A Look at Online Learning Today
Online education has evolved tremendously in the past decade. Increasingly, private nonprofit schools are offering online courses, universities are launching online degree programs in specialized disciplines and more students are choosing options based close to home.
Here are 10 current trends related to online higher education.
1. Online Growth at Private Nonprofits
Private nonprofit universities were slower than public and for-profit colleges to embrace online education, experts say. But in 2015, private schools enrolled more online students than for-profits for the first time, a 2017 “Digital Learning Compass” report found, as enrollment at online for-profits dropped.
With more nonprofit options, T.J. Summerford, associate director of operations at the University of Florida‘s UF Online, told U.S. News in 2017 that many students aren’t immediately settling and often choose from multiple programs.
2. Fewer Students on Campuses
Between 2012 and 2015, the total number of on-campus students — those taking no online courses or who are enrolled in a combination of on-ground and online classes — fell by nearly a million, according to the same report.
That’s partly because of online learning but also due to a drop in the total number of students pursuing college and higher degrees, the study’s co-authors told U.S. News.
3. Students Turning to Local Programs
Nearly three-quarters of online students pursue an online degree program based within 100 miles of their home, according to a 2017 online college students survey. Fifty-nine percent also visit their campus between one and five times a year — a rise from 32 percent in 2014, the survey found.
This may be for a number of reasons, including greater access to on-campus resources, such as faculty, and the ability to meet with classmates.
4. Specialized Online Degrees
More and more schools are offering online degrees in specialized areas, such as a bachelor’s in marketing or real estate rather than business administration.
“Students typically enroll in programs, particularly online programs, because they’re looking for some level of job advancement, so specialized degrees are great way to distinguish you as a job seeker from your peers,” says Julie Uranis, vice president of online and strategic initiatives at the University Professional and Continuing Education Association.
5. Online Degrees in Surprising Disciplines
More and more online degrees explore fields that may not initially seem suited for online learning, including fine arts, athletic training and fire science, among many others.
Chip Paucek, CEO of the online education company 2U, says even in programs with significant clinical requirements, there’s room for some instruction to be held online. Yale University plans to launch an online physician assistant master’s program in collaboration with 2U starting in 2018.
6. Certificates, Badges and Microcredentials
Increasingly, universities and companies are offering smaller credentials, such as graduate certificates, digital badges and nanodegrees, among others, as alternatives to degrees. Often, these focus on teaching industry-specific skills.
“There’s such a wide range of offerings to them at economical prices that allow them to target their education specifically to their career plan,” Ray Schroeder, associate vice chancellor for online learning at the University of Illinois–Springfield, told U.S. News in 2016.
7. Stackable Online Credentials
Schools are also launching programs that allow students to earn several microcredentials — such as certificates — as they progress toward their final goal, which could be a full degree.
“Those smaller or more stackable credentials or certificates allow them to advance inside the organization they’re already in and start going on a longer career path,” Traci Lepicki, associate director of Ohio State University–Columbus‘ CETE, a merger of three research centers, told U.S. News in 2016.
8. Big Data in the Classroom
Because online education has grown in popularity in recent years, course providers and universities are able to collect more and more data to measure and predict how online students perform, experts say. Faculty are also increasingly using that information to improve their curriculums in online classes.
“It helps us build better courses, it helps us refine that work, and make learning that much better for students,” says Uranis, from UPCEA.
9. Project-Based Learning
With project-based learning, students demonstrate skills by creating large products. Often, this involves constant instructor feedback and multiple attempts if a student fails to meet the criteria, experts say.
Project-based education is the foundation of the curriculum at the online College for America at Southern New Hampshire University. Another example is the company Udacity, which offers online technology and programming courses. Students create several projects over about six to 12 months and receive regular feedback to earn a nanodegree.
10. Competency-Based Education
Also increasingly common in online degree programs: competency-based learning, where students progress quickly through familiar material given their experience, taking assessments and spending more time on areas of difficulty.
“The competency-based model means I had to not only learn what these theories are but how to apply the skills into the real world,” Marc Miranda, who graduated with an MBA from the online Western Governors University, told U.S. News in 2016.
More About Online Education
Learn more about choosing an online degree on our Online Learning Lessons blog and by viewing the Best Online Programs rankings.
For additional tips and advice, follow U.S. News Education on Facebook or Twitter.
More from U.S. News
Study: Online Learning Enrollment Rising Fastest at Private Nonprofit Schools
Explore Online Education Trends in 4 Bar Graphs
4 Things to Know About Online, For-Profit Education
Discover 10 Current Trends in Online Education originally appeared on usnews.com
