While online education benefits students who would otherwise have to pass on higher education due to high costs, African-American and female students remain heavily overrepresented in online education.
“It serves people that are trying to balance their lives,” said Marty Kotis, member of the UNC-system Board of Governors and chairperson of the Online Education Working Committee. “They’re trying to balance work and family and going to school. It also serves people that are in rural areas as well.”
Online education allows students to avoid housing, travel and time costs associated with a traditional university experience, he said.
“In online ed, you don’t have all those extra fees sitting in,” Kotis said. “So if you look at it that way, it’s about half the cost — not to mention the opportunity cost.”
Kotis mentioned a female student at the historically black Winston-Salem State University, who used online classes to earn her degree because her job precluded her from traditional classes.
“I think the flexibility is critical — the asynchronous nature of the education — so they can choose when they’re learning is key,” he said.
But online education is not without its limitations, as some say students do not have the same level of interaction with professors or their peers.
“You can set up online forums or opportunities for chatting online, but it’s not the same as having a Socratic discussion in a classroom together,” said Jenna A. Robinson, president of the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy.
