The Edge: Online Education Is an Overlooked Lever of Education Policy

In all but 17 states, online education is more of an export than an import. That’s a missed opportunity. [The Edge] Was this newsletter forwarded to you? [Please sign up to receive your own copy.]( You’ll support our journalism and ensure that you continue to receive our emails. --------------------------------------------------------------- I’m Goldie Blumenstyk, a senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education, covering innovation in and around academe. Here’s what I’m thinking about this week. For states, online education is the overlooked lever of education policy. Sometimes all it takes is one interesting image to drive home a point. Last week, at the Eduventures Summit in Boston, one slide in a presentation by Richard Garrett did it for me. It was [a color-coded state map]( of “Winners and Losers” in online education. The map, along with Garrett’s commentary, highlighted for me some overlooked opportunities. Many states are not taking concerted steps to use online education to promote the kinds of priorities that state leaders have historically championed, such as affordability, access, or meeting the needs of local employers. ADVERTISEMENT [advertisement]( Garrett, the chief research officer at Eduventures, an advisory and research organization, had been talking about trends in distance education, including the dominant role now being played by institutions like Southern New Hampshire University ([which I wrote about last year]( and other online [mega-universities.]( Then he showed that slide on how states stack up in their population of online students. It compared the number of residents enrolled in online programs at out-of-state institutions to the number enrolled online in-state. In all but 17 states, the trend is clear: The out-of-state option is winning, even though surveys, including [one released last week by Learning House and Aslanian Market Research,]( show that online students prefer colleges within 50 miles of where they live. Notably, the out-of-state trend was less prevalent in states with a high-profile option, like New Hampshire (SNHU), Arizona (Arizona State University), and Florida (the Universities of Central Florida and Florida). There’s nothing wrong with enrolling out of state. Indeed, over the past few years, policy makers have been putting a ton of energy into the red-tape-cutting organization [NC-SARA,]( to facilitate this kind of interstate flexibility for students. But as Garrett noted, when mega-universities like SNHU and Western Governors University, both private nonprofit institutions, are drawing away so many students, and others, like [the University of Massachusetts,]( are looking to grab their own share of the pie, that should be “a wake-up call to states” to start thinking strategically about using online education to further their needs and goals. Yes, I recognize that in several states, WGU is formally part of a state strategy. Maybe it’s because I started out at The Chronicle covering state policy, but Garrett’s argument really hit home for me. Not that this is easy. Earlier this decade the University of South Carolina system announced a [big push in online education with its Palmetto College.]( Yet I noticed on Garrett’s map that South Carolina is still a big exporter of online students. At the summit, Garrett highlighted Connecticut as one state where policy makers had turned their focus to an online-education strategy. Proposals like common course-numbering and new programs in fields now in demand among employers are among the options under consideration. Still in most states, as Garrett said, policy makers are acting “as if it’s 1990” when looking at online education as a policy tool. That’s a lost opportunity. Right now, the only enrollment momentum in higher education is occurring online; it’s growing while [overall enrollment is falling.]( And state leaders who ignore this trend will forgo a moment to have an impact. Quote of the week. “At a time when student debt stands at more than $1.5 trillion, it is deeply disturbing to see a department official boosting novel forms of student debt instead of trying to stem the tide of indebtedness — and even more disturbing to hear the official propose using federal taxpayer dollars to do so.” From [a letter]( sent by Sen. Elizabeth A. Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Rep. Katie Porter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, questioning a possible federal experiment on a fledgling form of paying for college known as [income-share agreements.]