Continuing education has long held a special place in society as the school for adults intent on bridging the skills gap. That is a reputation it deserves—according to the US Department of Education, US adult learners are older (average age, 31), are more likely to have full-time jobs and are more likely to come from the 30 million students who dropped out of school earlier in their lives.

1. © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 20161
A report from The Economist Intelligence Unit
Ascending cloud—the role of cloud
computing in continuing education
Continuing education* has long held a special place in society as the school for adults
intent on bridging the skills gap. That is a reputation it deserves—according to the US
Department of Education, US adult learners are older (average age, 31), are more likely
to have full-time jobs and are more likely to come from the 30 million students who
dropped out of school earlier in their lives.1
Yet continuing education may be playing an even larger role in today’s turbulent times. It
is a vehicle for workers transitioning from fading industries. A high percentage of “adult
ed” courses focus on digital and computer skills. Globally, over 375 million people are
learning English as second language, many of them in after-hours education.
But as inspirational as continuing education can be, it has always been a tough road for
its students. After-hours learning is a challenge for the student with a full-time, demanding
job. Regular attendance is tough for the working mother. Tuition costs—though usually
lower than traditional campus learning—can be beyond the reach of the working poor.
A further problem can be fitting the education to the needs of the adult learner. A
common set of core classes may be a good fit for the first-year university fresher, but the
returning adult student may need a personalised curriculum—the few classes needed to
1 Tapping the Potential: Profile of Adult Education Target Population, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, US
Department of Education, 2011.
Sponsored by
* Continuing
education, or adult
education, is defined
herein as part-time
education, typically
pursued by older
students who are
seeking to elevate
their employment
skills.

2. © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 20162
Ascending cloud—Cloud computing’s role in continuing education
finish a degree, or specialised English geared to a profession such as nursing. No wonder
less than two-thirds of returning students in the US complete their degree.2
Enter the technology—online learning
It would seem that cloud-based online
learning—accessible, available 24/7 and
highly configurable—would be a
particularly worthwhile solution for online
learning. The Economist Intelligence Unit,
sponsored by VMware, decided to explore
this issue by conducting a survey of 360
leading technologists and executives on
the future of cloud computing across
different industries. This included a sub-
panel of teachers, administrators and
educators who focused on education-
specific issues.
In the view of the entire panel, education is
a relative latecomer to the world of cloud,
trailing behind the banking, retail and
manufacturing sectors in cloud use and
penetration. “That is because education
does not have the same keen competitive dynamics as, say, financial services,” said Anil
Swami, partner in Cloud Services at the consultancy Accenture. “Plus, regulated
industries tend to be slower technology adopters.”
But there is a consensus that cloud adoption will rise quickly throughout education. Over
two-thirds of respondents believe that cloud will become a major factor in education in
just five years.
Our research found that cloud is expected to play a particularly strong role in supporting
continuing education. When asked about cloud’s contribution to the field, a total of 84%
of respondents judged it to be Somewhat to Very important.
Clearly, cloud will not be the only technology vehicle for education. But it appears its role
will be an important one, and one worth understanding.
Continuing education, online education and cloud computing
One thing online education, cloud-based or otherwise, can clearly support is meeting
the challenge of accessibility. Learning is no longer tied to the physical classroom -- the
harried office worker can cram for an exam during lunchbreaks, and the single mother
can plan study hours around her children.
Where cloud can particularly help is supporting education on multiple devices. “You
have to reach today’s students through all kinds of devices—mobile is growing
2 Signature Report 7. Some College, No Degree: A National View of Students with Some College Enrollment, but No
Completion, National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 2014.
Source: EIU Survey “Cloud Computing and
Economic Development”, October 2015
Major factor
Moderate factor
How do you see the future role of cloud
in education in your country
Growth in penetration of the industry
% saying cloud will be a moderate or major factor
In one
year
In three
years
In five
years
55
20 29
47
18
67

3. © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 20163
Ascending cloud—Cloud computing’s role in continuing education
particularly fast,” says Dr Michael
Eisenberg, Dean and Professor Emeritus of
the Information School at the University of
Washington, who has overseen the launch
of multiple cloud-based courses. “A cloud-
based platform is the logical way to do
that.”
Another benefit of a cloud-based platform
is the ability to create “niche education”—
configuring curricula specifically for the
individual student’s needs. “What we are
witnessing is the great unbundling of the
university,” says Jennifer Scott, senior
vice-president of Academic Services and
Products at Academic Partnerships, a for-profit enterprise that helps universities develop
and manage online-learning programs. “Traditional education models…are being rebuilt
to meet the needs of the student, not the institution.”
This is particularly useful for the professional who is targeting a specific set of skills. Terry
Chen is a San Francisco-based computer programmer who is planning a career change
to marketing. “I have been able to set up my own courses from three different schools. It
is what is right for me…and nowhere near as expensive as the degree courses I don’t
need.” Carrying the volume of courses, lectures and study aids that can give this kind of
choice is “really only practicable through cloud” says Dr Eisenberg.
Education has always required a lot of “back office”—handling payment (tuition and
fees), monitoring students’ progress, conducting testing and managing accreditation.
“This is where cloud comes into its own,” says Dr Eisenberg. As continuing education
grows in numbers of students, classes and schools, a scalable solution like cloud
computing is likely to become more valuable.
The challenges in online continuing education
As noted above, a particular challenge for the adult learner is simply affording the
service. It cannot be forgotten that 60% of the world’s population does not have access
to the internet, primarily because they cannot afford it.3
These are also the target
populations who could most benefit from basic education services.
This is not a problem that technology, including cloud, is going to solve by itself. But with
increased penetration of low-cost smartphones and tablets as personal devices, and the
extension of educational materials that are almost free, technology is likely to lower the
cost barrier and increase enrollment.
But the real challenge to technology-based learning—cloud or otherwise—comes from
the absence of the teacher. “Education needs human interaction to make it meaningful
and to keep people engaged. Having a hangout is a poor substitute, but better than
3 The State of Broadband 2015: Broadband as a Foundation for Sustainable Development, United Nations Broadband
Commission, 2015.
Source: EIU Survey “Cloud Computing and
Economic Development”, October 2015
How important will cloud be in supporting
continuing education?
(% respondents)
6
11
44
40
Very
unimportant
Somewhat
unimportant
Somewhat
important
Very
important

4. © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 20164
Ascending cloud—Cloud computing’s role in continuing education
nothing,” says Esther Wojcicki, an American educator, vice-chairperson of the non-profit
Creative Commons and teacher at Palo Alto High School in California.
Even at Harvard University’s prestigious HarvardX programme (which focuses on
continuing education), completion rates are a dismal 6%.4
While part of that low return is
due to a high number of non-serious registrants, there is a consensus that online
learning—particularly the much touted Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), popular
courses offered for a large audience—has been disappointing.
As in so many technology revolutions, a retrenchment is taking place on earlier forecasts
of total transformation. Educators are trying to find the right balance between online and
the classroom for the continuing education student.
The long view
While having to work through these challenges, continuing education would appear to
be the beneficiary of the new technologies. Flexibility in time and location, access over
multiple devices and the ability to tailor-make your education are real benefits, and ones
that are supported by cloud. The end result, as Dr Eisenberg states, is that “the winner in
all of this technology meeting education is going to be the students”.
4 Harvard University, reported in the EDUCAUSE Review, 2015.