An article in the Austin American-Statesman by Lara Korte reports on the pattern of online enrollments at Austin area colleges and universities, and the pattern reveals much about how online learning may be settling into U.S. higher education. All six area schools experienced double digit increases in online enrollment between 2015 and 2018. The three public institutions (Austin Community College, Texas State University, and the University of Texas at Austin) had online enrollments of 25% to 29% in 2018, while the three private institutions were more varied with Concordia University at 54%, historically black Huston-Tillotson University at 15%, and Catholic St. Edwards University at 4%.
Interviews with educators and students indicated that online classes were being offered and taken for the convenience they afforded students who reside near the institutions. This is consistent with other reports that students are studying online at their local institutions as opposed to enrolling in online programs outside of their geographic area. Online learning appears to be evolving as a convenience factor in the lives of busy students with other obligations.
As technology advances to make online learning easier for institutions to offer and for students to engage, online courses and programs may become a common feature of many institutions. With students enrolling in online programs in their immediate geographic area, the online option may become more like the option represented by part-time study, a different, but not radically different path.
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