goingon.com

As 2011 draws to a close, it is a natural time for reflection and prognostication with respect to some of the trends that stand out above the rest. Since GoingOn’s mission is to improve the quality of the academic experience by innovatively applying social networking and other internet-based technologies to structure and drive academic engagement, the continued growth of online education for institutions of all sizes is of particular note. Clearly, from an administrative and revenue based perspective, online education offers huge potential for gain as witnessed by Saint Leo’s exponential revenue growth that was heavily fueled by building a robust online program. But beyond that, more mainstream institutions of higher learning are embracing online as a viable quality delivery modality for education as evidenced by Stanford University’s decision to allow its name to be attached to an all-online high school program for gifted students.

So what does 2012 promise? The experts are mixed. Some had expected a plateauing of the aggressive online course growth we have experienced over the last 3 years. But the number of students taking at least one online course grew substantially for the ninth straight year, according to a new survey from the Babson Survey Research Group - and the number of students taking at least one course online now exceeds 6 million!

That figure amazes me. Over 6 million students receive at least part of their education online. And to be fair, that doesn’t mean everyone is convinced that online education is the Holy Grail for cost efficiency and educational effectiveness in higher education. For a good synopsis on the Babson survey and how doubts remain about education, see this article from Steve Kolowich from Inside Higher Ed. On a more personal level, Julia Gonzalez, a CSUB student studying Women and Gender Studies, was frustrated with the lack of support available in the online math class she took. "If you don't understand the concept in the middle of the night, who can you ask?" she said. "If I was in a classroom, I could raise my hand. I kind of need that connection."

These facts taken together frame what I think will be a pivotal 2012 objective for both GoingOn and higher education in general. That is, “Since online education will continue to be utilized by millions of students to help attain their academic goals, we must ensure online programs are specifically structured to address the doubts and obstacles students, faculty and administrations face.”

I invite you to share your challenges and discoveries with us regarding this topic, so please post a comment below. I’m anxious to hear your thoughts.