By Deborah Bushway - EvoLLLution. Distance education, and online course and degree delivery in particular, has experienced impressive growth during the past 15 years. Recent research indicates that online enrollments continue to grow, even though the pace of growth has slowed. Additionally, increasing numbers of academic leaders consider online delivery to be a primary component of the institution’s strategy. Interestingly, when asked about barriers to online growth, these same academic leaders cited concerns about student success and retention in online programs. More...

By Timothy Gordon - EvoLLLution. Numerous studies published in recent years paint online learning as something of a gamble for students. Though it provides a flexible pathway for non-traditional learners to access post-secondary content, the success rates tend to be lower than in-class options. That said, students that persist through at least one online course have higher completion rates than those that never enroll in an online course. More...

By Beth Brunk-Chavez - EvoLLLution. The systems and processes most colleges and universities have in place to manage their on-campus students do not work for online learners. Most of these processes are reliant on the notion that on-campus students have the time and capacity to go from office to office and wait for responses. More...

By Daniel Christian - EvoLLLution. In the future, learning “channels” will offer more choice and more control. They will be far more sophisticated than what we have today.
That said, what the most important aspects of online course design end up being 10 years from now depends upon what types of “channels” I think there will be and what might be offered via those channels. More...

By Audrey Penner - EvoLLLution. Postsecondary education (PSE) is experiencing a perfect storm and I call this confluence of events “21st-Century PSE: Normal 3.0.”
This perfect storm includes advanced educational technology (simplistically referred to as Online Learning), declining demographics, a world-is-flat distribution model, an Internet of Things, and globally driven industry demands for highly skilled labor. More...

By Craig Weidemann - EvoLLLution. Due to the perception that it is cheaper to offer online programming than traditional, face-to-face programming, many colleges and universities have been pushed to add these courses and programs to their roster. But, is designing, developing and delivering a truly high-quality, high-value online offering cheaper than crafting an equivalent face-to-face program. More...

By Ross Dickens - EvoLLLution. All insights below reflect the experience at the University of Tennessee at Martin (UT Martin) and within its College of Business and Global Affairs (CBGA). The answers are not meant as “best practices” examples, but simply as “this practice” realities. UT Martin has, roughly, 7,500 students, with about 5,000 of those on campus on a regular basis. More...

By Robert T. Monroe - EvoLLLution. As students become increasingly non-traditional, the demand for highly convenient, flexible approaches to degree completion is rising. However, it’s critical that, in providing such flexible options for learners, institutions don’t ignore the non-academic elements that make their programs truly great. More...