Education & Job and Study: Many Online Students Now Decide Between Multiple Programs

According to a recent survey, as an increasing number of accredited schools offer online certifications, an increasing proportion of potential online students are looking at multiple options, often preferring access to the nearby campus and making a quick decision.

These and other findings were revealed in the "Online Students Degree" report, released in June by the Market Research and Learning Center, a company that helps colleges and universities create online degree programs. The annual report, now in its sixth year, surveyed about 1,500 university students and postgraduate students online, past and present, current and past.

In the survey, 52 per cent of the respondents said that they contacted or requested information from three or more schools during the search process, a substantial increase of 29 per cent last year. The proportion of people who watched only one program fell to 18 percent in 2017 from 30 percent in 2016

"I think it's the result of more and more institutions that are involved in the game, so to speak, and offer online programs," says Dave Clinefelter, consultant for the Learning House and author of the study.

T.J. Sommerford, assistant director of operations at UF Online, the university arm of the University of Florida, agrees that this may be the result of more public and private nonprofit organizations that continue to launch high quality online programs.

This may be an indication of greater diversity of options in the market, so students are buying more, "he said via email. I think it could also point to the exit of big schools for profit from control. "

According to the survey, nearly three-quarters of students online enroll in institutions less than 100 miles from their homes, roughly the same as the previous year. According to experts, this is likely to be for several reasons, including access to personal support services. 59% said they travel to the campus between once and five times a year.

"Over the years, not everyone was offering online programs in a particular area," says Carol Aslanian, founder and president of the Market Research Association and co-author of the survey. It's hard to find a school in an area that does not offer any program online. "

Part of the attraction of the online study program may be due to the desire of future students on the Internet to interact regularly with fellow classmates and trainers. More than half of online students said interaction was important for them in their program, and a quarter of them also said their online program for education and jobs could improve in this area.

The report indicates that online students usually also want to choose their online program quickly. In the survey, 60 per cent said they had spent more than four weeks searching for and going online, a drop of 71 per cent last year. About 30 percent did so in less than two weeks.

Potential online students also expect potential schools to provide them with basic information at the right time or even in advance. In fact, nearly half of respondents wanted to know how much financial assistance they would receive even before their applications began.

"These students are fast," he says. "They make decisions quickly, often, within a few months, they have researched, chosen an institution, asked and registered."

According to the survey, given the combination of speed and the growing number of titles available on the Internet, three fifths of students online will change some of the components of their search process, if they can do it again. In addition, nearly a quarter of the desire to access more schools.

During this search process, the price was the number 1 factor when students chose an online program, according to the survey. However, three-quarters of students said on the Internet that in the end they did not choose the cheaper option, taking into account the reputation, location and content of the course.

They appreciate strong professional services. Two-thirds of respondents whose university does not have access to professional services said they wanted such services, and 77 per cent of those who benefited from professional services reported having used them.

As many online students in the past already had jobs and knew where to go professionally, online students were getting younger on average, Aslanian says.

"They're looking for a lot of changes and opportunities to move forward," he says, especially when it comes to raising their salaries.

Other key findings of the study include:

• In online university education, arts and humanities are increasingly popular among students. 14 per cent of the respondents said they were studying this type, an increase of 9 per cent in 2014.
• Students become familiar with competency-based teaching, which focuses on teaching specific skill sets, which often allow students to progress faster through what they already know. In 2017, 27 per cent of respondents said they were unaware of competency-based education, compared to 35 per cent in 2013.
• 80% of online students use a mobile device when they search for an online program, and 40% use it to access an online learning management system or classroom

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