This new research shows that the internet has a big impact on the way people are learning, very informally. Having just helped one million people to learn about computers and the internet, I would like millions more to learn new things using digital – and I think this is something that we can achieve.
Chief Executive, UK online centres
Executive summary
In 2012, UK online centres commissioned a research report from ICM into informal learning online, and this report presents these findings.
The report found that of all internet users surveyed, only 25% would class themselves as having done online learning, compared to one in three who had taken a training course at work.
However, 60% of people have used the internet to help them do something new, and 58% of people have used it to discover more about a new hobby. 42% had watched a video online that taught them something new, 34% had learnt a new skill, for example DIY or cooking, and 30% had shared their expertise and skills with others.
In the gender split, it is men who are taking part in online learning learning via the web more than women, with men more likely to have discovered more about a hobby online (63% versus 52%), watched a video that taught them something new (49% versus 36%) and shared their expertise with others (34% versus 27%). They are even more likely to have participated in an online discussion group (22% versus 16%). Two-thirds of respondents agreed that learning new skills is made easier by being able to get in touch with people with similar interests online.
There are no surprises in terms of age, with those aged 25-34 most likely to use the internet to help with learning.
The most popular tools for learning are search engines (used by 73% of respondents) and Youtube and online videos (55% of respondents). Three quarters of internet users say the internet provides them with better information than they could find elsewhere.
The internet is also becoming a more popular place to find learning every year, with 42% of people surveyed saying they were much more likely to learn using the internet than they were a year ago. When asked what kind of learning they would be likely to do over the next year, 25% said they would be likely to go to a class, compared to 57% who are likely to learn something new online.
Although take-up of online learning is largely age driven, a significant minority of the over 75s (20%) have used the internet for informal learning over the past year.
People who use the internet regularly are far more likely to also use it for informal learning, with 23% of regular users saying they had done so, compared to 6% of occasional users. Confidence is also a major issue - almost a third of very confident users (29%) had learnt online, compared to just 4% of those who were not confident users.
Ofcom's 2011 Communications Marketing Report backs up these findings, discovering that a huge 73% of people said they used the internet for learning, again demonstrating that the internet is having a huge impact on changing the way that people learn.
The rise of online learning
This report was commissioned to discover just what the impact of the internet and the online world has been on adult learning, and how people are taking advantage of the internet more than ever to learn new skills. 1,000 people were surveyed, representative of the total population of the UK, and 4 in 5 (77%) of all respondents were regular internet users.
Traditional adult learning classes
The survey asked respondents about whether they had undertaken any informal adult learning classes in the last year, and 48% of people said they had. One in three (34%) said they had taken part in training at work, and unsurprisingly this likelihood peaks at the age of 25-34, with 54% taking part, and 35-44 with 48% taking part.
Outside of the workplace, the figures were significantly lower. 22% had taken part in a fitness class, 10% in an informal get-together such as a book group and only 7% in an evening class. Those in the 65-74 age bracket were the least likely to take part in an evening class, at only 1%.
48% of people had taken part in some kind of informal learning classes in the last year. This was highest amongst the 18-24 age bracket (73%), and lowest among the 75+ age bracket (21%).
Have you done any informal learning classes in the last year?
Informal learning online vs finding information and skills online
Overall, just one in five internet users classes themselves as having done informal learning online in the last year. Those who use the internet regularly are significantly more likely to have done informal learning online in the last year (23% versus 6% for occasional users).
The same applies to confidence levels. As confidence in using the internet increases, so does the likelihood of undertaking informal learning online. Almost one in three (29%) of those who are very confident say they’ve done it, compared to one in six (16%) of those who are fairly confident and under one in twenty (4%) of those who are not confident.
The majority of respondents claim that they are more likely now to use the internet for learning than they would have done five years ago (73%). Two out of five say they are much more likely (42%)
Are you more or less likely to use the internet for learning now than you would have done 5 years ago?
Another question asked respondents whether they had used the internet to find resources, research a hobby or discover a new skill, and here we find a hidden population of online learners. 60% of respondents have used the internet to find resources to help them do something new, and 58% have used the internet to discover more about a hobby. 42% had watched a video that taught them something new, 34% had learnt a new skill, for example DIY or cooking, and 30% had shared their expertise and skills with others. Unsurprisingly, the higher confidence level grows, the more likely respondents were to do one of these things, with 69% of very confident internet users finding resources to help them do something new, 68% finding out more about a hobby and 55% watching a video that has taught them something new.
When asked about the websites they used, three out of four respondents (73%) have used online search engines to research new skills. Youtube is also an important source of information, with more than half of those questioned having used the site to learn new skills (55%), and 40% have used a specific website for that skill.
