By Pat Donachie, Education Dive
Though the future does not look bright for small, private institutions — which have seen a growing trend of closures due to a decline in enrollment and revenue — they may be able to stay afloat by tapping into can online courses and avoid a ‘precarious’ reliance on residential students, writes Robert Ubell, the vice dean emeritus of online learning at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering argues for EdSurge. While many small schools view online courses as impersonal with the lack of mentoring and close relationships between educators and students, it’s inevitable schools ignoring digital opportunities will end up falling behind, he writes — especially as that pool of student enrollees becomes increasingly nontraditional and flexible online programs become more in demand. Understanding the shift may be daunting, Ubell suggests modest investments in the right staff, online designers and recruiters, as well as a forward-thinking innovator and digital advocate on campus who can support the idea of online learning. He also suggests partnerships with third-party online program managers to handle technicalities, as sometimes such companies also commit to handling much of the initial cost.
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