Online Education Turns Out to be More Expensive for Students and Universities

vaTechonline” by U.S. Department of Agriculture licensed under CC BY 2.0

Source: Inside Higher Ed

A new survey found that accessing higher education online ultimately costs more than in-person / in-class courses, for both students and institutions.

The survey conducted by WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET) found that students end up paying more in fees for technology, online tutoring and access to course materials.

Respondents to the survey, including school administrators and those in charge of online education, reported that a large number of components contribute to the higher costs of online education versus in-class courses. Institutions end up paying more too, for technology, engineers, offering online support, staff, web development, and expensive software, among other costs.

The report notes that if institutions and education leaders aim to make higher education “more accessible” to diverse groups of people, which has been the driving motivation for institutions investing in online courses, then those institutions needs to reevaluate how to make those course more affordable for users.

Read full story at: Inside Higher Ed

Education, News
Education, News