Increasing Public Interest in Online Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States: An Analysis of Google Trends Data

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Objective: Current evidence suggests that the shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted teaching and learning models. This study aims to quantify trends in public interest in different forms of education and associated online search behaviors during the pandemic. Furthermore, it seeks to "nowcast" potential future scenarios concerning the evolution of online education. Methods: Google Trends, a publicly available database, was employed to systematically and quantitatively analyze search query data for key terms related to online education. This study involved querying multiple search volumes for online education, identifying the most commonly used terms, and extracting data from the United States for the period between January 1, 2019, and January 1, 2023. The results are presented using the Google metric 'search volume index' in relative terms. Results: The public search interest for keywords related to online education experienced a significant surge starting in March 2020, followed by a gradual decline beginning in August 2020. When comparing the average relative search volume (RSV) changes for terms such as "online school," "online education," "online teaching," and "online learning" in the five months preceding and following March 1, 2020, the average search volumes increased by 46.6%, 30.7%, 103.8%, and 188.3%, respectively. Online search interest in e-learning software demonstrated a similar trend. Among platforms like Zoom, Skype, WebEx, and Google Meet, the majority of Google users displayed a clear preference for Zoom. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, public interest in online education surged to unprecedented levels, potentially reshaping teaching and learning practices for the foreseeable future. This suggests that the integration and use of digital media in education hold significant potential and offer considerable room for further development.