Online Education Trends toWatch in2017

In the past few years, more students enrolled in

online courses, more organizations offered

alternative credentials such as digital badges and

nanodegrees and more employers accepted online

degrees from job candidates.

Here are five trends experts say students might see

in online education in 2017.

1. Greater emphasis on nontraditional credentials:

Companies in recent years have started offering

credentials other than degrees to online learners,

ranging from digital badges to showcase

achievements, to various certificate programs that

highlight skills.

In 2017, many experts predict, colleges and

universities will become more involved in granting

what are often referred to as "microcredentials."

At universities, "I think there's going to be more

focus on how to best serve individuals, whether

they are new to education or whether they are

returning professionals seeking different

credentials or different learning experiences," says

Karen Pedersen, chief knowledge officer for the

Online Learning Consortium, a group that aims to

improve online higher education worldwide.

The massive open online course, or MOOC, provider

edX expects to launch more MicroMasters

programs in partnership with universities

worldwide, for example, a company spokeswoman

says. Students complete a portion of a graduate

degree through MOOCs and can then apply to

finish the full curriculum on campus at a lower total

cost.

The U.S. Department of Education is also in the

process of reviewing federal financial aid

opportunities for low-income students in some

non-degree programs such as coding boot camps,

through eight partnerships between universities

and organizations.

2. Increased use of big data to measure student

performance: Because online students complete

their coursework virtually, course providers and

universities are collecting data "in really kind of

remarkable quantities," says Richard DeMillo,

executive director of Georgia Institute of

Technology's Center for 21st Century Universities,

which tracks technology innovations in higher

education.

This year, faculty will increasingly analyze real-time

data to measure, improve and predict how their

students perform, says Jill Buban, OLC's senior

director of research and innovation. That will allow

them to tailor curriculums to meet online students'

needs and provide support.

"For faculty members to be able to see whether or

not a student has logged in, whether or not a

student has participated that week, can really help

them in assessing whether a student is on track,"

Buban says.

3. Greater incorporation of artificial intelligence into

classes: In an online course at Georgia Tech last year

in artificial intelligence, the professor used a virtual

teaching assistant – named "Jill Watson" – to

communicate with students. Many of the students,

DeMillo says, didn't even realize they were chatting

with a computer.

Some experts, including DeMillo, foresee artificial

intelligence becoming more widely used to provide

student assistance and improve support.

4. Growth of nonprofit online programs: Prospective

students will have more nonprofit online program

options this year as well-known universities offer

more and different kinds of programs, experts

predict. Enrollment in for-profit programs will

probably continue to fall.

Given that trend, more students will be able to get

an online degree from a well-respected nonprofit

institution, which many employers prefer over

for-profit degrees.

Robert Hansen, chief executive officer for the

University Professional and Continuing Education

Association, which serves more than 400

institutions, says nonprofit colleges and universities

are working to catch up and meet the demand for

online programs that was once satisfied primarily

by for-profit institutions.

5. Online degrees in surprising and specialized

disciplines: Fields such as business, nursing,

cybersecurity and data analytics, among others, will

probably remain among the more popular in online

education. But Chip Paucek, CEO of 2U, a company

that partners with universities to launch online

graduate degrees, says to expect more efforts

among schools in 2017 to launch degree programs

in disciplines that might not initially seem suited

for online learning.

Currently in the works for 2U: an occupational

therapy online doctoral program with New York

University, for instance.

In collaboration with the Syracuse University

College of Law, 2U is also planning a partially online

J.D. program pending American Bar Association

approval. If that process is successful, Syracuse

would be one of just a few blended options.

As online learning continues to attract career

changers, some experts say more degrees offered

online in 2017 will focus on specialized areas – such

as a bachelor's in real estate or marketing rather

than business administration.

"They have to establish why their degrees are better

and how they're better," says Ray Schroeder,

associate vice chancellor for online learning at the

University of Illinois—Springfield, who also directs

UPCEA's Center for Online Leadership. "A key way

to do that is to focus on a smaller slice of the field."