1. Exploring the Changing Landscape of Online Education
Ann H. Taylor
Assistant Dean for Distance Learning
Director, John A. Dutton e-Education Institute
College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
The Pennsylvania State University

2. Name
What do you do?
What do you study?
Who has taught in a college classroom?
Who has taught online?

3. Look back…
What was the most “different” class you took in college?

4. Look around…
How do you teach now?

5. Look ahead…
How is higher education changing? And how does online education fit in?
Source:

6. General Student Trends
~70% of high school grads go on to college
↓ Higher ed students overall
Enrollments ↓ in each of the past 4 years
Economy-related (ROI?)
Steady at 4 year institutions
↓ at 2 year and for-profits
More diverse
↓ white, ↑ Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander
42% now non-white
Est. 54% of US population will be current “minorities” by 2050
Low-income, racial minority, and/or first-generation not as likely to earn a certificate or degree
Sources:

7. General Student Trends
Older – 40% are 25 or older
More women – 57%  est. 61.5% by 2018
Working – 62% work full- or part-time
Juggling families – 28% have children
Less affluent
33% come from families earning $20k or less per year
Work more and take fewer classes at a time
Sources:

8. Online Student Trends (2017 U.S. Report)
Population continues to grow
>6 million students taking at least 1 distance course (~30%)
>14% of higher education students study 100% at a distance
Approximately ½ are enrolled at public institutions
Remaining portion evenly spilt between non-profit and for-profit institutions
Graduate students are 2X as likely to study 100% at a distance
On campus enrollments have ↓ 5% since 2012
Overall decrease in higher ed students plays a factor, too
Source:

9. Higher Ed Faculty Trends
“Graying”
Number of 65+ have doubled since 2000
At least 25% of TT professors are approaching 70
↑ technical skills and teaching innovation (new faculty)
↑ need for learning outcomes accountability
↑ reliance on non-TT faculty
A response to budget constraints and lower than expected retirements
New faculty pathways/roles
Teaching versus research focus; Each with requirements for scholarship)
↑ support for large classrooms
Adding “preceptors” (students or faculty/staff) to traditional TAs
↑ learning design support (“hottest jobs in academy”)
Source: 2026 The Decade Ahead: The Seismic Shifts Transforming the Future of Higher Education,
Jeffrey Selingo for The Chronicle of Higher Education

10. Pedagogy Trends
Traditional lectures and tests are giving way to more engaged forms of education
Flipped classroom
Active learning
Peer-led team teaching
Mastery learning
Competency-based education
Prior learning assessment
Engaged scholarship
Interdisciplinary learning
Utilizing the best of both worlds
Hybrid courses
Blended programs
Assessment! (increased demand from stakeholders)

11. Technology Trends BYOD Digital literacy Learning analytics
Adaptive learning
Formal and informal learning spaces (e.g., makerspaces, telepresence)
Augmented and virtual reality
Gamification/Simulations
Affective computing and robotics
Artificial intelligence (e.g., advising, assessment, tutoring, content)
Augmented reality – adding a layer of digital information on to the “real world”
Affective computing – the study and development of systems and devices that can recognize, interpret, process, and simulate human affect (empathy)
Source:
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12. Labor Market Trends
Increasing number of jobs require a post-secondary education
Graph – Percent of jobs requiring post-secondary education (certificate or higher) by 2020 (Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce)
Source:

13. Source: http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/education-pipeline.aspx

14. Labor Market Trends
Increased automation can mean a need for re-tooling
Source:
that-explain-how-higher-ed-needs-to-design-for-
the-future-of-work/

15. Administrative Trends
↑ Access to higher education
Revisiting policies on financial aid, admission standards, and residency requirements
Helping underprepared students “catch up”
Providing more support services
↓ Costs for students
Tuition
OER
Food banks, shelter programs, and emergency assistance funds
Demonstrating value as an economic vehicle for regional economies
Promoting new business development
Commercializing faculty and student research

16. The Changing Role of Higher Education
Meet increased labor market needs
Prepare lifelong learners
Provide lifelong career services
Provide online and reduced- time residential programs for flexibility
Graph – Percent of jobs requiring post-secondary education (certificate or higher) by 2020 (Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce)
Source:

17. The Changing Landscape of Online Education (CHLOE)
Still growing, but rate is slowing
Competition is growing – “Just a click away”
Most online ed is asynchronous – Students demand convenience/flexibility
Online Program Management:
>25% of institutions use an external OPM provider
Almost ½ of institutions have a decentralized model
Faculty receive compensation for program development at most 4-year (or more) institutions
Less likely at of community colleges
↑ Learning design support – Focus on quality assurance
Most online programs have quality standards for course design, program design, online faculty development, and student outcomes
From the first CHLOE Survey of chief online officers at community colleges, four-year public, and four-year private, nonprofit colleges and universities
Source:

18. What can we do as faculty?
Prepare our students for today AND tomorrow
Strive to make learning active and engaging
Provide excellent student services
Create seamless access to learning, and ongoing support, for all
Recognize and take advantage of prior knowledge
Stay relevant and connected
Practice “CQI”
Take advantage of professional development opportunities
Get to know a learning designer!