CHLOE 8: Student Demand Moves Higher Ed Toward a Multi-Modal Future

In contrast to other surveys, CHLOE seeks the insight and perspective of the senior online officer at each participating institution in the belief that this individual has a unique vantage point from which to assess online learning at their institution.

In 2016, Eduventures Research and Quality Matters formed a partnership to fill a gap in the research related to online education by focusing on how it is being carried out at postsecondary institutions across the United States. The first CHLOE Survey was conducted in 2016 and resulted In the 2017 CHLOE 1 Report.

CHLOE 6 & 7: Tracking Online Learning

The COVID pandemic constituted a stress test on how online learning could respond to an externally driven emergency requiring its rapid expansion and how such an experience, encompassing the entirety of higher education, might change its scope, image and future direction. CHLOE 6 establishes that the pivot to remote learning increased the reach and accelerated the adoption of online learning, and increased the influence of chief online officers.

Key CHLOE 6 Survey findings:

• All sectors of higher education invested in ed tech in 2020 and 2021, amounting to the biggest investment jump ever. This included largely in-person schools that had not previously made significant investments in online learning-related technologies.
• Two-thirds of surveyed institutions relied on their chief online officer to coordinate their institution’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including course conversion, faculty training, student preparedness, technology capability, and quality assurance.
• When asked about future online undergraduate enrollment, only 13% of Chief Online Officers (COOs) expected the moderate growth seen in pre-pandemic years, while 77% predicted some or major acceleration in this trend.

Report authors conclude that institutions would be well-advised to capitalize on the momentum or positivity generated by the pandemic’s forced shift into fully-distanced learning.

In the next few years, online learning will become a part of nearly every higher ed student’s experience.That’s one takeaway from the CHLOE 7 report, a joint project of Quality MattersTM and Eduventures® that offers an overview of the online learning landscape at higher education institutions. The report draws on survey responses from chief online officers at two- and four-year colleges and universities, who are uniquely situated to assess the current state of online education.

Significant takeaways from the in-depth report include:

• A large majority of respondents predict that by 2025 most higher education learner experiences will include online learning.
• Institutions can and should adjust their strategies and allocate more resources to online learning in response to student needs.
• While quality assurance standards for online courses are in place, review processes for ensuring standards are met are lagging.

CHLOE 8: Student Demand Moves Higher Ed Toward a Multi-Modal Future

Student demand for online and hybrid learning continues to grow, and institutions are working hard to find their footing in this post-pandemic environment. The deeper story is that institutions are reexamining their identities and priorities in light of this increased multi-modal demand.

Major takeaways from the eighth survey of U.S. chief online officers on how their two- and four-year schools are managing online learning include:

• A majority of respondents report stagnant or declining enrollment among traditional undergraduates in face-to-face programs, and an even greater percentage say that the number of adult undergraduates and graduate students in these programs is declining.
• Chief online officers report strong growth for fully online programs (36%) or hybrid programs (20%), and a greater percentage say adult undergraduate and graduate online and hybrid programs are growing.
• Approximately half the respondents confirm that their present strategic plans and resource allocations support a greater emphasis on online learning and multi-modal study. An additional 36% indicate their institutions are reconsidering strategic priorities in light of student demand.

Other notable findings include:

• Face-to-Face enrollment is stagnant or declining. Fifty-seven percent of COOs report stagnant enrollment of traditional undergraduates in face-to-face programs, and another 24% report declining or sharply declining face-to-face numbers. Adult undergraduate and graduate student face-to-face enrollment show even greater declines.
• Online and hybrid enrollment is growing. COOs report either growth or strong growth for fully online and hybrid programs (36% and 20%, respectively).
• Institutions are quickly aligning their strategic priorities to meet online/hybrid student demand. Approximately 50% of COOs confirm that their present strategic plans and resource allocations support a greater emphasis on online and multi-modal learning but that many face resource constraints. Another 36% indicate that a reconsideration of strategic priorities is currently underway.
• “Quiet” quality assurance. While 60% of COOs report that their institutions do QA benchmarking for online courses and programs, and 64% say they do QA for online teaching and technical support for students, less than 15% communicate to students that they are doing so, potentially missing valuable opportunities to improve student success and enrollment/retention rates.

The next CHLOE survey will continue to track the evolution of online learning and its impact on the quality and effectiveness of students’ learning experiences.