Southern States Lead U.S. in Growth of College-Level Online Learning

The report, Making the Grade: Online Education in the United States, 2006, Southern Edition, is based on the Sloan Consortium’s annual survey of online learning at more than 2,200 colleges and universities in the United States. It shows that the percentage of students using online courses at public institutions is higher on average in SREB states than in the nation. Growth and acceptance patterns also indicate that online learning has made greater inroads in SREB states than in the nation as a whole.

"SREB states recognize that many college students can benefit from online learning, especially adult learners and those who do not have easy access to higher education," said SREB President Dave Spence. “The region has taken the lead in this area because we believe online education is essential to meeting the needs of all students.”

Among the report’s highlights:

• Ninety-nine percent of large public colleges and universities (with more than 15,000 students) in the region offer online courses or programs — nearly double the percentage of smaller institutions.
• Almost two-thirds of chief academic officers at public colleges and universities in SREB states rate student learning from online courses equal to or better than traditional classroom learning.
• Nearly 75 percent of respondents reported that online learning is reaching traditional undergraduate students as well as working adults who would otherwise not be served by face-to-face classroom learning.
• Students taking undergraduate courses account for 80 percent of online higher learners in the region, with those pursuing graduate-level courses and other for-credit offerings comprising the remaining 20 percent.

The report also points to some continuing challenges in online education. Among them:

• Faculty acceptance of the value and legitimacy of online education continues to hover at 33 percent.
• The use of online education at smaller public colleges and universities in SREB states trails the national average.

"While the study clearly shows the growth and importance of online education in the region, there is more work to be done in these areas," said Elaine Allen, co-author of the report and co-director of the Babson Survey Research Group, which conducted the study. "In many respects, the report provides a useful agenda for the higher education community."

The complete report is available online at Southern edition. For comparison data, read the Making the Grade national report on online learning, published in November 2006 by the Sloan Consortium, at national report. Research for both reports was conducted by the Babson Survey Research Group, based at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Policy experts in online learning and researchers who wrote the online learning report are available to speak with journalists. Contact SREB Communications or Babson College.

SREB, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, advises state education leaders on ways to improve education. SREB was created in 1948 by Southern governors and legislatures to help leaders in education and government work cooperatively to advance education and improve the social and economic life of the region. SREB has 16 member states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Each is represented by its governor and four gubernatorial appointees.

The Sloan Consortium is the nation's largest association of institutions and organizations committed to quality online education and is administered through Babson College and Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. Visit www.sloan-c.org.