The new year has just begun, but two
reports have already come out that show public nonprofit universities are well
ahead of private institutions when its comes to online education, according to
a piece in eCampus News.
Public universities dominate the online
education categories in the 2014 U.S. News and World Report college ranking,
while a study done by Learning House Inc. and the American Association of State
Colleges and Universities (AASCU) found that 14% of American college students responding
to the survey take online courses only, but just 20% of those take online courses
at private nonprofit schools. The report also said that nearly half of online
college students study at public nonprofit universities, with a third receiving
an online education at for-profit colleges.
In the study Online Learning at Private
Colleges and Universities, 59% of the responding chief academic officers
reported that faculty time and effort were key barriers to online education at
private institutions.
“Technology has enabled students and
faculty members to learn and teach online,” wrote authors of the AASCU report.
“Faculty members have learned how to use the technology and how to adapt their
courses to online delivery; librarians, bookstore managers, tutors, and
advisors have learned how to provide services to remote students who never come
to campus; and chairs, deans, and provosts have learned how to develop and
market online programs and how to lead faculty members who live elsewhere.
“Private colleges and universities have each responded differently to this technology. Some have rejected it as contrary to their mission to provide personalized, intimate learning environments, while others have embraced the technology with an entrepreneurial spirit.”
“Private colleges and universities have each responded differently to this technology. Some have rejected it as contrary to their mission to provide personalized, intimate learning environments, while others have embraced the technology with an entrepreneurial spirit.”
