Online Learning Update

Alberta’s online university is facing a financial crisis, but the president is reassuring students that the institution will not be closing down. According to an internal report, Athabasca University (AU) will be insolvent in two years. The report was prepared by a task force struck by Peter MacKinnon, the interim president of the university. Enrolment demographics are behind the university’s troubles, MacKinnon said.  Provincial funding has dropped from covering 80 per cent of operating expenses at Athabasca to closer to 30 per cent. The rest comes from student tuition. And with more and more universities offering online learning, there is even more competition for students.