The use of internet and information and communication technology makes it possible to facilitate learning for more groups of people than the groups that traditionally have had the momentum and possibility to attend higher education. There are also several initiatives that in one way or another try to open up learning for new groups of people for higher education. One example is the EU investigation “Opening up Education: A Support Framework for Higher Education Institutions” [1], that on page 5 in their project report argues that:

“Through open education each and every individual, at every stage in their lives and career development, can have appropriate and meaningful educational opportunities available to them. These include access to content, courses, support, assessment and certification in ways that are flexible, and accommodate diverse needs. Barriers, as regards for example entry or cost, are reduced or eliminated.”

An interesting aspect is therefore to what extent and who uses internet to learn today. A recent report present findings about the use of internet for education in Sweden 2018. The report states that it is more common to attend an education on internet for younger internet users than for older internet users. Among the 26 – 45 years old internet users 65 % had attended an education on internet, but among the 66 – 75 years old only 18 % had attended an education on internet.

The report also states that it is more common for people with high education to use the internet to educate themselves. Among those with a university and university college degree, 59 % do education on internet. Among individuals with only primary education, only 27 % do education on internet.

Another finding in the report is that 46 % of those living in rural areas are doing education on internet and 51 % of those living in cities are doing education on internet. This is interesting, because it is generally easier for people that lives in cities to receive education in other ways than those that lives in rural areas.

Younger people uses internet to learn more than old people, but it is not evident that using internet and information and communication technology would facilitate learning for new groups. It might be that the traditional groups that have attended higher education would use the new possibilities to learn even more, but the other groups of people would not use the new learning possibility that much. To move to a university city and sign up at a university is a very strong incentive to study and learn more. However, would there be equally strong incentive to learn through open platforms on internet, when it is possible to postpone the learning until tomorrow?

1. Opening up Education: A Support Framework for Higher Education Institutions, http://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC101436
2. Svenskarna och internet 2018 [The Swedes and internet 2018], https://2018.svenskarnaochinternet.se/