Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Online education study

Yesterday I referenced a study of online education.  The study, Going The Distance: Online Education in the United States, 2011, had these findings:

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Over 6.1 million students were taking at least one online course during the fall 2010 term, an increase of 560,000 students over the previous year.

The 10% growth rate for online enrollments far exceeds the 2% growth in the overall higher education student population.

Thirty-one percent of higher education students now take at least one course online.

Reported year-to-year enrollment changes for fully online programs by discipline show most are growing.

Academic leaders believe that the level of student satisfaction is equivalent for online and face-to-face courses.

65% of higher education institutions now say that online learning is a critical part of their long-term strategy.

There continues to be a consistent minority of academic leaders concerned that the quality of online instruction is not equal to courses delivered face-to-face.
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It is clear the next twenty to thirty years are going to see a huge upheaval in higher education.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I have a feeling the upheaval isn't going to be limited to higher education. Students and parents alike are demanding more flexibility and customization in education, and leaving the school system in increasing numbers to get it. Eventually schools will adapt or some of them will have to close.

Henry Cate said...

You make a great point. While the upheaval may start with higher education it is sure to affect all levels of education.