By California Black Media

Despite the rising demand and rapid adaptation to online education, a recent report raises troubling concerns about how the state’s higher education system is negatively impacting the mode of learning in California.

“California Competes: Higher Education for a Strong Economy” identified specific issues hindering the advancement of online learning, explored why they exist and provided guidance to public postsecondary decisionmakers on how to address them.

According to the report released by California Competes, an educational advocacy organization focused on underserved communities, the five main categories of concern are: quality, data, organizational, finance, and culture and value issues.

“Reluctance to embrace online education is rooted in a struggle for power among stakeholders in California’s public higher education system: California Community Colleges (CCC), California State University (CSU), and University of California (UC),” the report asserts.

“The resulting tensions are exacerbated by questions about online education’s quality, a dearth of robust data, siloed institutional administrative controls, a lack of understanding of funding models, and a culture that values tradition over change.”

California Competes says the study serves as a roadmap outlining steps to “strategically leverage online learning” based on the following facts:

• 3.9 million Californians who intend to enroll in college are interested in exclusively online courses.
• Access to online courses is the top motivator for enrollment in California’s community colleges.

The University of California and the California State University have goals to at least double online education enrollment.

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