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E-MAILCollege presidents bullish on online education, study finds
by Alisa Stoudt | August 29, 2011
Yesterday, the Pew Research Center released a study comparing the thoughts and predictions of more than 1,000 college presidents to the thoughts of the general public. The college presidents, it turns out, are more likely to see value in online schools, and have aggressive predictions for the growth of this medium.
“Only 29% of the public says online courses offer an equal value compared with courses taken in a classroom,” the study notes. “Half (51%) of the college presidents surveyed say online courses provide the same value.”
Furthermore, half of the presidents surveyed predict that in 10 years, a majority of their undergrads will be taking a class online — with the presidents of two-year universities predicting even more growth. Approximately two-thirds of two-year university presidents predict a majority of their students in 2021 will be taking courses online.
Additional key findings from the study include the following:
- 77 percent of college presidents report their institutions offer online courses, with 89 percent of four-year public colleges reporting the same
- 46 percent of recent college grads (within the last 10 years) report they have taken a class online
- 62 percent of college presidents predict that more than half of the textbooks used by undergrads will be digital by 2021
A peak at the presidents
College presidents, the survey finds, are a tech savvy bunch. In fact, 87 percent of the presidents surveyed report using a smartphone on a daily basis, while half report using tablet computers like Apple’s iPad at least occasionally. Popular e-readers like Kindles or Nooks are used by nearly half of this group.
When it comes to social networking, these administrators aren't shy either. One third of presidents report using Facebook at least weekly, and 18 percent are on Twitter.
