Understanding student preferences in online education

Higher education is at a crossroads. Universities face a combination of increased costs, increased competition, changing enrollments, and the introduction of new disruptive technologies with the potential to threaten their core product offerings. In response to these challenges, universities across the country are moving rapidly toward offering more online courses and programs. But in doing so, they are faced with questions with no clear answers: How should university courses (online and face-to-face courses) be designed? What do prospective and current students value about university level courses today and in the future? Are there factors that if included in the design of courses will increase student selection and retention in these courses? This paper presents results from a survey of over 390 respondents that addresses student characteristics and student preferences for different educational delivery options. The purpose of this study was to gain deeper insight by identifying factors that students value in university level courses so as to inform course and curriculum design choices. In the competitive environments faced by universities today, this research can be highly valuable to universities interested in improving their courses leading to increased enrollments.