What Research Does (and Doesn’t Say) About Cyberschools and Online Degree Programs

• In Event: Online Learning Research and Innovation

Abstract

Perspective. Rapid innovation is taking place in the way that schools are using technology to span borders and reach new students, and many students are attracted to the flexibility in time and space that online degree programs allow. This paper looks across K12 and higher education to examine the phenomenon of online degree programs and associated “cyber” or “virtual” schools. Despite the apparent growth in online degree programs, relatively little is known about them. For example, there is no definitive source of information regarding total annual enrollments in online degree programs for K12 students (Watson et al 2012). There is little more than anecdotal evidence regarding who enrolls in online degree programs, the nature of instruction in online programs, and how students fare after they enroll.

Objectives. This paper compiles the best available information to present a balanced picture of full-time, online degree programs across the formal education spectrum. It provides a conceptual framework that highlights key features of online degree programs (including student age, purposes for enrolling, education level, and enrollment criteria). The framework is used to guide an examination of recent public controversies about online degree programs, including debates about the quality of online degree programs (Miron and Urshel, 2012) and whether federal student aid should pay for enrollment in online programs. The paper concludes with reflections on using gaps in available evidence to inform research and policy agendas.

Methods/Data Sources. This paper synthesizes extant data and available literature from academic and general sources. It also draws on a recent study conducted by the author and colleagues of the media design and instructional elements of 8 online algebra courses available through K-12 virtual schools.

Findings. More than half of degree granting, higher-education institutions in the US now offer at least one fully online degree (Allen&Seaman, 2013). In addition, recent laws and policies in several states (e.g. FL and MI) have also encouraged new entrants into the online K12 market as well (Watson, et al, 2012). There are many variants of online degree programs that correspond to differences in student populations and motivations. Programs in K12 tend to target home-schoolers or students otherwise seeking an alternative to traditional education. Online degree programs in higher education vary: some institutions use online degrees to expand geographic boundaries, others explicitly target busy professionals, and others focus on first-generation college-goers. The biggest providers of online degrees tend to be for-profit institutions (e.g. K12, University of Phoenix), which further politicizes how they are viewed and raises concerns that these schools may undermine public education. Empirical evidence regarding the outcomes of online degree programs compared to similar, place-based options is scant. No longitudinal studies of student outcomes were found for K12 students enrolled in full-time, online degree programs.

Significance. This paper will provide an objective summary of the available data on the prevalence of online degree programs and cyberschools. In addition, it will describe a research and policy agenda based on the current gaps in the literature.

Author

• Marianne Bakia, SRI International