Are Colleges Prepared to Move All of Their Classes Online?

An increasing number of colleges are moving all of their classes online in an attempt to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The impact that suspending in-person classes will have on the rapidly unfolding public-health crisis is unclear. But what is clear is that the abrupt, large-scale shift to an online-only environment has all the makings of a huge experiment in online education.

Coronavirus Hits Campus

As colleges and universities have struggled to devise policies to respond to the quickly evolving situation, here are links to The Chronicle’s key coverage of how this worldwide health crisis is affecting campuses.

• Here’s Our List of Colleges’ Reopening Models
• Why This Fall’s Campus Housing Shortages Could Be Different
• Questions Linger After Another Million-Dollar Payout for a College President’s Exit

Many institutions, faculty members, and even students have little experience in online learning.

It might not seem that way at first. Learning-management systems are common on campuses, but the knowledge of how to use them varies. While colleges have been training professors to use videoconferencing and to record lectures in advance, students might have a learning curve of their own.

For all the talk of students as “digital natives,” many seem to prefer traditional teaching formats. Research from the Educause Center for Analysis and Research shows that 70 percent of students “strongly lean” toward in-person learning, either solely face-to-face (38 percent) or mostly face-to-face (32 percent). What’s more, federal data show that most students at public and private nonprofit colleges aren’t enrolled in any distance-education courses at all.

Smartphones and laptops might seem ubiquitous on campus, but a recent study found that about one in five students doesn’t have consistent access to reliable technology. Devices that don’t hold a charge, spotty internet service in off-campus apartments, and limited cellphone data all present barriers to performance in distance education.

As institutions work out what it means to deliver courses remotely, let’s take a closer look at the intersection of faculty members, students, and online learning.