Rise in ‘quality’ online degrees

Publish date	2008-04-02
Available Articles	Full articles without membership

The Online University Consortium (OUC) has reported a substantial increase in the number of quality programmes on offer since it was founded over four years ago.

The OUC, an independent organisation that aims to help adult learners and corporations identify the best online degree programmes, has noted a steady rise in the standards expected by both students and institutions. It says there are almost 25 per cent more quality courses on offer now than there were in 2004.

Greg Eisenbarth, executive director of the consortium, said: “In 2004, only six out of every 10 programmes met our criteria. As of the end of this year, the Consortium has approved five out of every six programmes that have applied, which is evidence more institutions are stepping up to quality standards demanded by students and employers.”

The increase in quality of available online programmes coincides with the increase in online class enrolments noted in The Sloan Consortium’s annual report, “Online Nation: Five Years of Growth in Online Learning”, which cites 3.5 million student enrolments in 2006, with nearly 20 per cent of higher education students in the US enrolled in at least one online course.

Based on these statistics, the OUC estimates enrolments are growing at about 10 per cent each year. Consequently, demand is outpacing the supply of quality offerings that are growing by the consortium’s estimate at about six per cent annually.

This gap presents new opportunities for institutions that can meet or exceed consumer demands. To achieve and protect the standards students and employers are relying on to identify the best programmes, accredited colleges and universities are joining organizations such as the Online University Consortium to help substantiate the quality of their programmes.

Participating schools that submit their online degree programmes to the Online UC for evaluation must pass seven quality criteria. These include assessments of faculty, accreditation, investment in curriculum and programme development, and student throughput.

This enables adult learners and companies who fund professional development to recognise the best quality offerings from reputable institutions, and make the most of their investments in online degree programmes.

The consortium’s Online Education Guide, which includes two resources for evaluation of online learning: “Art and Science of ROI in Online Education” and the best practices profile of companies entitled, “How Top Corporations Build Successful Education Programmes,” are free for download at http://www.onlineuc.net/guide/

Keywords: Online University Consortium, Sloan Consortium, online programmes, quality standards, growth.

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