Key findings include increased demand from on-campus students for online options, a notable shift in institutional strategies to align with this demand, and the growing use of artificial intelligence in online education.

BOSTON, Aug. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Quality Matters, EDUCAUSE, and Eduventures Research have released the ninth edition of the Changing Landscape of Online Education (CHLOE) report, compiling the perspectives of chief online learning officers (COLOs) around the United States. CHLOE 9: Strategy Shift: Institutions Respond to Sustained Online Demand reveals a continued increase in student preference for online learning and the strategies institutions are employing to address this demand.

The report also outlines institutional perspectives on a host of other factors contributing to the state of online education, including artificial intelligence, third-party servicers, OPMs and regular and substantive
interaction.

The report is derived from responses to a nationwide survey of COLOs designed to assess how learners, educators and institutions are thinking about and responding to the increased availability and prevalence of online learning in higher education. In its ninth year, the report shows how attitudes, strategies and preferences across the educational sector continue to shift to accommodate digital education.

“As the latest installment of a multi-year research effort, the CHLOE 9 Report is a critical contribution to our understanding of online learning’s adoption and impact across higher education,” says Thomas Cavanagh, Ph.D., Vice Provost for Digital Learning, University of Central Florida. “We can see how online learning acceptance continues to expand in a post-Covid context. This report provides necessary data that will allow institutions and chief online learning officers to navigate a rapidly changing landscape.”

LEARNER DEMAND
Following trends showcased in 2023’s CHLOE 8 Report, CHLOE 9 indicates that the preference for online modalities among U.S. learners continues to surge. Nearly half of COLOs surveyed indicated that enrollment in online degree programs at their institutions is growing faster than enrollment in on-campus programs. Approximately three-quarters reported increased demand for online options from on-campus students, with 60% saying online courses tend to fill up first. 77% indicated that even learners who utilize on-campus housing are asking for online options.

INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSE
This upward trend in student demand appears to be the primary engine driving the increasing prioritization of online learning among institutions. More than half of COLOs (56%) indicated that their institutions are undergoing such a shift (see image), a marked increase from the 39% who reported their strategy matched online demand in CHLOE 8. Though reasons for this pivot vary, one shines through in the data collected for CHLOE 9: learner recruitment.

Ninety-two percent of COLOs said online allows them to pursue students in their region, 87% said it allows them to pursue students outside of their region, and 77% reported that their campus-based students are asking for online options. In a challenging post-pandemic enrollment environment, the opportunity to reach more learners may be pivotal for financial sustainability at many institutions.

Yet, according to Richard Garrett, Eduventures Chief Research Officer at Encoura and CHLOE 9 Co-Director, “CHLOE 9 found that a large minority of COLOs either do not have an online learning strategy or the online strategy is not aligned with the institutional one.” CHLOE 9 Co-Director and QM Vice President for Innovation and Research Dr. Bethany Simunich added, “Online demand and enrollment continue to out-pace on-campus learning, but many schools are still grappling with how this impacts institutional strategy. Historical tensions, such as those around faculty autonomy and mission-creep for campus-based institutions, may be impacting targeted goals for online initiatives, as well as related resource management.”

Though enrollment is a major strategic rationale for the expansion of online learning, only 35% indicated that their institutions promote the quality of their online programs. With so many institutions refocusing resources toward online programs, the importance and impact of using online quality as a marketing tool in enrollment and retention efforts is growing. “Creating online versions of popular on-ground courses and programs remains a priority at a majority of institutions, but many are still failing to capitalize on aspects that might be market differentiators, such as program quality or online learner support,” says Simunich.

In an era of tight budgets, 42% of COLOs reported at least some increase in their online learning budget (12% noted a 10% or greater annual increase, and the rest less than 10%), with another 41% saying budgets are flat. Yet far more COLOs characterized their budget as inadequate (42%) than reported a dollar decline (16%).

Most COLOs remain skeptical of online learning as a lever for cost reduction. Only 17% of COLOs said they see online as a way to reduce institutional costs, and two-thirds are convinced such a goal is unrealistic. The CHLOE 9 Report also covers online tuition policy, net revenue and net cost, Third-Party Servicers and OPMs, regular and substantive interaction and AI.

Additionally, the methods and findings of CHLOE 9 will be discussed in free webinar events with the team behind the report:

• Eduventures will host a webinar on August 15 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
• Quality Matters will host a webinar on August 20 at 1:00 p.m. ET.
• EDUCAUSE will host a webinar on September 10 at 3:00 p.m. ET.

The principal authors of the report are CHLOE Co-Directors Dr. Bethany Simunich, Vice President of Innovation and Research, QM, and Richard Garrett, Eduventures Chief Research Officer, Encoura. The report was co-authored by Eric E. Fredericksen, Ed.D., Associate Vice President for Online Learning and Professor, University of Rochester; Mark McCormack, Ph.D., Senior Director, Research & Insights, EDUCAUSE; and Jenay Robert, Ph.D., Senior Researcher, EDUCAUSE. Robert Ubell, Vice Dean Emeritus, Online Learning, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, is the report’s Senior Editor.

The full report can be downloaded from either the Quality Matters or Eduventures websites.

CHLOE 9 was made possible through the support of the CHLOE Advisory Panel; Platinum sponsors iDesign and Science Interactive, Gold sponsor Archer Education, and Affiliate the Online Learning Consortium.

Dr. Bethany Simunich and Richard Garrett are available for comment:

Bethany Simunich, Ph.D., Vice President of Innovation and Research, Quality Matters
(bsimunich@qualitymatters.org)

Richard Garrett, Eduventures® Chief Research Officer, Encoura (rgarrett@eduventures.com; Ph: 617-704-8481)

ABOUT QUALITY MATTERS
Grounded in research. Driven by best practices. A community that puts learners first. Quality Matters (QM) is the global organization leading quality assurance in online and innovative digital teaching and learning environments. It provides a scalable quality assurance system for online and blended learning used within and across organizations. When you see QM Certification Marks on courses or programs, it means they have met QM Course Design Standards or QM Program Review Criteria in a rigorous review process.

ABOUT EDUVENTURES
Eduventures® Research–the research division of Encoura–provides higher education leaders primary research, analysis, and advisory services to support decision-making throughout the student life cycle. Building on over 30 years of success in working with education leaders, Eduventures provides forward-looking and actionable research based on proprietary market data and advisory services that support both strategic and operational decision-making. Research and insights from Eduventures is available in the Encoura Platform.

ABOUT ENCOURA
Encoura®, a wholly owned subsidiary of ACT, is an educational data science and research organization serving over 2,000 member institutions comprising public and private colleges and universities across the nation. Since 1972, Encoura has been a leading provider of data science, technology, and programs serving students, high school educators, colleges, and universities with offices in Austin, TX and Boston, MA. These solutions represent the link between students making important life decisions and those providing the resources and information students need to succeed in their postsecondary educations and careers. For more information, visit https://encoura.org.

ABOUT EDUCAUSE
EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to lead the way, advancing the strategic use of technology and data to further the promise of higher education. We connect and empower our member community through insights, advocacy, resources, and learning opportunities to anticipate trends and strengthen professional practice. We welcome diversity—in viewpoints and experience—and believe in inspiring the transformation of higher education in service to a greater good.

Media Contact

Todd Boullion, Encoura, 512-750-2634, toddb@encoura.org, encoura.org

Grace Hall, Quality Matters, 410-497-8028, ghall@qualitymatters.org, https://qualitymatters.org

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SOURCE Encoura