A survey on industry engagement in online classrooms conducted by Connect2Teach. We explore the reasons why online education programs have high drop-out rates and what course providers could do to reduce the attrition rate. To view the full detailed report, please visit www.connect2teach.com

1. APRIL 2019
Making online
education more
relevantA survey on industry engagement in online classrooms,
conducted by Connect2Teach

2. THE BACKGROUND
ONLINE EDUCATION IS RAPIDLY CHANGING
It's moving towards providing a convenient and affordable
solution for continuous learning.
The typical learner profile has changed
Emergence of short courses
Due to rising payment walls, course providers need to
customize courses to cater to students' requirements.

3. ABOUT THE SURVEY
AT CONNECT2TEACH WE UNDERTOOK A
SURVEY
73.1% of respondents had taken an online course.
The participants of our survey were over the age of 22 and
were mainly enrolled in skill oriented courses in business
and computer science.
41.9% completed their course, 40.5% dropped out and
17.6% had ongoing courses.

4. DEMOGRAPHICS
AGE NATIONALITY
GENDER
WE SURVEYED 104 PARTICIPANTS WHO
BELONGED TO THESE CATEGORIES.

5. L E N G T H O F C O U R S E
More than 80% of them were enrolled in short
courses (with and without certification). The courses were
provided by organisations like Coursera, EdX, Digital Vidya,
USC and Wharton University.
WHAT KIND OF
COURSES ARE
THEY TAKING?

6. “The number of students interested in
English-taught short courses has seen a
significant rise in the past four years,
currently growing at 2.1 times the rate of
traditional Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees.”
S T U D Y P O R T A L S . C O M

7. S U B J E C T S
Business and computer science were a common choice, with R
programming and marketing often reported as specific topics
chosen. Acquiring these applied skills allows them to
stand out in a world where traditional graduate degree
holders are no longer scarce.
WHAT KIND OF
COURSES ARE
THEY TAKING?

8. P A I D O R F R E E
Majority of the survey respondents were enrolled in paid
courses, highlighting that learners see courses as serious
investments and not a casual pastime. It also implies that
they believe, at least at the time of enrollment, that the value
of the course aligns to the price they are paying for it.
WHAT KIND OF
COURSES ARE
THEY TAKING?

9. M O D E O F L E A R N I N G
Asynchronous or self-paced courses were considerably more
popular than synchronous and blended courses, as they are
inherently more convenient and provide flexibility that suits
each individual’s speed and schedule.73% of the participants
were enrolled in self-paced courses, while 14.9% chose real
time courses, and 12.2% chose blended courses.
WHAT KIND OF
COURSES ARE
THEY TAKING?

10. WHY WERE THEY
TAKING THE
COURSE?
Most of the participants in our survey
were taking an online course to learn a
new skill or for career progression.
People need to continuously learn in
order to stay relevant.
It is clear that even organisations
recognize the necessity for their
employees to update their skills regularly.
*multiple response question

11. “By 2020 it is estimated that work-related
knowledge a college student acquires will
have an expected shelf-life of less than five
years”
T H E L I F E T I M E L E A R N E R , D E L O I T T E I N S I G H T S

12. WHY DID THEY NOT
TAKE A COURSE?
Their primary reasons for not taking an
online course were lack of time and
insufficient value added.
This showcases that the
perceived return on investment
prospective students think they might get
from a course is not enough for them to
commit to it.

13. B R A N D N A M E
C O U R S E I N S T R U C T O R
R E C R U I T M E N T P A R T N E R S
There is generally a very high reliance on rating and ranking systems for
higher education institutions and people usually find it easier to trust
institutions that are regarded highly by the general public and experts.
This correlates to the caliber of the course and determines its relevancy,
as they are the ones who design and deliver the course.
Many e-learners nowadays are adult continuous learners and are not
necessarily job seekers.
HOW DO THEY DETERMINE
COURSE CREDIBILITY?
56.2%
9.6%
34.2%

14. WHO IS THEIR IDEAL
TEACHER?
Institutions with or without a strong brand
name can recruit experts who have the
relevant subject matter knowledge to
boost the credibility of their course.
The survey responses are consistent with
the findings that students attach the
expertise of the lecturer with the
credibility of the course

15. “Lecturers that have better subject-matter
knowledge would deliver more effective
teaching.”
M E D I T E R R A N E A N J O U R N A L O F S O C I A L
S C I E N C E S

16. CREATING INDUSTRY
ENGAGEMENT
Students reported very low engagement
with industry in their courses
There is a clear gap between what
students want and what courses deliver.
Industry experts can help students learn
how to adapt to the constant changes
that are occurring and anticipate them in
real time.
*multiple response question

17. WHAT WOULD
CONVINCE PEOPLE
TO TAKE AN ONLINE
COURSE?
27% of respondents have not taken an
online course.
57.1% reported that interaction with
experts could have convinced them to
enroll in one. This showcases that
industry experts increase the value of
online courses in the minds of students.

18. 40.5% of the people who had enrolled in an
online course dropped out, a number
almost equal to those who completed their
course.
Students do not believe the courses they
are undertaking have enough value to
prioritize over other things.
The online course is not meeting their
requirements.
WHY DID THEY DROP
OUT?*multiple response question

19. One of the hardest things in higher education has been the seamless connection of
industry and academia. At Connect2Teach, we are connecting our network of industry
experts with traditional and non-traditional academic institutions to develop and deliver
lectures, case studies, mentoring and webinars. We saw that these connections can not
only improve learning outcomes in high demand topics such as cloud computing, DevOps
and data analytics but also create affordable pathways for institutions to increase
enrolment, reduce drop offs and boost employability.
ABOUT CONNECT2TEACH
Authored by: Priyanka Agarwal, Kanan Parida, Shekhar Singh & Aditi Tripathy
Designed by: Sukriti Chordiya

20. Find Us Online!
W E B S I T E E M A I L T W I T T E R
www.connect2teach.com hello@connect2teach.com @connect2teach