Babson research finds most institutions remain undecided about
massive open online courses
WELLESLEY, Mass., Jan. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 2012
Survey of Online Learning conducted by the Babson Survey
Research Group reveals the number of students taking at least
one online course has now surpassed 6.7 million. Higher education
adoption of massive open online courses (MOOCs) remains low, with
most institutions still on the sidelines.
"The rate of growth in online enrollments remains extremely
robust, even as overall higher education enrollments have shown a
decline," said study co-author Jeff Seaman, Co-Director of
the Babson Survey Research Group. "Institutional opinions on MOOCs
are mixed," added co-author I. Elaine Allen. "Some praise
them for their ability to learn about online pedagogy and attract
new students, but concerns remain about whether they are a
sustainable method for offering courses."
Todd Hitchcock, Senior Vice
President of Online Solutions, Pearson Learning Solutions, stated,
"Learning is no longer limited to four walls – learning can happen
anywhere – and it already is happening everywhere, everyday. The
growth of online learning underscores this need for quality,
flexible education programs that meet the demands of our
21st-century workforce."
Frank Mayadas, Senior Advisor to
the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and founding President of the Sloan
Consortium noted, "As in past years, the survey demonstrates the
continuing robust growth in a wide range of institutions. It
underscores the importance of online learning in higher education
in the U.S. What a remarkable ten year period the survey has
captured."
Key report findings include:
- More than 6.7 million students were taking at least one online
course during the fall 2011 term, an increase of 570,000 students
compared to the previous year.
- Thirty-two percent of higher education students now take at
least one course online.
- Only 2.6 percent of higher education institutions currently
have a MOOC, another 9.4 percent report MOOCs are in the planning
stages.
- Academic leaders remain unconvinced that MOOCs represent a
sustainable method for offering online courses, but do believe they
provide an important means for institutions to learn about online
pedagogy.
- Seventy-seven percent of academic leaders rate the learning
outcomes in online education as the same or superior to those in
face-to-face classes.
- The proportion of chief academic officers who believe their
faculty accept the value and legitimacy of online education has not
increased – it now stands at only 30.2 percent.
- The proportion of chief academic leaders who say online
learning is critical to their long-term strategy is at a new high
of 69.1 percent.
- The perception of a majority of chief academic officers at all
types of institutions is lower retention rates for online courses
remain a barrier to the growth of online instruction.
The tenth annual survey, a collaborative effort between the
Babson Survey Research Group and the College Board, is the leading
barometer of online learning in the
United States. The complete survey report, "Changing
Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education in the United
States", is based on responses from more than 2,800 academic
leaders.
Previously underwritten by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the
report has been able to remain independent through the generous
support of Pearson and the Sloan Consortium.
Pearson , the world's leading learning company, has
global reach and market-leading businesses in education, business
information and consumer publishing (NYSE: PSO). Pearson helps
people and institutions break through to improved outcomes by
providing innovative print and digital education materials,
including personalized learning products such as MyLab and
Mastering, education services including custom publishing,
content-independent platforms including the EQUELLA digital
repository, and the Pearson LearningStudio online learning platform
and OpenClass online learning environment.
The Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C) is an institutional and
professional leadership organization dedicated to integrating
online education into the mainstream of higher education, helping
institutions and individual educators improve the quality, scale,
and breadth of education. Originally funded by the Alfred P. Sloan
Foundation, Sloan-C is now a non-profit, member-sustained
organization.
The Babson Survey Research Group in the Arthur M. Blank
Center for Entrepreneurial Research at Babson
College conducts regional, national, and international
research projects, including survey design, sampling methodology,
data integrity, statistical analyses and reporting.
SOURCE Babson Survey Research Group