The Postmodality EraHow “Online Learning” is Becoming “Learning”

Thomas B. Cavanagh, Ph.D.Associate Vice President, Distributed LearningUniversity of Central Florida

Who is the eLearner?

Traditional vs. Non-Traditional

NON-TRADITIONAL TRADITIONAL

Evolving Student Populations

• The disappearing “traditional” student• Increasingly need non-traditional flexibility

• Work• Greek life• Athletics• Other co-curricular activities

Growth of Online

• Over 6.1 million students took at least one online course during fall 2010, an increase of 560,000 students over the previous year.

• 10% growth rate for online enrollments far exceeds 2% growth in the overall higher education student population.

• 31% of higher education students now take at least one course online.

• 65% of higher education institutions now say that online learning is a critical part of their long-term strategy.

Sloan Consortium, “Going the Distance” (2011)

Blurring Boundaries

• Of the 17.6 million undergraduates currently enrolled in American higher education…• only 15% attend four-year institutions and live on

campus. • 37% are enrolled part time.• 32% work full time.

• Only 36 % of students who are enrolled in four-year institutions actually graduate in four years

NCES (2011)

“Localness”Sloan Consortium grants

Classifying a student as "main campus" or "extended campus" or "distance" becomes meaningless in an environment where students take whatever courses they need in whatever location or modality best suits their requirements at the time.

These students are unconcerned with categorical labels—they are concerned with getting the courses they need in the formats that fit their lifestyles, whether they are a working adult or an undergraduate who travels frequently as part of the volleyball team.

“…a course is a course…”

Levels of Blended LearningProgram Level (Localness):

· Courses offered completely online· Completely face to face

· Main campus / regional campus· Hybrid/mixed format

Course Level (Modality)· Temporal / spatial (classroom utilization)

· Temporal (reduce large class blocks to decrease fatigue and increase productivity)

· Synchronous distance

Assignment Level · Group collaboration

· Discussions· Enhanced F2F

8

System Pressures

• Postmodality being hastened by intersecting dynamics of student preferences with the desire for efficiency by system and state policy leaders. • University System of Maryland requires UGs to

complete 12 credits in alternative-learning modes, which include online learning.

• Texas has proposed a similar rule with a 10 % threshold.

• MinnSCU system advocates 25 % of all student credits be earned online by 2015.

Examples

• Orlando, FL• Metropolitan, suburban

university• 60,000 students• 2nd largest university in U.S.• Carnegie classification: RU/VH Research University: Very High

Research Activity• 216 degree programs across 11 colleges• 11 Campuses throughout Central Florida

1995-96 2000-01 2005-06 2010-11500,000

700,000

900,000

1,100,000

1,300,000

1,500,000

1,700,000 Sources of UCF Student Credit Hour Growth

CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION

ONLINE-VIDEO

ONLINE-WEB

Online Learning at UCF

Fully Online CoursesBlended Learning Courses

n n

UCF Fall 2008 Headcount

33,08765.8% 7,127

14.2%2,8475.7%

3630.7% 923

1.8%1,436 2.9% 2,046

4.1%

1,3012.6%

1370.3%

8651.7%

1110.2%

“Live” Main Campus Students43,466

“Live” Rosen Campus Students2,446

Web Students11,514

“Live” Regional Students4,800

UCF Fall 2009 Headcount

“Live” Regional Students4,809

Web Students14,543

“Live” Main Campus Students45,988

33,98863.5% 8,593

16.1%3,6376.8%

3750.7% 1,030

1.9%1,497 2.8%

1,8863.6%

8271.6%

6971.3%

7821.5%

2040.4%

“Live” Rosen Campus Students2,531

34,05960.6% 10,363

18.4%4,1137.3%

4780.9%

1,2132.1%

1,490 2.7%

2,0493.6%

7581.4%

7641.4%

6951.2%

2340.4%

UCF Fall 2010 Headcount

Web Students17,172

“Live” Regional Students5,251

“Live” Rosen Campus Students2,472

“Live” Main Campus Students47,926

34,999

59.8%11,30

419.3%

4,4357.6%

5040.9%

1,3632.3%

1,485 2.5%

1,8253.1%

8021.4%

7441.3%

8281.4%

2090.4%

“Live” Main Campus Students49,852

“Live” Rosen Campus Students2,604

Web Students18,565

“Live” Regional Students5,198

UCF Fall 2011 Headcount

Regional Campuses

Regional CampusesFully Online Blended

Academic Year

SCH % SCH %

2002-03 22,801 27 5,711 7

2003-04 36,840 35 7,699 7

2004-05 33,690 35 7,159 7

2005-06 48,008 41 8,806 8

2006-07 57,393 44 9,946 8

2007-08 64,843 44 17,067 12

2008-09 74,561 46 10,847 7

2009-10 88,834 51 11,383 7

2010-11 116,508 55 13,481 6

2011-12 132,279 60 14,347 7

2011-12 F2F = 26.36% SCH

Fall 2010

Total UCF students 56,129

Students in Face-to-Face (F2F) 49,510

Web OR Blended 23,741

F2F + Web 12,157

F2F + Blended 8,827

F2F + Web OR Blended 18,288

F2F + Web + Blended 2,696

Web Only 4,109 (Summer 2010: 6,459)

