Before the pandemic rocked higher education, colleges and universities across the nation already were facing a growing list of concerns — including dwindling state funding, course delivery questions and a looming enrollment “cliff” in high school graduates going on to a higher education.
In the aftermath of the pandemic, those challenges remain — and in some cases are more prevalent. But COVID-19, with all the pain it has brought, might have forced to the forefront one potential solution for higher ed: online education.
“The online degree and micro-credential market is expected to grow to $117 billion in 2025, an average annual growth rate of 17 percent, based on revised expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to a new “Distance Education and Digital Delivery” report Iowa’s Board of Regents released last week after commissioning Huron Consulting to study the market and opportunities for expanded online education, also sometimes characterized as “distance education.”
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After Huron distributed its report internally to regents in October, the board appointed a 12-member “Distance Education Task Force” — including University of Iowa President Barbara Wilson, representatives of Iowa State University and University of Northern Iowa, along with two regents.
That task force — hoping to tap distance education in addressing enrollment issues, funding declines, workforce demands and student needs — produced a series of recommendations, which the board approved last week.
One recommendation would have the public institutions design a “pilot general education course sharing opportunity,” allowing students enrolled at one institution to take online courses from the other two regent universities.
The task force also advised regents support quicker expansion of new online offerings “with an initial focus on graduate and professional offerings” — a space the report shows is booming.
Where Iowa reported a 2 percent increase in the number of students taking only online courses between fall 2015 and fall 2019, the Illinois system reported a 94 percent spike; Wisconsin reported a 37 percent jump; and Indiana reported a 27 percent increase in that pre-pandemic period.
“Except for the University of Minnesota System, the (Iowa) regent institutions’ proportion of students taking only distance education courses was lower than all peers, signifying distance education only students as an area for improvement,” the report stated.
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Although regent Iowa campuses had less distance education growth from 2015 to 2019 than its peer university systems, nearly 35 percent of its students took at least one online course in fall 2019 — proving it an obvious place to prioritize amid overall enrollment losses.
“The growth rate of students enrolled in distance education programs (fully online or blended) from 2015 to 2019 has significantly outpaced total enrollment growth rates,” according to the report.
Total combined enrollment across Iowa’s three public universities fell 13 percent between a peak of 80,064 in fall 2016 and 69,848 in fall 2021. Meanwhile, between fall 2016 and fall 2019, the percent of Iowa university students who took some or all online courses jumped 54 percent from 16,971 to 26,206 — a percent that’s continued to go up thanks to COVID-19, which made many students consider online education for the first time.
“COVID expanded the market,” according to the regents report. “Thirty-three percent of prospective and enrolled students said they had not considered fully-online learning before the pandemic, and 59 percent said the pandemic influenced their decision to consider online.”
Part of the reason online education presents a possible solution to budget woes and dwindling high school graduates is that it expands the pool of prospects to non-traditional students, like working professionals, while also paring down costs.
In the aftermath of the pandemic, those challenges remain — and in some cases are more prevalent. But COVID-19, with all the pain it has brought, might have forced to the forefront one potential solution for higher ed: online education.
“The online degree and micro-credential market is expected to grow to $117 billion in 2025, an average annual growth rate of 17 percent, based on revised expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to a new “Distance Education and Digital Delivery” report Iowa’s Board of Regents released last week after commissioning Huron Consulting to study the market and opportunities for expanded online education, also sometimes characterized as “distance education.”
Advertisement
After Huron distributed its report internally to regents in October, the board appointed a 12-member “Distance Education Task Force” — including University of Iowa President Barbara Wilson, representatives of Iowa State University and University of Northern Iowa, along with two regents.
That task force — hoping to tap distance education in addressing enrollment issues, funding declines, workforce demands and student needs — produced a series of recommendations, which the board approved last week.
One recommendation would have the public institutions design a “pilot general education course sharing opportunity,” allowing students enrolled at one institution to take online courses from the other two regent universities.
The task force also advised regents support quicker expansion of new online offerings “with an initial focus on graduate and professional offerings” — a space the report shows is booming.
Where Iowa reported a 2 percent increase in the number of students taking only online courses between fall 2015 and fall 2019, the Illinois system reported a 94 percent spike; Wisconsin reported a 37 percent jump; and Indiana reported a 27 percent increase in that pre-pandemic period.
“Except for the University of Minnesota System, the (Iowa) regent institutions’ proportion of students taking only distance education courses was lower than all peers, signifying distance education only students as an area for improvement,” the report stated.
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Although regent Iowa campuses had less distance education growth from 2015 to 2019 than its peer university systems, nearly 35 percent of its students took at least one online course in fall 2019 — proving it an obvious place to prioritize amid overall enrollment losses.
“The growth rate of students enrolled in distance education programs (fully online or blended) from 2015 to 2019 has significantly outpaced total enrollment growth rates,” according to the report.
Total combined enrollment across Iowa’s three public universities fell 13 percent between a peak of 80,064 in fall 2016 and 69,848 in fall 2021. Meanwhile, between fall 2016 and fall 2019, the percent of Iowa university students who took some or all online courses jumped 54 percent from 16,971 to 26,206 — a percent that’s continued to go up thanks to COVID-19, which made many students consider online education for the first time.
“COVID expanded the market,” according to the regents report. “Thirty-three percent of prospective and enrolled students said they had not considered fully-online learning before the pandemic, and 59 percent said the pandemic influenced their decision to consider online.”
Online education pros
Part of the reason online education presents a possible solution to budget woes and dwindling high school graduates is that it expands the pool of prospects to non-traditional students, like working professionals, while also paring down costs.
Iowa universities eye online education expansion
In the aftermath of the pandemic, higher education challenges remain — and in some cases are more prevalent — although COVID, with all the discomfort it brought, might have forced to the forefront one potential solution: online education.
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