Online enrollment at community colleges continued to rise in 2011, but at a slower pace than in years past, according to a new study by the Instructional Technology Council, an affiliate of the American Association of Community Colleges.
To be sure, the 8.2 percent growth in 2011 (compared with 9 percent in 2010 and more than 20 percent a few years ago) is significant – especially when contrasted with nearly flat enrollment in traditional classrooms.
But after years of unbridled growth, the council's chair, Fred Lokken, sees the lower numbers as a “pause” while community colleges regroup and attempt to cope with budget cuts and address shortcomings of their programs.
The study’s biggest surprise, Lokken said, is that some colleges are cutting back on student services for distance students. Institutions providing access to online counseling and orientation dropped more than 10 percentage points to 49 and 63 percent respectively, in this year’s study...
