Project Eagle Research Capsules (PERC) #13
January 2004

A Look at E-Learning Findings in Two Recent Studies

Thirty-two Trends Affecting Distance Education:
An Informed Foundation for Strategic Planning

Scott L. Howell, Peter B. Williams, and Nathan K. Lindsay
Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration
Volume 6, Number 3, Fall 2003

Based on an extensive review of current literature in the field, this article presents thirty-two educational trends that affect distance learning. It is an excellent compilation of data from many sources.

Student/Enrollment Trends

The current higher education infrastructure cannot accommodate the growing college-aged population and enrollments, making more distance education programs necessary.
Students are shopping for courses that meet their schedules and circumstances.
Higher-education learner profiles, including online, information-age, and adult learners, are changing.
The percentage of adult, female, and minority learners is increasing. (42% of all students are over 24.)
Retention rates concern administrators and faculty members.

Faculty Trends

Traditional faculty roles are shifting or "unbundling." (E-structors must be experts in maintaining communication and must assume more administrative responsibilities than faculty in a residential model.)
The need for faculty development, support, and training is growing.
Faculty tenure is being challenged, allowing for more non-traditional faculty roles in distance education.
Some faculty members are resisting technological course delivery.
Faculty members who participate in distance education courses develop better attitudes toward distance education and technology. (72% of those who had taught distance-learning courses were favorable, compared with 51% who had not taught at a distance.)
Instructors of distance courses can feel isolated.
Faculty members demand reduced workload and increased compensation for distance courses. (One survey of four-year schools found that 64% of faculty members were compensated for distance courses with normal, on-campus salary; 74% were additionally given development stipends. 82% added that compensation depended on the type of course, the rank of the faculty member, and other factors.)

Academic Trends

Knowledge and information are growing exponentially. (In the past, information doubled every 10 years; now it doubles every four years.)
The institutional landscape of higher education is changing: traditional campuses are declining, for-profit institutions are growing, and public and private institutions are merging. (Currently, only 4 to 5% of all higher-education students, but 33% of online students, are enrolled with for-profit providers.)
There is a shift in organizational structure toward decentralization.
Instruction is becoming more learner-centered, non-linear, and self-directed.
There is a growing emphasis on academic accountability.
Academic emphasis is shifting from course-completion to competency.
Education is becoming more seamless between high school, college, and further studies.
Higher education outsourcing and partnerships are increasing.
Some advocate standardizing content in learning objects.

Technology Trends

Technological devices are becoming more versatile and ubiquitous.
There is a huge growth in Internet usage. (Current use, about 500 million worldwide, will almost double by 2005.)
Technological fluency is becoming a graduation requirement.

Economic Trends

With the economy in recession, there are fewer resources for higher education and initiatives like distance education. (The combined deficits of the 50 state governments are expected to total $85 billion within the next year.)
Funding challenges are the top IT concern for many.
Lifelong learning is becoming a necessity. (It is estimated that people change careers, on average, every 10 years.)

Distance Learning Trends

More courses, degrees, and universities are becoming available through distance-education programs. (The annual market for distance learning is currently $4.5 billion, and it is "expected to grow to $11 billion by 2005.")
The Internet is becoming dominant among other distance-education media.
The distinction between distance and local education is disappearing. (74% of distance learning institutions do not charge out-of-state distance students out-of-state tuition, 91% do not charge international students more, and 71% do not charge more for distance courses than they do for on-campus courses.)
The need for effective course-management systems and Web services is growing.
There is an increasing need for learning and teaching strategies that exploit the capabilities of technology.

E-Learning Trends 2003

Learning Circuits Online Magazine
American Society for Training and Development
November 2003

These are the results of a survey of subscribers to the ASTD's LC Express, reflecting trends in the use of e-learning in both academic (9.3%) and non-academic (90.7%) training environments. Of the 272 organizations responding to the survey, 53% employed more than 1000 people.

97% of the organizations responding use e-learning as part of their training.
Only 17% consider themselves actual e-learning suppliers.
64% spend more than $100,000 on training annually.
83% spend less than 50% of their annual training budget on e-learning, and 35% spend less than 10%.
78% spend less than 50% of their annual training budget on blended learning, and 37% spend less than 10%.
77% spend less than 50% of their annual training budget on off-the-shelf Web courses, and 54% spend less than 10%.
76% spend less than 50% of their annual training budget for outsourcing training content, and 44% spend less than 10%.
51% use e-learning for task-specific skills.
49% use e-learning for IT end user/desktop applications.
49% use e-learning for general business skills (leadership, sexual harassment, etc.)
35% use e-learning for regulatory/compliance issues.
30% use e-learning for customer service and salesforce training.
30% use e-learning for product updates and rollouts.
Other uses in more than 10% of those surveyed included external customers/clients (24%), IT network infrastructure (20%), technical/manufacturing issues (20%),and IT programming languages (19%).

www.spjc.edu/eagle/research/perc/perc13.htm
For a list of previous Project Eagle Research Capsules, go to www.spcollege.edu/eagle/research/perc/index.htm
For more information, contact the project manager: lechnerj@spcollege.edu

The contents of PERC were developed under a grant from the U. S. Department of Education (DOE). However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the DOE, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.