Viewpoint May 17, 2010, 2:10PM EST

Online or Bust: An Educational Manifesto

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Online Flexibility

The growth of online education is a result of the shifting needs and priorities of today's students coupled with a struggling economy.

It is no longer the high school senior seeking a four-year college who is dictating the terms of the education industry; rather, it is the single mother looking to go back to school or someone who got a job right out of high school and took a few years off to make money before pursuing a college degree. Many of these students require the flexibility of an online education because their hours are not those of a traditional student—they need night classes, weekend programs, and coursework they can complete at their own pace.

For years this niche education was provided by community colleges, and according to the NCES study, community colleges were responsible for about two-thirds of the one-year increase in public-school enrollment in 2008. According to the American Association of Community Colleges, enrollment at the nation's 1,173 community colleges has increased 17 percent since 2007. But community colleges are at capacity, and with all schools struggling through the recession, funding is scarce.

In a recent survey of undergraduate students, more than half of the students polled preferred either a hybrid of online and classroom education (34 percent) or all classes online (20 percent). Graduate students were asked the same question, and more than half (56 percent) responded that they prefer either a blended education or an online-only experience.

For-profit higher education institutions have been the first to recognize that education is as much about interaction as it is about coursework, offering live faculty interaction for mentoring and tutoring as well as interactive meetings and study groups. Just because an online component is available does not mean that students will access their education in isolation. There is absolutely something to be said for personal interaction, and increasingly online programs are recognizing and adapting to this.

Stigma Fading

Furthermore, the stigma of online education is quickly disappearing. Twenty years ago, people thought the only option for higher education was a four-year institution. More recently, there has been a shift toward students pursuing postsecondary education at community colleges. It is only a matter of time before online outlets become a focal point of those pursuing postsecondary education. The quality of the education has increased, as has acceptance of those with online degrees and certificates in the workforce.

There is more progress necessary to completely remove the stigma. A school's reputation still carries weight in the job market, and this is an area where online education is lacking. First, it is important that the business community recognizes the rigor of online coursework, which will take time, but it's already more accepted today than it was even five years ago. Second, the online community needs a better alumni networking system to help students secure jobs and efficiently network after graduation. Will someone with a traditional degree get a job over someone with an online degree? Right now, possibly. But should these brick-and-mortar graduates be looking over their shoulders? Without a doubt.

Using the Internet as a business tool is obviously not a trend—all industries and companies that are currently booming have online components. Higher education is a huge market with great potential for growth; but if traditional universities do not adjust to meet the needs of their customers, contemporary students, it is only a matter of time before they are out of business.

Steve Isaac is the chief executive officer of EducationDynamics, and works extensively with for-profit and not-for-profit educational institutions to find, enroll, and retain students.