( They also wrote to seven colleges that now offer ISAs, seeking detailed information about the workings of the programs. A new metaphor emerges. Higher-ed folks do love their metaphors: How often have you heard speakers at a conference talk about making the college experience more customer-friendly, in the vein of Disney, or [Nordstrom]( or even [Wegmans]( And for online interactions, Amazon is almost always the go-to example. For my recent story on [the rise of the microcampus]( in our special issue on [Campus Spaces,]( however, I was struck by the number of times I heard reference to the new bricks-and-mortar Amazon Books stores as the metaphor of choice. Like the physical Amazon stores, microcampuses are designed as relatively small physical spaces with tangible versions of the digital experience (in the case of colleges, features like career counseling and advising, which augment online learning). And like the Amazon Books stores, microcampuses represent an interesting twist: a recognition that a physical presence can fill out an experience that isn’t always easily captured by digital interaction. Microcampuses are just one of many ways colleges are using their buildings and grounds to advance their missions. To keep up on those trends, subscribe to the free, monthly [Campus Spaces]( newsletter. My reunion reflections resonated. Several of you wrote to me about my [newsletter last week,]( on my college class’s 40th reunion. A surprising number of you have some tie to Colgate University, my alma mater, but I was struck — and touched — that my thoughts had struck a chord. One “sorta retired” professor at Ball State University, Joseph Misiewicz, wrote that as he read about my weekend experiences, “my head was walking back through my education and teaching career,” which began in 1971. Others offered some poignant thoughts about the value of reunions themselves, including this from David Maxwell, the former president of Drake University and now chair of the Board of Trustees at his alma mater, Grinnell College. He wrote: “When I was president of Whitman College, Maddy (my wife) and I hung out at a Friday-night reunion barbecue with a wonderful alumna from Hawaii. A week later, I got a very nice note from her, in which she said something to the effect of, ‘It was a real treat to find out what wonderful people I went to college with! When I was 18-22 years old, I was too busy trying to figure out who the hell I was to pay much attention to everyone else!’” And speaking of feedback … Let me thank you for yours. This issue of The Edge marks one year since we converted this newsletter from a listing of links to stories into one written and reported each week by me (with occasional pinch-hitting by my colleague Scott Carlson). I’m grateful for the ideas and insights — and in the case of one loyal reader, even a recipe for [Easy Moroccan Chicken]( — that you have shared with me since we began this format last June. I’ve tried my best to cover a broad range of topics, people, and ideas (with a few detours to campus creameries). If you missed any past issues of the newsletter, [find them here,]( and please keep the suggestions coming. I’m grateful, too, for telling your friends and colleagues about The Edge, and inviting them to subscribe. We’re looking into ways to more formally thank you for those referrals. More on that soon. So stay tuned. Got a tip you’d like to share, or a question you’d like me to answer? Let me know, at [goldie@chronicle.com.](mailto:goldie@chronicle.com) If you have been forwarded this newsletter and would like to see past issues, or sign up to receive your own copy, you can do so[here.]( Subscribe Today Without premium access, you are missing critical reporting and analysis on the news, policies, and controversies that are shaping the academic landscape. [Subscribe Today]( Goldie’s Weekly Picks [The Business Case for Enrolling Military Veterans]( By Michael Anft In searching for ways to court later-in-life learners, many colleges are taking lessons from programs geared to veterans. (PREMIUM) [How Maine’s New Chancellor Hopes to Fix the System’s Demographic Crisis]( By Steven Johnson Dannel P. Malloy drew controversy for his changes in state higher education as the former Democratic governor of Connecticut. In an interview, he discusses what he’s learned, and his plans as new chancellor of the Maine system. (PREMIUM) [China Is Warning Its Students About Going to College in America. Here’s Why That Matters.]( By Lindsay Ellis If geopolitical tensions bring enrollment declines, then American colleges’ finances as well as the country’s research prowess could take a hit. (PREMIUM) Paid for and Created by Pepperdine University [Human Attachment Theory]( Evelyn Booth and Jonathan Silk Research shows that when leaders are authentic and transparent in their communication, safe and reliable connections become established. Latest Jobs Visit [ChronicleVitae.com]( to view the latest jobs in higher education. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Sign up]( for other newsletters, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2019 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037 [The Chronicle of Higher Education](