Details
- Scott Jaschik
- Inside Higher Ed
- February 7, 2022
Quotes
- “A survey of more than 1,000 nontraditional students by Anthology found that 44 percent were attending a college closer to home than would have been the case before the pandemic.”
- “The survey looked at students who were older than 22. Only 54 percent of those surveyed were white. Most of the students transferred to the institution they were attending.”
π thoughts
Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s (and even today), many people put forth the “Death of Distance” hypothesis (e.g., see this book). Well, COVID has clarified the limitations of this hypothesis. Specifically, for at least a significant chunk of college attendees, the value of being physically close to home outweighs any benefits that might accrue from attending a different institution that is farther away. Certainly, there’s a need to actually be in the same physical location as one’s family. This is probably foremost in the minds of many when the family is challenged financially or medically. Even beyond the effects of COVID, career services almost always focuses on those landing spots that are located nearest the campus (or, at least, major cities nearest the campus).
I hope it’s clear to all that location is important for digital learning. Each institution needs to be thoughtful about the target market that it is going to pursue and invest in.
