Making Digital Learning Work
How can digital technologies in postsecondary education improve student access to education, student outcomes, and the return on investment for students and institutions? A new study, conducted by the Arizona State University Foundation and BCG, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, provides answers to these question by revealing the successful digital strategies of six leading universities and community colleges.
True Believers
Students who take the majority of all their classes online and are the most satisfied with online education.
Experience Seekers
Students who uniquely emphasize the experiential, social, and emotional benefits of education and don’t care about the form of education so long as they earn a degree.
Open Minds
Students who will become True Believers if the experience of online learning meets their high standards and offers benefits beyond that of traditional classrooms.
Money Mavens
Students who are primarily motivated by the financial outcomes of an online education, which they view as more of a transaction than an experience.
Online Rejecters
Students who have tried online courses, but have decided against taking more in the future because they see problems with the quality, outcomes, and reputations of online programs.
67% of secondary and postsecondary students have experienced some form of online education.
Improving Education in the Middle East
Improving education is a long journey enhancing the quality of a nation’s teachers, its resources, teaching methodologies, as well as the overall learning environment, cautions BCG’s Leila Hoteit. The partner and managing director explains that countries seeking quick advances must target support from industry and focus on educating for jobs—and must quickly establish best practices that deliver high return on investment.
