The big news in higher ed this week is out: Faculty are ready to start teaching more classes online, they just need better support from their institutions.

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities- Sloan National Commission on Online Learning polled over 10,000 educators and interviewed 213 faculty, administrators and students in a report released today that shows over one-third of the nation’s faculty have taught an online course, while over one-half have recommended an online course to students. Faculty cite student needs for flexibility as a major factor in moving toward online classes, in addition to an increasing recognition that online learning can often be a better way to reach certain kinds of students. 

The report has already gained a lot of attention, primarily because there has often been the  perception that while online course enrollment is growing at an exponential rate (12.9 percent between fall 2006-2007), teaching online courses is not as highly regarded and is largely ignored in tenure decisions, and results in no increased recognition or pay despite proven statistics showing that teaching online courses is actually more time-consuming and requires more support than in-class teaching. This report shows that despite these hurdles, many faculty continue to push forward in offering these courses to students, and are looking toward university administrators to provide the support needed to grow online programs and integrate those programs with the fabric of each schools’ curriculum and mission. 

The report offers a series of observations directed at administrators, which I think really hit the nail on the head when thinking about how technology and online resources can be brought into mainstream classroom experiences. The list is as follows:

• Online learning programs have the capacity to change campus culture and become fully integrated if presidents, chancellors, chief academic officers, and other senior campus leaders are fully engaged in the delivery of “messages” that tie online education to fundamental institutional missions and priorities.
• Online learning programs may work most effectively as a core component of institutional strategic planning and implementation.
• Online learning initiatives benefit from ongoing institutional assessment and review due to their evolving and dynamic nature.
• Online learning activities are strengthened by the centralization of some organizational structures and administrative functions that support and sustain the programs.
• Online learning programs overseen by academic affairs units may be more readily accepted and may be more easily integrated into the fabric of the institution.
• Online learning programs need reliable financing mechanisms for sustainability and growth.  
• Online learning programs succeed with consistent and adequate academic, administrative, and technological resources for faculty and students.

Many of these observations demonstrate how integral administrative support is to the success of online learning, and how important it is for universities to begin planning for the integration of online learning opportunities with current course offerings. In many cases, institutions will need to work closely with faculty to restructure teaching goals and learning goals, and change the perception of and access students have to online classes. With growth of online coursework continuing to grow at a significant pace, I imagine we’ll continue to see universities struggle with how to make this change, but this report offers a comprehensive look at how to start. 

What are your thoughts on this movement? Do you think increased institutional support will foster an even greater increase in online learning opportunities?