SM 2015-16 Research Report National Online Learners Satisfaction and Priorities Report An examination of the top priorities and satisfaction levels of online learners, with separate data for four-year and two-year institutions This national report examines responses from more than 118,322 online students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate courses, recording their satisfaction and priorities in key areas such as: Factors that lead to online students enrolling in their courses Institutional perceptions Enrollment services Instruction Student services For additional satisfaction-priorities reports for traditional and nontraditional students, visit www.RuffaloNL.com/Benchmark SM Online learning has become a staple of higher education, with millions of students enrolling every year in at least one online course. It attracts a wide range of students at the undergraduate and graduate level, across all institution types and with a variety of educational goals. Many campuses have stepped up their online offerings to meet this demand. While millions of online learners enroll in these courses each year, how satisfied are they with their educational experience in their online courses? Do they feel the education they receive is valuable? Do they receive enough support from their institutions? The 2015-16 National Online Learners Satisfaction and Priorities Report examines key findings for students enrolled in online courses, including: Trends in online student satisfaction and whether those students would re-enroll in their current programs. Which factors contributed to the online learner’s decision to enroll. Aspects of the student experience that matter to online learners, grouped into scales (or clusters of items). A closer look at the items within those clusters, with identification of strengths and challenges from the student perspective. These results come from the Priorities Survey for Online LearnersTM (PSOL), an assessment instrument taken by students enrolled in online courses. The report compiles results from 118,322 students from 132 institutions between fall 2012 and spring 2015. The four-year institution segment reflects 107,293 students from 93 institutions, while the community college segment includes 11,029 students from 39 institutions during the same time frame. A few notes about reviewing this report On the PSOL, students respond to statements of expectation with an importance rating and a satisfaction rating. These ratings are on a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 being high. The student responses are averaged to produce an importance score and a satisfaction score for each item. A performance gap is calculated by subtracting the satisfaction score from the importance score. Larger performance gaps indicate areas where the institution is not meeting student expectations. Smaller performance gaps indicate areas where the institution is doing a relatively good job of meeting the expectations of online learners. This two-tiered assessment also highlights strengths and challenges. STRENGTHS CHALLENGES High importance High importance High satisfaction Low satisfaction or high performance gap Priority areas where the institution should direct Items to celebrate as benefits for enrolling at the institution its focus for improvements When looking at national results from online learners, strengths are highlighted in green text while challenges are reflected by red text. The percentages reflect the students who indicated that the item was important or very important to them (answer 6 or 7 on the 7-point range) and the percentage that said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the item (again, answers 6 or 7). © 2016 Ruffalo Noel Levitz | National Online Learners Satisfaction and Priorities Report 2 SM Trend review of satisfaction and re-enrollment scores Figure 1: Four-year institution satisfaction and re-enrollment (number of students surveyed is in parentheses) Satisfaction Re-enrollment 77% 75% 75% 74% 74% 73% 73% 73% 73% 73% 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 (36,427) (42,443) (35,305) (40,738) (33,333) Figure 2: Community college satisfaction and re-enrollment (number of students surveyed is in parentheses) Satisfaction Re-enrollment 75% 74% 74% 72% 72% 70% 69% 68% 67% 65% 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 (2,108) (1,875) (2,596) (4,087) (4,346) Comparing the trends at four-year institutions and community colleges, it can be noted that the satisfaction and re-enrollment percentages at four-year institutions have held relatively steady, with an increase in the past academic year. At community colleges, the satisfaction levels took a dip last year with a rebound this year, while re-enrollment percentages have held steady. A general observation is that online learners at four-year institutions reflect higher satisfaction with their experience than students at community colleges. There are two contributing factors in these higher satisfaction scores. The first factor is the higher percentage of students at four-year institutions indicating that they are enrolled primarily online; these students tend to have higher satisfaction levels than students enrolled primarily on a campus. The second factor is the higher percentage of graduate students enrolled at four-year institutions. This is also a demographic group that typically has higher satisfaction scores. However, it is interesting to note that the re-enrollment levels are comparable for students at both four-year institutions and community