UMassOnline by the Numbers

Posted on January 11, 2008 by David Gray

Some in online higher education hold to the belief that quantities matter significantly less than qualities. The number of students being educated, for example, is less important than the quality of the education. While I can see their point and can agree that it is better to offer a great program to fewer students than a baseline education to throngs of students, I still subscribe to the view that quantifiable numbers are an important long-term indicator of quality. I believe that, over time, a quality program will be the beneficiary of more and more students seeking the best in higher education. And, it seems to me the real objective is to combine the two: the best educational program for the most people.

UMassOnline is a case in point. We look at, and are constantly guided by, our numbers and they are on the increase. UMassOnline is a contemporary manifestation of a public, land grant university fulfilling its mission. Excerpting from the University of Massachusetts’ mission statement, it is “to provide an affordable and accessible education of high quality…and improve the lives of the people of the Commonwealth, the nation, and the world.” In today’s terms, that implies using the best tools and technologies available to us to increase access to an affordable education that can bolster the professional aspirations and improve the lives of our students. Though some have suggested that a growing online enrollment doesn’t necessarily reflect a strong quality offering, what better explanation do we have as to why the growth of our online student population continues to outdistance the national average?

What are our numbers and what do they imply?

UMassOnline’s enrollment growth is actually surpassing the national rates by about 20% percent. In fiscal year 2007 (July 2006 to June 2007) our program revenue grew by 32.1 percent and enrollment increased by 25 percent. That’s the largest growth rate recorded in more than three years. Course enrollments reached 26,627, up from 21,202 recorded in the previous fiscal year, and 17,661 in fiscal year 2005.

These positive numbers in my opinion reflect a couple of very important UMassOnline differentiators. For example, realizing that today’s online students are the most technically advanced relative to any previous era, our online course offerings are built to maximize and leverage the new online technologies that accelerate and enrich the learning process. In my view, we do this as well as, if not better than, any institution of higher education. Secondly, the course material is developed by the same world class faculty members that lead our on-campus scholarship. And, realizing that the current generation of online learners are the most demanding of any previous era and as such are seen as the highest performers in the classroom and in the workforce, we create online programs that are every bit as demanding of them as they are demanding of us and themselves.

In short, our numbers are also a very important qualitative indicator connected intimately to the University’s mission. For a generation of students accustomed to immediate access to content, classrooms, faculty, and networks of peers, we are helping them become the new breed of technology-assisted learners and leaders who aspire to explore and embrace today’s learning and career opportunities with an unparalleled sense of intrigue and discovery. By the numbers, mission accomplished. But, as anyone connected with public higher education will tell you, the mission is an unyielding quest that is fulfilled person by person. It never ends, and more is always better than less!