A new study from higher education consulting firm Noel-Levitz found that 75% of online
students say they are satisfied with their learning experience. In comparison,
just 55% of traditional campus-based students expressed satisfaction with their
experience.
“Creating connections with students is the great
challenge of online education,” Julie Bryant, associate vice president at
Noel-Levitz and author of the report, told eCampus News.
“How do you keep student interest and involvement when their ‘classroom’ is a
computer screen? That’s precisely why so many online programs survey their
students about their satisfaction levels.”
While satisfaction with online learning is high, there
is still concern among respondents about the quality of instruction in
web-based courses. The study also found that the primary factor in satisfaction
was the cost of the education, a fact that may have boosted satisfaction with
online students.
“With the rising cost of college, students and their
families are certainly becoming more critical about the advantages of college
education and whether it’s worth it,” Bryant said.