Who are these online students and what do they want?

Online students come from all parts of society, thanks in part to the proliferation of the Internet. 2007 US census data reports that over 70% of US households have Internet access, and that almost 11 million citizens ages 15+ will use the Internet to take an online course.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2008 report reveals that 68% of 2008 high school graduates enrolled in either colleges or universities (the average from 2001-2008 is 66%). Of those high school graduates who enrolled in higher education, 93% were full-time students (http://www.bls.gov/news.release/hsgec.nr0.htm). Unfortunately, the BLS report does not provide details on online enrollment; however, the Sloan Consortium’s 2008 survey provides these nuggets: almost four million students took at least one online course in the fall 2007—a 12% growth over 2006 and significantly higher than the 1.2% growth of the overall higher education student enrollment; and over 20% of all students took at least one online course in fall 2007
(http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/survey/pdf/staying_the_course.pdf)

The 2008 National Survey for Student Engagement (NSSE) reports online students, when compared to classroom learners, were likely to be older (and also managing family and external responsibilities), transfer, and first-generation. The NSSE report also found courses delivered online seem to stimulate students’ intellectual challenge and promote educational gains. The report also noted an increase in the number of colleges and universities offering course content using online technology (content management systems, discussion boards, and video conferencing). (http://nsse.iub.edu/NSSE_2008_Results/docs/withhold/NSSE2008_Results_revised_11-14-2008.pdf

We can safely assume the online instruction demand shows no signs of abating. As the online instruction boom continues, we must guard against satisfying the demand at the expense of the student. Future online students should receive the same intellectually challenging courses as current students enjoy.