- A survey was administered to 1,500 online students nationwide to understand trends in online education. Key findings included that mobile-friendly content and interfaces are critical for online students, with over half conducting initial research and completing some course activities on mobile devices. Students also found online instruction and programs to provide good value relative to cost. There was strong interest in competency-based and textbook-free programs among respondents. The presentation concluded with contact information for the presenters to learn more.

1. NISO Virtual Conference
August 15, 2018

2. ANDREW J. MAGDA
Manager of Market Research
at Learning House
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
NATE ACKERLY
Curriculum Program Strategist
at Learning House

3. • Survey administered to 1,500 respondents
nationwide
• Respondents shared the following attributes:
– 18+ years of age or older
– Minimum of a high school diploma/GED
– Recently enrolled (within three years), currently
enrolled, or had firm plans (in next year) to enroll in a
fully online college degree, certificate or license
program.
METHODOLOGY

4. RECENT ONLINE ENROLLMENT
TRENDS
STUDENTS BY YEAR –
Fall Enrollment (NCES)
Total
Students
Online
Students
Percent Total
Online
2012 20,327,911 2,287,168 11.3%
2014 20,368,140 2,794,332 13.7%
2016 20,209,781 2,974,836 14.7%

5. KEY FINDINGS
Mobile-friendly
content is critical

6. MOBILE SEARCH RAMPANT
To what extent did you conduct any of your research about schools to
attend on a mobile device (smartphone or tablet, but not a laptop)?

7. STUDENTS EXPECT TO USE MOBILE TO
ACCESS THE ONLINE CLASSROOM
How much of your course-related activities would you like to complete on a
mobile device?

8. THE MAJORITY HAVE USED
MOBILE TO STUDY ONLINE
Did you complete any online course-related activities using your mobile
device (phone/tablet)?

9. THE MAJORITY HAVE USED
MOBILE TO STUDY ONLINE (CONT.)
For what course-related activities do you
use a mobile device? [Select all that apply]
Current and Past
Students
Reading required materials 51%
Communication with professors 51%
Accessing my college’s LMS
(such as Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle)
45%
Communication with other students 44%
Research for reports 41%

10. THE MAJORITY HAVE USED
MOBILE TO STUDY ONLINE (CONT.)
For what course-related activities do you
use a mobile device? [Select all that apply]
Current and Past
Students
Completing assignments 40%
Required lectures 31%
Something else 1%
I didn’t use mobile 3%

11. KEY FINDINGS
An online degree’s value
is more than its price

12. ONLINE LEARNING QUALITY IS
EQUAL, IF NOT BETTER
How would you compare the instruction of your college-level online
learning experiences with your college-level classroom experiences?

13. ONLINE LEARNING VALUE EQUALS
OR EXCEEDS THE COST
How would you assess the balance between the cost of your online
education with the lifetime value of that degree/certificate?

14. STUDENTS WANT TO STUDY
CLOSE TO HOME…
How far do you live from the closest campus/service center of the
college/university in which you enrolled?

15. …BUT CONSIDER FARTHER
OPTIONS FOR THE RIGHT PROGRAM
Why did you choose a school more than 100 miles away from you?

16. KEY FINDINGS
Innovative pedagogy
and programs

17. “Competency-based learning is being used in
some online programs. It avoids the traditional
‘credit hour’ system as students work to acquire
competencies (a measure of knowledge attained,
rather than time spent) at a self-defined pace.
Students can progress more quickly, or more
slowly, throughout the process. Professors coach
and guide students through the material in a more
personalized setting rather than lecture.”
INTEREST IN COMPETENCY-
BASED EDUCATION

18. INTEREST IN COMPETENCY-
BASED EDUCATION
Would you consider a competency-based program in the future?

19. • Integrating early with new CBE initiatives to
identify technology needs, vetting potential new
applications.
– Instructional Design support
– Program consultation
• Curating reading lists and learning materials
based on individual competencies.
• Identifying paid content needs based on content
area.
SUPPORTING CBE

20. “Textbook-free courses and programs remove the
cost of textbooks to the students by leveraging a
variety of alternative materials including open
educational resources, e-content through the library
[journals, databases, LibGuides, etc.], internally created
materials [video lectures, ebooks] and other sources
openly available on the web.”
INTEREST IN TEXTBOOK-FREE
OPTIONS

21. INTEREST IN TEXTBOOK-FREE
OPTIONS
How familiar are you with textbook-free courses or programs?

22. • Curating reading lists
• Consulting with and training faculty on appropriate
resources
– OER vs. Institutional Cost
• Journal Databases
• Merlot II
• OER Commons
• Copyright Support
– Fair use looks different online
– Becoming a permission hub
SUPPORTING TEXTBOOK FREE

23. OPPORTUNITY IN PRIOR-
LEARNING ASSESSMENTS
Did any of the online schools you applied to award you any credits
from a prior-learning assessment (PLA) or other method of awarding
credit for life/work experience?

24. INTEREST IN TEXTBOOK-FREE
OPTIONS

25. KEY FINDINGS
The online classroom

26. INDEPENDENT, BUT STILL
ENGAGING, LEARNING
How important is it to your success as a student that you regularly
engage with classmates in your online classes?

27. INDEPENDENT, BUT STILL
ENGAGING, LEARNING (CONT.)
Please rate the following class activities
and items in terms of how helpful they
were to your learning and success.

28. FOR MORE INFORMATION
ANDREW J. MAGDA
Manager of Market Research, Learning House
DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT:
www.learninghouse.com/OCS2018
NATE ACKERLY
Curriculm Program Strategist, Learning House
amagda@learninghouse.com
nackerly@learninghouse.com