Several months ago Inova Solutions presented a white paper on how the increase in online education enrollment is impacting contact centers at online schools. Devoid of surprise, this number continues to grow. According to an August 2011 report from the Pew Research Center, 89% of four-year public colleges and universities offer online classes.
Due to this drastic increase in remote education, the U.S. Department of Education implemented some federal regulations impacting e-learning.
Gainful employment rule
The new regulations assure that every college is authorized in every state in which they operate. In an article at schools.com, Dr. Deb Gearhart, director of Alabama-based Troy University’s e-Campus says, “If an online program has students in all 50 states, they must have the state approval to service students online in that state.” The Department of Education noted that this is being done to protect students and taxpayers from fraud and abuse. Considering an overwhelming 80% of all funding for online institutions comes from federal aid, the gainful employment rule, which requires graduates to be able to obtain a job or career, is especially important. This is vital in allowing students to pay off their school debt and ensures that they get a quality education.
Bearing on students and online institutions
Since each school is now required to have state-by-state approval for their programs, fears linger that many schools won’t be able to afford their programs in states with high approval costs. This could drastically increase the cost to the student. Many educators believe that eventually students will get tired of the outrageous tuition prices at nonprofit colleges and look to less traditional forms of secondary education.
While the gainful employment rule paired with the tough economic times might cause educators and pupils to think twice, the U.S. Department of Education doesn’t predict the federal regulations will drastically slow the growth of online learning.
Bringing learning to the people, instead of people to the learning is a practice that isn’t going away. The future of online education looks bright, but working to inform and advise the current and prospective public is going to be the challenge.
Next steps
Higher education contact centers need real-time visual reporting now more than ever. The growth of the industry and the complexities facing a student’s decision to attend your institution require knowledge of real-time metrics. Having the ability to know if financial aid or other specialists are able to speak with someone could play a real impact on recruiting.
About Inova Solutions
Inova Solutions is a leading provider of communication solutions that help schools and universities, transit facilities, hospitals, call centers and others communicate vital, real-time information. For more information, visit www.inovasolutions.com/call-center-reporting.