Dear Commons Community,

In all but 17 states, online education is more of an export than an import. That’s a missed opportunity for policy makers to champion things like access and affordability according to Goldie Blumenstyk, a writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education.  She makes her point in a brief article based on a presentation at the Eduventures Summit last week that showed how states stack up in their population of online students. The presentation compared the number of residents enrolled in online programs at out-of-state institutions to the number enrolled online in-state on a color-coded state map (above) of “Winners and Losers” in online education.  As she described:

“The map, along with Garrett’s commentary, highlighted for me some overlooked opportunities. Many states are not taking concerted steps to use online education to promote the kinds of priorities that state leaders have historically championed, such as affordability, access, or meeting the needs of local employers.

Garrett, the chief research officer at Eduventures, an advisory and research organization, had been talking about trends in distance education, including the dominant role now being played by institutions like Southern New Hampshire University (which I wrote about last year) and other online mega-universities. Then he showed that slide on how states stack up in their population of online students. It compared the number of residents enrolled in online programs at out-of-state institutions to the number enrolled online in-state.

In all but 17 states, the trend is clear: The out-of-state option is winning, even though surveys, including one released last week by Learning House and Aslanian Market Research, show that online students prefer colleges within 50 miles of where they live. Notably, the out-of-state trend was less prevalent in states with a high-profile option, like New Hampshire (SNHU), Arizona (Arizona State University), and Florida (the Universities of Central Florida and Florida)…

…But as Garrett noted, when mega-universities like SNHU and Western Governors University, both nonprofit institutions, are drawing away so many students, and others, like the University of Massachusetts, are looking to grab their own share of the pie, that should be “a wake-up call to states” to start thinking strategically about using online education to further their needs and goals.

Yes, I recognize that in several states, WGU is formally part of a state strategy. Maybe it’s because I started out at The Chronicle covering state policy, but Garrett’s argument really hit home for me.

Not that this is easy. Earlier this decade the University of South Carolina system announced a big push in online education with its Palmetto College. Yet I noticed on Garrett’s map that South Carolina is still a big exporter of online students. At the summit, Garrett highlighted Connecticut as one state where policy makers had turned their focus to an online-education strategy. Proposals like common course-numbering and new programs in fields now in demand among employers are among the options under consideration.

Still in most states, as Garrett said, policy makers are acting “as if it’s 1990” when looking at online education as a policy tool.

That’s a lost opportunity. Right now, the only enrollment momentum in higher education is occurring online; it’s growing while overall enrollment is falling. And state leaders who ignore this trend will forgo a moment to have an impact.”

Ms. Blumenstyk provides important insight for higher education policymakers to consider especially if they are planning expansions of online education.  It is increasingly a critical part of the solution for expanding access to students.

Tony

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