Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education in the United States

Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education in the United States is the tenth annual report on the state of online learning in U.S. higher education.

The survey is designed, administered and analyzed by the Babson Survey Research Group. Data collection is conducted in partnership with the College Board.

This year’s study, like those for the previous nine years, tracks the opinions of chief academic officers and is aimed at answering fundamental questions about the nature and extent of online education.

Based on responses from more than 2,800 colleges and universities, the study addresses:

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

Background: Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have generated a considerable about of press coverage over the past year. While MOOCs have been around for a while, the new level of attention may have altered higher education leader’s perceptions and plans for MOOCs and other online offerings.

The evidence: Only a very small segment of higher education institutions are now experimenting with MOOCs with a somewhat larger number in the planning stages. Most institutions remain undecided.

• Only 2.6 percent of higher education institutions currently have a MOOC, another 9.4 percent report MOOCs are in the planning stages.
• The majority of institutions (55.4%) report they are still undecided about MOOCs, while under one-third (32.7%) say they have no plans for a MOOC.
• Academic leaders remain unconvinced that MOOCs represent a sustainable method for offering online courses, but do believe they provide an important means for institutions to learn about online pedagogy.
• Academic leaders are not concerned about MOOC instruction being accepted in the workplace, but do have concerns that credentials for MOOC completion will cause confusion about higher education degrees.