The seventh annual Sloan Survey of Online Learning, Learning on Demand: Online Education in the United States, 2009 shows that online enrollment rose by nearly 17 percent within a year. With more than one in four higher education students—4.6 million--now taking at least one course online, 73 percent of institutions report that the economic downturn has increased demand for online courses and programs [1].   

At the same time, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities-Sloan National Commission on Online Learning provides reports on the strategic benefits of online education and perceived barriers to adopting it [2],[3].

Leveraging Resources for Anywhere Anytime Education, JALN Volume 14 Issue 1 - March 2010

In light of increasing demand and decreasing funding, a special issue of JALN (14:1) invites policy makers and practitioners to review Sloan-C publications that explain how to leverage resources via online and blended education. A study published in early 2008 now seems prescient; it is a coherent examination of fiscal challenges and the answering cost-efficiencies of online education. If Higher Education is a Right, and Distance Education is the Answer, Then Who Will Pay? [4] contrasts policy loggerheads on one hand and the cost effectiveness of online learning on the other. Scaling Online Education: Increasing Access to Higher Education [5] explains what institutions must do to achieve capacity enrollment, and An Administrator’s Guide to the Whys and Hows of Blended Learning [6] details how leading institutions optimize resources. Methods for scaling quality education are detailed in Characteristics of Successful Local Blended Programs in the Context of the Sloan-C Pillars [7] and in Model-Driven Design: Systematically Building Integrated Blending Learning Experiences [8].

More than one-third of public university faculty have taught an online course.2 The paradox of recognizing the affordances of online education and being reluctant to engage in it unfold in Using Focus Groups to Study ALN Faculty Motivation [9] in which faculty identify motivators and demotivators related to online teaching. If faculty doubt that students will be successful online, An Exploration of the Relationship Between Indicators of the Community of Inquiry Framework and Retention in Online Programs [10] summarizes practices that yield high success and completion rates. And when faculty want to incorporate teaching online as a regular part of teaching in the 21st century, (My) Three Principles of Effective Online Pedagogy [11] is a classic inside view of good pedagogy combined with time-saving tips.

[1] Allen, E. and Seaman, J. “Learning on Demand: Online Education in the United States, 2009.” January 2010. http://sloanconsortium.org/publications/survey/pdf/learningondemand.pdf.

[2] Association of Public and Land-grant Universities-Sloan National Commission on Online Learning. Online Learning as a Strategic Asset, Volume I: A Resource for Campus Leaders. August 2009. http://sloanconsortium.org/sites/default/files/pages/APLU_online_strategic_asset_vol1-1.pdf.

[3] Association of Public and Land-grant Universities-Sloan National Commission on Online Learning. Online Learning as a Strategic Asset, Volume II: The Paradox of Faculty Voices: Views and Experiences with Online Learning. August 2009. http://sloanconsortium.org/sites/default/files/pages/APLU_online_strategic_asset_vol2-1.pdf.

[4] Meyer, K.A. If Higher Education is a Right, and Distance Education is the Answer, Then Who Will Pay?, Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks 14:1, March 2010 reprinted from 12:1, February 2008.

[5] Moloney, J. and Oakley, B. Scaling Online Education: Increasing Access to Higher Education, Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks 14:1, March 2010 reprinted from10:3, July 2006.

[6] Niemiec, M. and Otte, G. An Administrator’s Guide to the Whys and Hows of Blended Learning, Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks 14:1, March 2010 reprinted from 13:1, April 2009.

[7] Moloney, J., Hickey, C.P., Bergin, A.L., Boccia, J., Polley, K., Riley, J.E. Characteristics of Successful Local Blended Programs in the Context of the Sloan-C Pillars,. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks 14:1, March 2010 reprinted from 11:1, April 2007.

[8] Laster, S. Model-Driven Design: Systematically Building Integrated Blending Learning Experiences,   Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks 14:1, March 2010 reprinted from Elements of Quality Online Education: Into the Mainstream, Volume 5 in the Sloan-C series (2003).

[9] Hiltz, S.R, Shea, P., and Kim, E. Using Focus Groups to Study ALN Faculty Motivation,. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks 14:1, March 2010 reprinted from 11:1, April 2007.

[10] Boston, W., Diaz, S.R., Ice, P., Richardson, J., and Swan, K. An Exploration of the Relationship Between Indicators of the Community of Inquiry Framework and Retention in Online Programs, Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks 14:1, March 2010 reprinted from 13:4, December 2009.

[11] Pelz, B. (My) Three Principles of Effective Online Pedagogy, Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks 14:1, March 2010 reprinted from 8:3, June 2004.