A report exploring the impact of the pandemic on the future of online learning suggests many campus leaders want to offer increased flexibility in teaching modality to students. How they will achieve this goal remains to be seen.
Chief online officers are already planning how to take advantage of the online learning expertise their institutions gained during the pandemic, according to a new report on the future of online learning post-pandemic.
The sixth Changing Landscape of Online Education (CHLOE) report, published today by Eduventures Research and Quality Matters, offers insight into how college and university administrators responded to the pandemic and what online learning leaders consider to be strategic priorities for online learning over the next three to five years.
Contrary to the fears of some online learning advocates, the hurried shift to remote instruction in 2020 appears to have boosted support for online learning, said Roy Legon, executive director emeritus at Quality Matters and senior editor of the report.
“In the early days of the pandemic, there was considerable concern that poorly done online courses might hurt the reputation of online learning,” said Legon. That opinion has now shifted, and online learning has “grown in stature and acceptability,” he said.