Online College Students 2021 Report: KEY FINDINGS

(Just look over what students find important when it comes to online education, which also includes staff training.)

To begin, after years of studying the online student market for higher education leadership, we also must share our opinion that the current market share of roughly 20 percent of fully online students will continue to grow at a steady pace. This is true not only due to the recent pandemic where many students were obligated to learn online but indicated they would continue to study online in the future (close to 60 percent), but also due to the continuously changing life circumstance among younger and older students who require flexible and accessible programs of study. In short, there is little doubt that online learning will increase steadily in the years ahead. Institutions can be ready to meet this demand for online study if they work into their programming and marketing what matters to online students:

Subject Fields Matter. Online students, most often, enroll in Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs that will prepare them for careers in Business, Computers and IT, and Health and Medicine. Colleges that want to attract online students should offer these types of programs most often to serve the largest number of potential learners given that the most important reason in selecting one school over another is the program areas offered. It is noteworthy that, in comparing degree programs in which online students enroll, we have witnessed over the past several years increases in enrollments in IT/Computer Science and Health and Medicine in comparison to those in Business.

There has been a steady decrease in Education and Teaching.

Degrees and Short-Term Credentials Matter. More and more, prospective online students are being attracted to short-term credentials (e.g., certificates and licensure programs and stackable certificates.) For those who have limited resources and need job skills quickly, these certificate and licensing programs are the routes to meeting career objectives in a timely basis.

Mobile Devices Matter. Mobile devices (phone or tablet) are used by the large majority of online students to carry out course-related activities. It is important that the learning management system is mobile enabled and that instructional designers create courses to be mobile-friendly.

Access Matters. Institutions must be aware that online study options may not come easily to online students and the online modality can have some barriers. Ten percent of respondents indicated that their primary internet access location was out of the home. However, more than half of those respondents believe their studies would be easier if they could be conducted at home. Nearly 10 percent do not have a quiet location to conduct do their coursework or study. Fifteen percent of respondents must share a computer and do not have one dedicated to their studies. One-quarter of respondents use a device other than a computer to access the internet. These barriers to internet and learning access must be understood by an institution and, if possible, remedied in order to attract and retain online students. Many respondents (about 10 percent) indicated that an institution providing access points (such as a computer or tablet) would attract them to one institution over another. Moreover, 33 percent cited technology

as a method to attract them to a school over 100 miles away. Thus, helping to bridge this technology equity gap among online students would attract students initially and allow them to persist through completion.

Career Services Matter. The career services colleges can offer are especially important to online students. Given the changing and evolving nature of current and prospective careers, colleges must help their students prepare themselves for the job market, including self-assessments, resume creation, and job search assistance….to name a few. Major reasons of online students for beginning or continuing their higher education are to enter a desired career, advance in their current careers or change careers, as well as increase their income. Assistance that a school can offer can make the difference in enrollment decisions. And these services should be made available to graduates over a lifetime. It is a fact today that lifelong learning has become more of a reality as the nature of jobs and careers steadily evolve and further education is a means to keeping up to date. College ties and partnerships with area employers are effective strategies for helping graduates connect with the employment market, given that the large majority live and, most likely will work in the region.

Cost of Education Matters. The single biggest hurdle faced by prospective online students is determining how to pay for their desired programs of study as well as completing financial aid forms. Moreover, “lower tuition” was the leading determining factor for many students. Schools need to offer their assistance early during the recruitment process and help students identify ways they can finance their intended study – using internal, external, and personal sources. While financing their education is of concern to online students, another prominent concern is balancing work, family, and school. Nevertheless, online students still believe their degree study is worth the cost. The median family income of online students is roughly $70,000 which reflects the need among this population to find reasonable means to support their further education.

Support Matters. Institutions must ensure that students feel supported in their studies. Nearly one in three online students do not feel supported by their employer and more than 10 percent do not feel supported by their friends and family. The absence of either of these two support systems could prevent persistence through an online course of study. Meanwhile 13 percent of respondents indicated that “Feeling that school/program/staff cared about their success” was a top five enrollment decision factor, indicating that at

least some students feel that this support is critical, especially when they do not receive it outside of the school.

Distance Matters. About two-thirds of online students live within 50 miles of the school in which they enrolled. Proximity makes a difference. Schools should design and engage in marketing activities that recognize this pattern to maximize their success. Also, given

the importance of career preparation to online students as noted above, schools that have strong ties and partnerships with area employers have a competitive advantage. For those institutions that seek to attract students from a distance, the most important variables would be to offer competitive pricing as well as shorten as much as possible “time to degree” --- as cost and time are major concerns to online students and are most influential in choosing between a nearby or distant school.

Reviews and Rankings Matter. In considering where to enroll, most influential are online reviews of a school, followed by college search/ ranking websites. These two mediums are particularly important in developing an effective marketing campaign.

Age Matters. Online students are getting younger. Among undergraduate students, close to 40 percent are under the age of 25 and 20 percent of graduate students are under the age of 25. Age-based marketing terms (such as “adult” or “post-traditional’ or “professional”) may miss some portion of the online student population. In short, students of all ages seek this form of education --- and it is highly likely this pattern will continue.

Changing Demographics Matter. Online students are disproportionately white. Given that minority populations today will be majority by 2045, schools should begin to design and develop ways in which to more effectively recruit minority and underserved students to online study.