According to a recent study by The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), online education plays a large role in colleges and universities across the country. From the year 2000 to 2008, there has been a 12% increase in the number of undergraduate students who took at least one online class, while the existence of 100% online degree programs increased from 2-4%. This number continues to climb as more schools provide online options and more full-time online schools surface.

According to the report, the benefits of online education are numerous:

• Flexibility of studying from home without commuting

• Students can attend the college of their choice even if they are not located in close proximity

• Flexibility of completing studies on students’ schedules

• Mature students who have families and job responsibilities find they can study on their own time and would not be able to attend school if it weren’t for the flexibility of online training.

According to a recent study by the NECS, Learning at a Distance: Undergraduate Enrollment in Distance Education Courses and Degree Programs, enrollment in distance education courses or degree programs is attractive to an older crowd.

The popularity of distance learning programs is highest in the “over 30” group.

• Disabled students can attend classes without worrying about accessibility issues.

Distance Learning Preference

The former NECS report also pointed out that students were more likely to take advantage of distance learning if they were enrolled in specific degree programs. About 27% of students who enrolled in a computer science program took advantage of online learning, 7% more than the general student population. Additionally, about 24% of business majors enrolled in web-based courses.

University Expansion

Universities are also seeing a surge in the number of students who are enrolling in online classes. Rutgers University experienced a 17% increase in online enrollees between 2010 and 2011. According to Rutgers’ newspaper, the Daily Targum, the surge of online education participants has not increased their class size since the school continues to add more options for web-based classes. The average class size was 19 students in the fall of 2010 and this number actually decreased to 18 by the fall of 2011, even though online education participation has advanced.

Washington State University has also reported a larger audience for their web-based classes. The university is in the process of expanding its online programs to give out-of-state students who wish to attend the university the chance to participate in various studies at the school.

Into the Future

The popularity of online learning has only begun to expand and many academic officials believe this expansion will likely continue for the next ten years. According to a study performed by the Pew Research Center, 15% of college presidents polled stated that a majority of their students are enrolled in online classes. About 50% also stated that they believe over half of their students will enroll in web-based learning in the next ten years.

The results of these studies portray how online learning has and will continue to become a common thread in most colleges and universities. Though it is apparent that traditional face-to-face learning will always be available to the masses, for those who need more flexibility or even the opportunity to further their education, online education can provide the means to expand their horizons.

“Online education provides additional opportunities. It gives people greater opportunity for flexibility, for experiential learning, for illustrating things in multiple ways, such as visualization.” Diana G. Oblinger, president of Educause

Among those who have graduated in the past decade, the figure rises to 46%. Adults who have taken a course online have a somewhat more positive view of the value of this learning format: 39% say a course taken online provides the same educational value as one taken in person, a view shared by only 27% of those who have not taken an online course.

Traditional universities consider new approaches

With the continuing problems of rising costs and unsatisfactory graduation rates, innovative web-based approaches to higher education are being piloted around the state of Texas winning over students and even faculty and administrators.

Kristin Sullivan, a spokeswoman for the University of Texas at Arlington expressed her enthusiasm for online learning:

 “Online and blended learning is something that we have done very well. It’s particularly been successful in the nursing, education and health professional fields, where professionals pursuing advanced degrees creates a market demand.”

She noted that it’s not just tech-savvy students who are interested in online learning.

“We have many students who, because of course scheduling, might take most of their classes in a face-to-face environment, but they might take an art history class or a government class or a criminal justice course online,”

Ross Strader, the associate director of the Open Learning Initiative, has conducted research of online learning vs. traditional learning using a statistics textbook. Strader’s research has shown that students who do the course entirely online can achieve the same results as those who take a similar course in a traditional manner. However, those who combine his materials with classroom instruction — what’s known as “blended learning” — have higher rates of success.

Public perception of online learning

Surprisingly, the public appears to have a more skeptical view of online learning than the college presidents; although some surveyed had never taken an online course, those who had still believed that online learning was inferior to in-class instruction.

