One Friday evening each June I sit in my living room and look out my window to the historic Salem Common across the street where I see members of the senior class at Salem High School, decked out in red cap and gown, receiving their diplomas in front of a large crowd of friends and family. It is quite a spectacle.
When I say “each June” that doesn’t include June 2020 when the global COVID pandemic caused graduations and all sorts of other events to be canceled, postponed, or moved online.
Here in Salem, as in many places I’m sure, they held an online graduation in June. In fairness, we were in uncharted waters and had relatively new technology at our disposal and it was worth a try. But, it wasn’t satisfactory to the participants who had been in school for 12 years and wanted, and deserved, recognition and celebration.
Eventually that graduation was held later in the year, with the limited attendees, directed by spray-painted markings on the grass, spread over nearly the entire Common. A smaller affair than other years but sufficient to meet the need of the moment.
Thinking of this got me thinking about learning more broadly, in schools or adult learning. As a publisher of investment research, insights and recommendations, I know both remote and in-person learning have their place.
So, let’s take a look at the strengths of each and how each can be used most effectively.
Remote Learning Creates Enormous Possibility
The year 2020 was a watershed moment in the field of learning and education. It was a perfect storm –
- The global pandemic made in-person learning unsafe.
- Computer hardware and software as well as increasingly widespread availability of broadband internet access made remote learning feasible on a previously unachievable scale.
- Education costs continue to rise, and higher ed has a serious financial reckoning ahead.
These three factors came together to create an environment that has driven an enormous amount of change already. And I think it’s fair to say we’re just getting started.
Teachers, corporate organizational learning professionals, and training companies have all found ways to leverage the opportunity of remote learning.
- Accessibility
- Flexibility
- Multimedia enrichment
- Travel time and expense savings
At a time when the costs of higher Ed are increasingly out of reach for many, and corporate budget cuts tend to hit training and travel budgets first, these and other advantages make a huge difference in enabling people to receive the education and professional development they need to succeed in today’s (and tomorrow’s) workforce.
I think it does not overstate to say that in addition to the benefits of AI, which I have written about before, the unprecedented changes enabled by remote learning will be yet another significant driver of productivity enhancement in the coming decades.
And of course productivity enhancement generally drives corporate profits, earnings multiples, and stock prices. There are also specific stocks that have already benefited and will benefit in the future by providing tools and infrastructure for remote learning.
That’s great!
But people learn best through a combination of methods. Remote learning can replace some types of in-person learning but not everything. (Ask teachers of students under the age of 10-12 how they did trying to sit still in front of a computer monitor for many hours a day during the pandemic.)
In-Person Learning Is Still the Gold Standard
While remote learning is a wonderful breakthrough with enormous implications, there are many learning advantages offered by in-person learning. These include:
- Engagement: An instructor at the front of a room can vary their pace, volume and approach based on facial expression, body language, and seeing students getting lost in their cellphones.
- Real-time clarity: If something isn’t clear, a raised hand or sea of blank faces is all it takes for the instructor to take note and address it to prevent it from becoming a barrier to learning.
- Social interaction: Learning together builds social relationships with classmates and instructors in face-to-face settings, which fosters collaboration and provides motivation and focus.
- Immediate support: It is easier to get help from peers, teaching aids, or instructors in person, and it’s easier for instructors to initiate support based on visual or verbal cues.
- Instructor access: For many people, informal interactions are more comfortable and easier to initiate. While remote work has proven to be successful, businesses have had a hard time fully replicating the “gathering around the water cooler” moments. Remote learning has the same limitation, but in-person learning doesn’t.
Plus, of course, an in-person experience can be provided on the cheap or with all the deluxe bells and whistles.
For all of these reasons, I suspect that where feasible, in-person learning will continue to be the gold standard for many.
Which Brings Me to an Important Announcement...
In addition to the 12-14 webinars per year, quarterly Prime member briefings, and other online learning opportunities, for many years, Cabot held a meeting of all its analysts along with a small and savvy group of investors who were looking to improve their knowledge and their wealth.
That was the first of what became an annual event that we held each year until the global pandemic hit in 2020.
For two years we tried holding the meeting online but that just couldn’t offer the same kinds of opportunities for discussion, one-on-one conversations, and the benefits to be had from face-to-face meetings.
By the time we thought it was safe to get back together in person investor sentiment had plummeted and interest in investing with it.
But we never forgot, and our customers never let us forget, what a special event it was.
So, I am delighted to say it’s back – live and in person!
Announcing …
As the conference Chair, I can tell you we have put together an outstanding program, presented by some of the best investment analysts in the industry. You’ll find the entire program here.
Please note that the advantages of in-person learning diminish when the group gets too large.
For that reason, we will once again limit the number of participants to 125.
These spaces are available on a first come, first served basis, so if you want to be part of this exclusive chance to learn from Cabot’s Investing Masterminds, please don’t wait to sign up.
The sooner you sign up, the better your deal. And it’s the only way to lock in your seat.
Simply click this link for more information.
I look forward to seeing you there.
Sincerely,
Ed Coburn
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