ARTICLE
HEP BLOG
56275
Prioritising wellbeing in higher education: strategies for improving students’ mental health
July 27, 2022
22157
The future of work: how universities can prepare students for an uncertain future
April 25, 2022
7550
EdTech: How technology is empowering universities to deliver high-quality online programmes
March 7, 2022
September 9, 2021
The legitimacy of online learning vs traditional learning
Is an online degree as legitimate as a traditional brick-and-mortar qualification? The short answer is yes. Once perceived as a second-rate substitute for traditional on-campus learning, online degrees are coming of age in a post-pandemic world.
Since the early 2000s, distance learning has become a popular alternative (or addition) to traditional in-classroom education. In 2020, the pandemic forced a near-universal shift to virtual learning, and online education experienced the most significant boost since its inception. In 2021, almost all graduates entering the job market completed at least part of their degrees online.
However, despite the leaps and bounds made in technology advancements, digital literacy and pedagogy strategies, there is a lingering stigma around the topic – that online degrees are substandard, easy to acquire, or possibly even fraudulent. A 2009 study found that employers and hiring managers had an overall negative perception about online degrees, citing a perceived lack of rigour and an increased potential for academic dishonesty as common concerns. In short, anyone with an online degree was considered less qualified than someone who spent four years on campus in an actual classroom.
Fast forward to 2021. Are online degrees still considered less credible than degrees earned in person, or have the events of 2020 created a tipping point for the legitimacy of online education? As the pandemic endures, how will online degrees be viewed against their traditional counterparts, and will they carry the same weight in a professional environment as a four-year, on-campus degree?
Today, a growing number of prestigious brick and mortar universities have embraced online learning. Moreover, with platforms like Coursera proving that online learning companies can successfully partner with established universities to deliver quality degrees, employers are beginning to recognise the value of online learning more widely.
Good news for online degree holders entering an increasingly competitive job market, a report by Northeastern University’s Center for the Future of Higher Education and Talent Strategy (CFHETS) found that many hiring managers no longer view online degrees or credentials as inferior to those earned on campus.
The way we work has changed significantly. Remote working has increased by 44% in the last five years, and that is not accounting for the massive upswing in remote working due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As companies continue to embrace remote working arrangements, employers are changing their posture on remote learning and are starting to recognise the benefits online learners can bring to the workplace. Hiring managers are beginning to value the skills and experiences involved with distance learning, including digital literacy, strong time management skills, and the ability to work independently.
For some time, online education has been the logical option for students who cannot physically attend classes, particularly those with full-time careers, family obligations, or who live far from campus. Today, it is no longer their circumstances driving students to study their degrees online – they are choosing remote learning over in-person studying. In the United States, recent research by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center shows declines in enrolment across nearly all categories of institutions since 2020. In contrast, online institutions experienced a marked increase in both undergraduate and graduate enrolments.
This spike in interest is only in part due to stay-at-home orders during the 2020 pandemic when 98% of universities moved a majority of classes online and forced the shift to e-learning. Students are increasingly choosing to study online because they realise that it is a better way to learn. Research has found that students retain 25-60% more material when learning online, versus the much lower 8% to 10% information retention rates of face-to-face training. Furthermore, students can learn faster online than in the classroom. E-learning requires 40-60% less time to learn than in a traditional classroom setting. This is because students have more autonomy over their learning and can learn at their own pace, going back and re-reading material, skipping sections, or accelerating through concepts as they choose.
In a 2018 survey, 85% of students who had previously enrolled in face-to-face and online courses reported that their online experience was either the same or better than the classroom course. That included 37% who felt it was a superior experience. As the benefits of online learning become more widely recognised and evidence of student success more known, these figures will grow.
The online education field, while maturing, is still relatively young. To meet the changing needs of an ever-evolving student force, higher education institutions need to connect with their learners where they are – online. Looking ahead, online delivery is poised to continue to claim a larger share of all higher education activity. EdTech is enabling universities to engage students in innovative ways through the introduction of new technologies and methodologies, like mobile learning, augmented reality, podcasting, learning analytics, gamification and more.
