Online Learning Update

November 13, 2016

How online education can fix its student retention problem

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

By Satesh Bidaisee, Herald Chronicle

The recent growth of online education has been astounding. Last year, 35 million people signed up for at least one online class. The popularity of online learning is easy to understand. Today, students have access to well over 4,000 courses in a wide array of subjects, from chemistry to philosophy to graphic design. Many courses are free. There is, however, a serious problem currently keeping online education from reaching its full potential — low retention rates. About 90 percent of enrollees in “MOOCS” — short for “Massive Open Online Courses,” which have unlimited registration and are the most popular online education product — drop out within two weeks. The key to solving this problem? Making MOOCs more interactive. While MOOCs can never perfectly replicate the in-person back-and-forth of traditional brick-and-mortar schools, they can capitalize on modern technologies that empower students to more intimately engage with the material, their instructors, and their peers.

http://www.heraldchronicle.com/how-online-education-can-fix-its-student-retention-problem-guest-editorial/

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