Respondents who said they had been to an informal get-together, such as a book club, were the most savvy internet users, significantly more likely to have gone online to discover more about a hobby (77%), share their expertise with others (53%) and participate in discussion groups (34%).
When asked what kind of learning they would be likely to do over the next year, 25% said they would be likely to go to a class, compared to 57% who are likely to learn something new online.
Have you done any of the following online in the last year?
Motivations and barriers for learning online
When asked about the benefits of using the internet to learn new skills, 96% said it was because they could access it anytime, 95% because they can use it immediately and 95% because it is more flexible. Three quarters of internet users say that the internet provides them with better information than they could find elsewhere.
The main reason respondents were put off from using the internet for informal learning is a preference for face-to-face learning (57%), that they don’t have the time (37%) and that it’s too confusing (17%).
What is it that might put you off using the internet for informal learning?
However, those who have done some informal learning are much more likely to have done so before. As expected, those who have done informal training online over the last year also claim that they are much more likely to use the internet for learning than they were five years ago (68% versus 34%). Using the internet for informal learning would also appear to have been a positive experience for most of those who have engaged, as they are significantly more likely to seek out further learning opportunities online.
Overall, two-thirds of respondents agreed that learning new skills is made easier by being able to get in touch with people with similar interests. Even among older age groups, a clear majority believe having access to those with similar interests via the internet makes learning new skills easier.
70% of people questioned agreed that they were able to improve their skills by being online, with 90% of those who have done online learning answered this question positively.
What are the differences between men and women?
Men were much more likely to take part in informal learning online.
When asked about the activities they did online, men were much more likely than women to have discovered more about a hobby (63% vs 52%), watched a video that taught them something new (49% versus 36%), shared their expertise with other (34% versus 27%) or even participated in a discussion group (22% versus 16%).
Men are more likely than women to use specific skills websites (44% versus 36%) and web forums (29% versus 21%).
How does age affect this?
Using the internet as an informal learning tool appears to be largely age-driven, with those under 55 more likely to embrace new technology for research and learning. One in three (36%) of those aged 25-34 are likely to have done some informal learning online in the last year. However, a significant minority (20%) of the over 75s show they have used the internet for informal learning in the past year.
When asked whether they were more likely to use the internet for learning now than 5 years ago, 88% answered positively. Amongst those aged 75+, 38% of people are less likely to use the internet for learning, against 37% who are more likely to use the internet.
Interestingly, when asked about barriers younger users are more likely to say they prefer face-to-face learning than older ones. Older age groups are more likely to cite other reasons, like ‘it’s too confusing’ (43% amongst those 75+) or ‘I find it difficult to find opportunities online’ (29% of those 75+).
Search engines and Youtube are more popular with younger age groups, particularly amongst those aged 18-24. 85% of 18-24 year olds have used search engines to learn new skills, and 84% have used Youtube. Those aged 24-44 are more likely than others to use specific websites to support their skills.
80% of those in the 35-44 age bracket believed they could improve their skills by being online, compared to an average of 70%, dipping to 48% amongst the 65-74 age bracket, and 45% of the over 75s.
The bigger picture
As part of this project, we have also carried out secondary research to determine what information already exists on the subject of Informal Adult Learning.
In their recent annual participation survey, NIACE reported that 62% of adults have not participated in learning in the last three years, with one-third (36%) not having participated at all since they left full time education.
36% of respondents to the 2012 survey indicated that they were currently taking part in some form of adult learning or had done so in the previous three years, compared to 39% in 2011 and 43% in 2010.
2011's NIACE report isolated these results to only those with internet access, where the proportion of learners who took part in learning in the last 3 years increases to 46%. With 59% of respondents indicating the same in 2010 and 48% in 2009, it seems clear that while there appears to be an overall drop in the take up of learning, being able to learn online is a powerful enabler.
Amongst those with no internet access, only 14% of learners indicated current or recent learning, a drop from 19% in 2010 and 15% in 2009. This seems to show that lack of internet access is a significant barrier to learning.
NIACE has also questioned respondents on their likelihood of taking part in learning in the future. In 2011, 37% said they were likely to take part in learning, rising to 44% amongst internet users.
UK online centres carried out research in 2008 into informal learning and the internet. These responses showed that almost 75% of respondents said learning something new when using a computer and the internet would be quite or very easy with only 10% indicating they thought it would be not easy at all. 61% of respondents said they would be quite or very interested in learning a new skill online if access was easy and support available.
In the Ofcom 2011 Communications Market Report when they asked people what they did online, 73% of people said that they had used the internet for learning, proving there is more learning happening on the internet that these surveys are not showing us.