UCF Postmodalities

Learning on Demand

• 3 campuses (2009-2010)• Daytona: 5,100 students• Prescott: 1,700 students• Worldwide: 27,260 students

• Aviation/Aerospace focus• Worldwide Campus

• 150 teaching locations in U.S., Canada, Europe, and Middle East• Worldwide Online

ERAU Postmodalities• Classroom Learning: traditional face-to-face instruction in a

synchronous, physical location• EagleVision Classroom: synchronous web-video conferencing

platform that connects multiple physical classrooms into a single live, real-time classroom

• EagleVision Home: synchronous web-video conferencing platform that connects individual users for live online learning

• Online Learning: completely online, asynchronous instruction facilitated through a learning management system

• Blended Program: combines elements of Classroom and Online Learning

ERAU Postmodalities

2009–10 2010–11 % GrowthBlended Program 1,140 1,763 54.65Classroom Learning 42,747 38,577 –9.76

EagleVision Classroom 4,219 5,625 33.33

EagleVision Home 3,080 5,870 90.58EagleVision/Blended Program 917 1,389 51.47

Online Learning 37,606 39,478 4.98Total 89,709 92,702 3.34

ERAU Postmodality Ethos

At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University—Worldwide, our goal is to give you exactly the education you need, exactly the way you need it. That's why, in addition to offering the industry's most sought after degrees and programs, we offer you more ways to take courses and complete those programs. Each of our learning modalities, while distinct in its delivery and operation, provides the same high-quality information, instruction, and opportunities for interaction with faculty and fellow students. Simply pick the one that fits your learning and lifestyle best, and embark on the road to educational success.

http://worldwide.erau.edu/why-worldwide/five-ways-to-learn/index.html

• 31,000 students• Urban location• 14 schools and colleges• 180 degree programs• Carnegie classification: RU/VH Research University: Very High

Research Activity

UWM Postmodalities

Fall 2010 Fall 2011

Number of students taking at least one fully online course 6,181 7,017

Number of students taking exclusively fully online courses 1,299 1,363

Number of students taking at least one blended course 1,918 1,783

Number of students taking exclusively blended courses 74 58

Number of students (unduplicated) taking a blended OR online course

7,707 8,329

Number of students taking a combination of face-to-face AND fully online courses

4,881 5,654

Number of students taking a combination of face-to-face AND blended courses

1,844 1,725

UWM Postmodality Ethos

UWM offers the opportunity for you to take both online and on-campus courses and programs. It's your option. Some students like entirely online while others choose the combination of both online and in-person courses. Either will provide a quality, student-centered experience. For most students looking to save time and for students who prefer a more flexible learning and study environment, online classes and programs are often a preferred option.

http://www4.uwm.edu/future_students/online/faq.cfm

• Maricopa Community College System• Founded in 1978 as a “college without walls”• Known for online learning• 16 physical locations in Arizona• Also reaches incarcerated students

Rio Salado PostmodalitiesModality Credit Students Noncredit

StudentsTotal

Blended (Hybrid) 51 2 53

In Person 14,463 286 14,749

Independent Study 122 0 122

Internet 40,481 436 40,917

Mixed Media 176 0 176

Print-Based 1,002 13 1,015

Multiple Modalities 2,002 29 2,031

Total 58,297 766 59,063

Rio Salado Postmodality Ethos• Rio Salado College transforms the learning experience through

• choice, access, and flexibility;• customized, high-quality learning design; and• personalized service and organizational responsiveness.

http://www.riosalado.edu/about/research-planning/culture/Pages/default.aspx

K-12 Perspective

Stats from iNACOL• 48 states, plus Washington, D.C. offer supplemental or full-

time online-learning opportunities• 75 % of school districts had one or more students enrolled in

an online- or blended-learning course.• In 2010, over 4 million K–12 students participated in a formal

online-learning program. This includes 217,000 students in cyber charter schools.

• Online-learning enrollments are growing by 46% a year, and the growth rate is accelerating.

State Graduation Requirements

• At least 1 online course• Michigan• Alabama• Florida• Idaho (2)

• Every district in FL (67) must offer a full K-12 online option• More than 115,000 took at least one course from FLVS

• How will we respond when these students reach our institutions and expect this sort of postmodality flexibility?

How Can We Prepare?• Recognize postmodality student preferences and

behaviors and respond with supportive infrastructure. • Expand campus information systems to make it easier

for students to select and register for online and blended offerings.

• Reconfigure academic support services, including advising and library assistance to address online, asynchronous learners.

• Add multimedia and network capability to on-campus classrooms to help bridge the online and on-ground environments for students moving seamlessly between the two.

How Can We Prepare?• Recognize postmodality student preferences and

behaviors and respond with supportive infrastructure. • Expand campus technology infrastructure to

accommodate more students conducting online coursework from on-campus facilities and using on-campus bandwidth.

• Develop faculty and course-development services to prepare and support faculty who will also be moving back and forth between modalities just as their students do.

Conclusion

Going forward, meeting the needs of these students with institutional ecosystems that support, encourage, and enable them to succeed will become key components of college and university strategic plans.

For More Information

Questions?

Thomas B. Cavanagh, Ph.D.Associate Vice President, Distributed LearningUniversity of Central Floridacavanagh@ucf.eduTwitter: @tbcavanagh