It’s important to note that whilst fully online programmes and courses will certainly be a key driver of this evolution, hybrid degree programmes allow students to get the best of both worlds. Online resources are readily available to students, supplementing traditional instruction (rather than replacing it). Students can meet with professors in person, collaborate with peers in class, and still benefit from the flexibility of online classes. And research shows they work. As reported in one study, students (at nearly all levels of achievement) do just as well in hybrid classes as they do in traditional classrooms.
In a 2018 survey by Northeastern University Center for the Future of Higher Education and Talent Strategy, hiring leaders identified recommendations for colleges and universities to pursue to ensure the quality and utility of online credentials in hiring. These include:
Degrees still have great value in the hiring process. To help legitimise online degrees and credentials, it is becoming increasingly important for researchers to continue tracking employer perceptions of candidates who have pursued their education online. If online learners, especially those who choose not to pursue a traditional four-year degree, prove successful over time on the job, the impact on online learning could be profound.
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Prioritising wellbeing in higher education: strategies for improving students’ mental health
That increasing numbers of students are experiencing mental health problems isn’t news; it’s an escalating trend that was extensively documented even before the Covid-19 pandemic, as HE providers reported unprecedented demands for access to their health and welfare support services prior to the 2020 crisis.
Diversification: the key to unlocking new higher education revenue streams
The recent global crisis has highlighted a long-standing need for revenue diversification in the higher education sector.
The same but different: improving fairness of access, participation, and outcomes in higher education
Fairness lies at the heart of modern higher education – in principle, at least. That everyone – regardless of social or economic background – can aspire to study for a globally acknowledged qualification, opening doors to greater education and employment opportunities, has been a cornerstone of HE provision for decades. But equality only works if everyone’s starting point is the same and, as societal divisions widen, universities must do more to level the pitch.
Optimising the digital higher education experience: delivering outstanding support for online learners
The higher education sector is experiencing a period of rapid transformation. With demand for more flexible access options catalysing significant growth in online, hybrid and blended delivery models, universities must not only design new, more adaptable, degree programmes, but must also review and strengthen the support services that are essential to sustain a student body that’s more diverse – and dispersed – than ever before.
Hybrid and blended learning: the flexible future of higher education?
After the restrictions of the last two years, the fact that university campuses everywhere are once again buzzing with students feels like a cause for optimism.
Transforming higher education for the long term
For those in the world’s wealthiest countries, tertiary education has now become the norm – especially among the 18-34-year-old demographic.
Automation in online education
Technology is fundamental in addressing one of the biggest challenges in education – how to continue to increase scale on decreasing budgets?
Online delivery is rightly seen as a valid approach. However, we must consider the students’ consumer expectations for educational experiences that are as good as experiences in other sectors, such as retail or online services, along with the goal of ensuring students are treated as individuals. Automation is key to meeting these challenges.
Motivating online students to support each other
Clear intentions, guiding principles, well-chosen, and well-instructed activities greatly increase students’ participation in peer learning
There are a variety of strategies to help students feel engaged and motivated to participate in online distance learning (ODL) programmes, but perhaps none are more powerful than finding ways to motivate students to interact with their peers.
Effective peer learning in online courses
How to motivate students to participate and genuinely benefit from learning from their peers
Well-designed online learning can be highly engaging, motivating, and enjoyable. Historically though, distance learning, both pre-web and in early online courses, suffered from poor retention – students found it difficult to study on their own.
The future of work: how universities can prepare students for an uncertain future
More people than ever are going to university. In the UK, well over a third of all 18-year-olds (37.8 percent) enrolled on a full-time undergraduate course last year, according to UCAS. And, while some students are drawn to higher education to increase their academic knowledge and enjoy the university experience, most will also be looking to improve their employment and earning prospects. Government figures for 2020 show a graduate employment rate of 86.4 percent, with median graduate earnings standing at £35,000 (£9,500 more than their non-graduate counterparts).
Creating a rich social and cultural experience for online degree learners
Much of the discussion around the recent global shift from campus-based to remote-learning models has centred on the quality of online programmes of study – more particularly on how universities can effectively motivate, support, and assess individuals as part of a dispersed student population.
Breaking the bias: addressing the higher education gender pay gap
As participation continues to widen in the UK’s higher education sector with increasing numbers of applications from previously underrepresented sectors, many gender-based anomalies remain. For example, while women are much more likely to go to university than men (as well as to complete their studies and to achieve a good degree), figures show that women graduates cede their professional advantage in a matter of months.
COMMENTS
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