Zogby Poll Finds Distance Education a Sign of Transcendent Change

Posted on August 12, 2008 by David Gray

UMassOnline's David Gray Courtesy of yesterday’s Chronicle of Higher Education news blog comes this report of a new book by well-known pollster John Zogby. I can’t wait to share many of Mr. Zogby’s most relevant findings with you. While Mr. Zogby’s new book identifies attitudinal trends among Americans in reference to a broad spectrum of transformational cultural developments, he’s devoted a chapter to distance learning and a worldwise generation of 18-to-29-year-olds that Mr. Zogby calls “First Globals.”

Quite accurately, in my opinion, he describes First Globals as “the most outward-looking and accepting generation in American history.” Also attributed to Mr. Zogby is his opinion, based on recent findings, that this new generation is more socially tolerant and internationally aware than any that has come before. I agree wholeheartedly with that as well.

His bottom line analysis of the future of online learning is reported this way:

…it won’t be long before American society takes to distance education as warmly as it has embraced game-changing innovations like microbrewed beers, Flexcars, and “the simple miracle of Netflix.”

Most encouraging to me, and of the greatest importance to current and prospective students of UMassOnline, is that Mr. Zogby’s polling shows that highly-regarded and well-respected universities will drive the continued acceptance of distance learning in higher education. From long experience in online education, and thanks to our representation of University of Massachusetts’ world class courses, degrees and certificate programs, many of us at UMassOnline have always believed that and have been experiencing that benefit since our inception. It’s one of the principal reasons why we continue to grow at rates that far outstrip the national averages among online providers in higher education.

Yet, Mr. Zogby told The Chronicle that in his view many of the establishment universities aren’t getting it. What he said, exactly, was, “There’s a sense that those who define the standard haven’t caught on yet…” I think that’s true in some cases and not others, with the University of Massachusetts being one very visible and very successful exception. But I’d like to know more… I’m thinking of inviting Mr. Zogby to speak here at UMassOnline’s headquarters in Shrewsbury where we can also broadcast his remarks via streaming video. Were he to accept, would you attend or log on to a presentation by Mr. Zogby about his book and his online trend findings?