In today’s technology-fueled world, it is no secret that everyone wants to be on the go. Mobile devices have grown so popular that they account for nearly two out of every three minutes spent online. Now, they’re having a serious impact on the online education world.
According to their July report on college students who take courses online, Aslanian Market Research and the Learning House have found that a full 59% of students use a mobile device for online classwork.
The company, which helps universities develop and expand their degree programs, surveyed 1,500 undergraduate and graduate online learners. Half of these students so enjoyed the flexibility of online learning that they would not attend live lectures and classes even if the courses were made available to them.
Aslanian also found that even though only half of students were given the opportunity to take online classes, 90% of students who take live on-campus classes prefer going to the Internet to learn.
In total, Learning house estimates that 3.5 million students are currently pursuing their degrees online.
Being mobile gives students the option to be flexible, and to study wherever they’d like. Students who choose this route also tend to be younger than those who go to classes on campus.
Susan Aldrige, president of Drexel University Online, tells the U.S World & News Report that this trend doesn’t surprise her. She explains, “We have witnessed a significant increase, for our online students, in the number of students who are utilizing mobile devices to review lectures, materials, documents in advance.”
The study also found that tuition was the number one factor driving online program selection, that 68% of students spent less than four weeks choosing the program they wanted to attend, and that 63% of students start class within a month of applying.
