The Pew Research Center issued a report entitled The Digital Revolution and Higher Education (report available online and in PDF format here), with the tagline "College Presidents, Public Differ on Value of Online Learning". The Center is a non-partisan 'fact tank' that does not make policy recommendations, but rather "collects information and disseminates it in an understandable and analytical way, rather than producing expert opinion on policy subjects". Here's a brief overview of the report's Executive Summary.
Some key findings from the report:
- College Presidents value online learning more than the public. "Only 29% of the public says online courses offer an equal value compared with courses taken in a classroom. Half (51%) of the college presidents surveyed say online courses provide the same value."
- Public colleges lead the way in offering online courses, but significant growth is expected across all sectors. Regarding current deployment of online courses, "More than three-quarters of college presidents (77%) report that their institutions now offer online courses. These courses are more prevalent in some sectors of higher education than in others. While 89% of four-year public colleges and universities offer online classes, just 60% of four-year private schools offer them." But regarding future growth, "College presidents predict substantial growth in online learning: 15% say most of their current undergraduate students have taken a class online, and 50% predict that 10 years from now most of their students will take classes online."
- Experience with online learning is becoming more prevalent with students. "Roughly one-in-four college graduates (23%) report that they have taken a class online. However, the share doubles to 46% among those who have graduated in the past ten years. Among all adults who have taken a class online, 39% say the format’s educational value is equal to that of a course taken in a classroom."
- Link seen between online learning and the move to digital course materials. "Nearly two-thirds of college presidents (62%) anticipate that 10 years from now, more than half of the textbooks used by their undergraduate students will be entirely digital."
- Link seen between the Internet and plagiarism. "Most college presidents (55%) say that plagiarism in students’ papers has increased over the past 10 years. Among those who have seen an increase in plagiarism, 89% say computers and the internet have played a major role."
There are other data points provided concerning the use of smart phones/devices in classrooms as well as the technological awareness of college presidents regarding personal use of phones/devices and social networking. The full report also provides some great details on how responses differed between for-profit and non-profit, etc.
The research was conducted in Spring 2011 and based on phone interviews with just over 2,000 adults and an online survey (in partnership with the Chronicle of Higher Education) answered by just over 1,000 presidents of 2- and 4-year non-profit and for-profit colleges and universities.
Comments