Online Education Grows by Almost One Million Students; Eighth Annual Sloan Survey of Online Education Shows Economy Still Driving Growth

/PRNewswire --The 2010 Sloan Survey of Online Learning reveals that enrollment rose by almost one million students from a year earlier.

The survey of more than 2,500 colleges and universities nationwide finds approximately 5.6 million students were enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2009, the most recent term for which figures are available.

"This represents the largest ever year-to-year increase in the number of students studying online," said study co-author I. Elaine Allen, Co-Director of the Babson Survey Research Group and Professor of Statistics & Entrepreneurship at Babson College. "Nearly 30% of all college and university students now take at least one course online."

She adds: "There may be some clouds on the horizon. While the sluggish economy continues to drive enrollment growth, large public institutions are feeling budget pressure and competition from the for-profit sector institutions. In addition, the for-profit schools worry new federal rules on financial aid and student recruiting may have a negative impact on enrollments."

Other findings:

* Almost two-thirds of for-profit institutions now say that online learning is a critical part of their long term strategy.
* The 21% growth rate for online enrollments far exceeds the 2% growth in the overall higher education student population.
* Nearly one-half of institutions report that the economic downturn has increased demand for face-to-face courses and programs.
* Three-quarters of institutions report that the economic downturn has increased demand for online courses and programs.

The eighth annual survey, a collaborative effort between the Babson Survey Research Group and the College Board, is the leading barometer of online learning in the United States. The survey is funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and distributed by the Sloan Consortium. The complete survey report, Class Differences: Online Education in the United States, 2010, is available on the Sloan Consortium Web site, www.sloanconsortium.org. The report includes a detailed analysis of the factors driving the growth in online education.

The Babson Survey Research Group in the Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurial Research at Babson College conducts regional, national, and international research projects, including survey design, sampling methodology, data integrity, statistical analyses and reporting. http://www3.babson.edu/ESHIP/research-publications/survey-research-group.cfm

The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 5,700 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. The College Board is committed to the principles of excellence and equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of its programs, services, activities, and concerns. Visit www.collegeboard.org.

The Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C) is an institutional and professional leadership organization dedicated to integrating online education into the mainstream of higher education, helping institutions and individual educators improve the quality, scale, and breadth of online education. Visit www.sloanconsortium.org.

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Fayette County Ranked Top Ten of Tech-Savvy School Boards

The Fayette County Public School System placed eighth in the nation among large-sized school districts in the sixth annual Digital School Districts Survey, sponsored by the Center for Digital Education, National School Boards Association and “Converge Online” magazine.

The purpose of the survey is to showcase exemplary school boards and districts’ use of technology to govern the district, communicate with students, parents and the community and to improve district operations.

"We are honored to receive this award. It is a team effort on the part of our technology department, the staff at the schools, county level and our students and parents," says Superintendent John DeCotis.

All U.S. public school boards/districts were invited to participate in the survey. Schools were placed in three categories based on size of enrollment.

The study examined and documented school boards and districts’ online presence; technology applications that allow the public to interact with school board members, administrators and teachers; as well as their access to information such as school board calendars, district policies, and technology use in the district and classrooms.

Winners reflected those school districts with the fullest implementation of technology standards in the evolution of digital education. A full list of winners can be viewed at www.centerdigitaled.com.

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Emory Ranked 17th by U.S. News & World Report

For the 17th consecutive year, Emory University is among the top 20 national universities in U.S. News & World Report's annual "America's Best Colleges," ranking 17th. Emory's Goizueta Business School was 13th in the rankings of undergraduate business programs.

"While external recognition is gratifying, the true measure of a university is revealed in the work of its faculty, staff and students," said Provost Earl Lewis. "Emory is committed to combining its strengths and resources in pursuit of academic excellence in teaching, research and quality of the student experience."

Emory's rankings on the survey's components included 12th place in faculty resources, ahead of Stanford (14th), Johns Hopkins (22nd) and several other highly ranked universities. The faculty resources indicator is mainly derived from faculty compensation and class size distribution.

Emory was ranked 11th in the "Top Up-and-Coming Schools," a list of colleges and universities singled out in a survey of experts as having recently made the most promising and innovative changes in academics, faculty, students, campus or facilities.

Emory also was cited for its economic diversity, ranking 6th among national universities, with 14 percent of undergraduates receiving need-based Pell grants. In 2007, the university initiated Emory Advantage, a program of financial aid to help lower- and middle-income students and families reduce debt during the undergraduate years.

Emory ranked 12th in alumni giving, with an average of 37 percent of alumni contributing to the school over a two-year period.

The rankings appear today at www.usnews.com.

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