#IOLchat Report: Attracting Online Learners

Each week we meet via Twitter for #IOLchat to discuss current issues related to online learning. Participants include students, instructors, advisors, eLearning companies, schools, publishers, and instructional designers.

Online learning has had an impact on higher education by offereing access to students that might not have been able to attend traditional campus-based programs. For-profit universities were once the primary source of online options, but increasing numbers of on-ground institutions are offering programs delivered completely online.

This topic was submitted by a chat participant interested in finding out more about the increasing competition for students at new online programs that are offered at a variety of institutions. Here’s a summary of this week’s discussion:

Increasing Awareness

• Word-of-mouth marketing is helpful – satisfied, successful students share their experiences with and make recommendations to others.
• Don’t make assumptions that you are already reaching prospective students who might choose online options. How can we reach those who may be unfamiliar with online or not considering the format?
• Providing clear information on school and program websites can help – post details about application process, costs, program requirements, transfer policies, etc.
• Partnerships offer a solution: advisors at other institutions (e.g., community colleges) who are well versed in the options can make students aware of online programs that may be appropriate for transferring students.

Student Needs and Preferences

• There’s increasing demand for online courses from on-campus students: “1/2 of our on-campus freshmen work to support their education.”
• “The audience/registrations are already there.”
• Students, online and on-campus, want to develop academic relationships with their professors.
• Students are interested in taking courses “presented as a chance to get to know active researchers and scholars.” Is this a new marketing approach? It could foster connections/network building and participation from both students and professors.

Supporting Online Learners

• Offering services, features, and functions that improve the experience for students may boost enrollment.
• Having more online options – for-profit, not-for-profit, open education (MOOCs) – may help cover a range of learning preferences, materials, and topics students are looking for.
• Provide advising at all levels that includes the range of options – online and on-campus, to help students make informed decisions and choose the programs that are best for them as individual learners.
• Some institutions charge additional fees for online courses, making them more expensive than their on-campus counterparts – these students “deserve the best learning experience … online needs to be top notch.”

Attracting Faculty

• Challenges ahead: Many full-time and tenure track faculty members still do not support online learning options.
• Online courses are often taught by adjuncts (doing great work!) not by more senior, full-time faculty members who could contribute a great deal of expertise.
• Revenue sharing models “benefit the departments/faculty who bring programs online.”

Thanks to @ODU_DL, @ProctorU, @YosefResnick, and @GradSchoolNinja for participating in the live event. And we appreciate those who joined us as part of Connected Educator Month! Help us continue the discussion in the comments area on this page.

For more from the most recent live session, review the chat feed below. Our past chats can be found on the archives page.

Follow us (@OC_org) and plan to attend our next chat. We meet on Wednesdays at 12pm ET and look forward to hearing your perspective.

This week’s read aheads:

Online Education Degrees Now Dwarf Traditional Universities from Gregory Ferenstein, Tech Crunch

Online Education May Transform Higher Ed from Brian Burnsed, US News Education

UNC brings rarity to online MBA programs: Credibility from John A. Byrne, CNNMoney.com

Traditional Universities are Getting into the Online Education Game from Kristi Eaton, Campus Progress

This week’s chat feed:

Image credit: {Guerilla Futures | Jason Tester}, Flickr, CC-BY-ND