Much like the year before, 2021 was a good time to be in ed tech. Investments into the sector surged globally, with funding levels in the U.S. in the first three quarters of the year nearly double those seen in all of 2020, according to data from HolonIQ. Several companies also seized the moment to go public, including Udemy, Coursera, and D2L.

Over the past two months, major ed-tech companies in the U.S. shed light on how their businesses are faring while speaking during calls about their earnings reports for the third quarters of their current fiscal years, which typically run from January to December. Below, we look at three major trends they highlighted.

  1. The flywheel effect  Two companies that help colleges build and maintain online programs are making moves to lure more students onto their platforms.
  2. A threat to traditional higher ed Coursera and companies like it have been working with colleges and their faculty members to create MOOCs and educational offerings since their inception. Despite these close ties, there are signs they are posing an increasingly large threat to traditional higher ed.
  3. Leaning into employer-provided education Several ed-tech companies are seeing returns from efforts to work with companies to train their employees.

Read the full article about education technology trends by Natalie Schwartz at Higher Education Dive.