Here is a summary of key findings from the Pew Research Study:

• The Value of Online Learning. Only 29% of the public says online courses offer an equal value compared with courses taken in a classroom. Half (51%) of the college presidents surveyed say online courses provide the same value.
• The Prevalence of Online Courses. More than three-quarters of college presidents (77%) report that their institutions now offer online courses. These courses are more prevalent in some sectors of higher education than in others. While 89% of four-year public colleges and universities offer online classes, just 60% of four-year private schools offer them.
• Online Students. Roughly one-in-four college graduates (23%) report that they have taken a class online. However, the share doubles to 46% among those who have graduated in the past ten years. Among all adults who have taken a class online, 39% say the format’s educational value is equal to that of a course taken in a classroom.
• The Future of Online Learning. College presidents predict substantial growth in online learning: 15% say most of their current undergraduate students have taken a class online, and 50% predict that 10 years from now most of their students will take classes online.
• Digital Textbooks. Nearly two-thirds of college presidents (62%) anticipate that 10 years from now, more than half of the textbooks used by their undergraduate students will be entirely digital.

It’s clear that colleges and universities see the value in online learning. It appears that over the next decade they need to educate the public regarding its value as they incorporate more online learning with traditional learning. Blended learning using classroom instruction and online resources is clearly a valuable educational tool that colleges and universities can use to cut costs and attract more students.

KU Campus

Last week, Kaplan University announced the launch of KU Campus, an application developed exclusively for the iPad. This application allows students to use the device to access their online classroom. This app is the first of its kind in private-sector education and is available as a free download from the iTunes store.

According to Kaplan’s press release, the key features of the iPad app are as follows:

• Classes: Students can attend classes, access archived seminars, review course content and course structure.
• Course Information: The syllabus, course materials, unit information and links, and activities are available.
• Discussion Boards: Students can join the conversation on the discussion boards and participate in an interactive dialogue with professors and classmates as part of the learning experience.
• Grades and Credits: Students can view assignment and final grades, and credits earned for each course, as well as cumulative credits and GPA.
• Financial Aid Information: Students can view charges, payments and balances by term as well as a summary of financial aid or scholarship information.
• Alerts: Students can access notifications, alerts, and appointments in the message center.
• Connect with Classmates: Students can find links to Kaplan University’s social networks on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to connect with other students and alumni.

Kaplan sees flexibility as the key to their student population, most of whom have jobs and are responsible for care for their families. Fifty five percent of their students are over 30 and 88% take courses online.

Gregory Marino, president of Kaplan University Group, when speaking of their new iPad app:

“This application is a milestone in Kaplan University’s commitment to delivering high-quality educational options to students who value the flexibility of an online format. Our mission is to help our students succeed in every way possible. By offering technological innovation and continuous accessibility, we can accomplish this in ways yet to be achieved by others in the sector.”

Free Ebooks

This isn’t the first time that Kaplan has recognized the need to be a leader in information technology. In January of this year, Kaplan announced that they were allowing FREE download of over 130 Ebooks to either the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Nook, Sony eReader and Kindle for a limited time. The titles included college prep books, test prep books, books related to graduate studies, legal studies, medicine and nursing.

About Kaplan University

Kaplan University has more than 200 academic programs and offerings, and serves more than 61,000 online and campus-based students. The University has 11 campuses in Iowa, Nebraska, Maryland and Maine, and Kaplan University Learning Centers in Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri and Florida.

Kaplan University is part of Kaplan Higher Education, which serves more than 92,000 students online and through more than 70 campus-based schools across the United States and abroad. Kaplan Higher Education schools offer a spectrum of academic opportunities, from certificates and diplomas to graduate and professional degrees, including a juris doctor degree. Kaplan Higher Education is part of Kaplan, Inc., a leading international provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Kaplan, Inc. is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO), and its largest division.

For more information about Kaplan University, you can check them out on our site.