The Digital Revolution and Higher Education

There's been quite a bit of debate about how technological innovation and distance learning are transforming higher education. This 29-page report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project takes a look at how adults generally view these changes, along with a specific focus on how college presidents view this ongoing transformation. This report by Kim Parker, Amanda Lenhart, and Kathleen Moore was published in August 2011 and its findings are based on an online and telephone survey conducted in the spring of 2011. Some findings include: 29% of the public says online courses offer an equal value compared with courses taken in a classroom; about 51% of those college presidents polled say online courses provide the same value; and about 15% also said that their current undergraduate students have taken a class online. It's a worthy report for anyone interesting in the changing climate of higher education, and persons working in policy matters in and around this area.