Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States, 2005

Abstract

Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States, 2005 represents the third annual report on the state of online education in U.S. Higher Education. Supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and based on responses from over 1,000 colleges and universities, this year's study, like those for previous years', is aimed at answering some of the fundamental questions about the nature and extent of online education.
Among the key findings:
* Sixty-three percent of schools offering undergraduate face-to face courses also offer undergraduate courses online.
* Among all schools offering face-to-face Master's degree programs, 44% also offer Master's programs online.
* Sixty-five percent of higher education institutions report that they are using primarily core faculty to teach their online courses compared to 62% that report they are using primarily core faculty to teach their face-to-face courses.
* The overall percent of schools identifying online education as a critical long-term strategy grew from 49% in 2003 to 56% in 2005.
* Overall online enrollment increased from 1.98 million in 2003 to 2.35 million in 2004.
* Although online education continues to penetrate into all types of institutions, a relatively stable minority of Chief Academic Officers (28% in 2003 compared with 31% in 2005) continue to believe that their faculty fully accept the value and legitimacy of online education.