colleges. © 2016 Ruffalo Noel Levitz | National Online Learners Satisfaction and Priorities Report 3 SM Factors in the decision to enroll Why do online learners decide to enroll at an institution? Here are the factors in the decision to enroll, in descending order of importance for students at each type of institution: Table 1: Enrollment factors at four-year institutions ITEM IMPORTANCE % Convenience 96% Flexible pacing for completing a program 93% Work schedule 92% Program requirements 89% Reputation of institution 86% Financial assistance available 85% Cost 83% Ability to transfer credits 82% Future employment opportunities 81% Distance from campus 60% Recommendations from employer 58% Table 2: Enrollment factors at community colleges ITEM IMPORTANCE % Convenience 93% Flexible pacing for completing a program 88% Cost 88% Work schedule 87% Ability to transfer credits 85% Program requirements 84% Financial assistance available 82% Future employment opportunities 79% Distance from campus 76% Reputation of institution 75% Recommendations from employer 57% Convenience is the driving factor in the decision to enroll for online learners at both four-year institutions and community colleges. A key difference in the factors at four-year institutions as compared to community colleges is the level of importance of the reputation of the institution at 86 percent vs. 75 percent. © 2016 Ruffalo Noel Levitz | National Online Learners Satisfaction and Priorities Report 4 SM Satisfaction and importance for key areas of the online learner experience The following tables reflect the individual items on the survey, clustered by topic for four-year institutions and community colleges. Items in green are strengths and items in red are challenges. Table 3: Institutional perceptions FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTIONS COMMUNITY COLLEGES Item Importance Satisfaction Gap Importance Satisfaction Gap Tuition paid is a worthwhile investment. 93% 69% 24% 91% 72% 19% This institution has a good reputation. 88% 76% 12% 79% 73% 6% As reflected in this chart, the item “Tuition paid is a worthwhile investment” is perceived as a challenge for online learners at four-year institutions and a strength for online students at community colleges. This perception is also true for students enrolled on physical campuses, where community college students are more positive about the value of tuition, but many students at four-year institutions are not as satisfied. This finding shows that online programs for four-year institutions and community colleges need to convey the value of their tuition. For four-year institutions, showing the worthiness of a degree (through job placement, graduate school, alumni testimonials, or other outcomes) may help change the perception of the value of tuition. For community college, affordability can be a key point for engagement and recruitment. Table 4: Enrollment services FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTIONS COMMUNITY COLLEGES Item Importance Satisfaction Gap Importance Satisfaction Gap Registration for online courses 93% 87% 6% 91% 82% 9% is convenient. Billing and payment procedures 91% 82% 9% 89% 77% 12% are convenient for me. Adequate financial aid is available. 88% 71% 17% 87% 70% 17% I receive timely information on 87% 72% 15% 85% 63% 22% the availability of financial aid. The perceptions of enrollment services for online learners are similar at four-year and two-year institutions. Convenient registration and billing procedures are identified as strengths at both types of institutions. The one item of note here is the lower satisfaction levels for the timely information on financial aid at community colleges. While not a challenge, it may be an area for additional improvement. Green=strength, red=challenge © 2016 Ruffalo Noel Levitz | National Online Learners Satisfaction and Priorities Report 5 SM Table 5: Academic services FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTIONS COMMUNITY COLLEGES Item Importance Satisfaction Gap Importance Satisfaction Gap Program requirements are 94% 75% 19% 91% 71% 20% clear and reasonable. There are sufficient offerings 92% 75% 17% 90% 66% 24% within my program of study. Adequate online library resources 90% 79% 11% 81% 70% 11% are provided. My program advisor is accessible 88% 79% 9% 83% 69% 14% by telephone and email. My program advisor helps me 83% 65% 18% 81% 60% 21% work toward career goals. Tutoring services are readily 76% 66% 10% 76% 56% 20% available for online courses. Appropriate technical assistance 89% 78% 11% 85% 71% 14% is readily available. The perceived strengths and challenges in the area of academic services are different between online learners enrolled at four-year and two-year institutions. Online library services are identified as a strength at four-year institutions, but not at community colleges. A unique challenge at four-year schools is program requirements, while a unique challenge at community colleges is the sufficient program offerings. It may be that online learners at community colleges are enrolled online because they are not able to get access to those same classes on campus. Green=strength, red=challenge © 2016 Ruffalo Noel Levitz | National Online Learners Satisfaction and Priorities Report 6 SM Table 6: Instructional services FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTIONS COMMUNITY COLLEGES Item Importance Satisfaction Gap Importance Satisfaction Gap Student assignments are clearly 95% 75% 20% 93% 75% 18% defined in the syllabus. The quality of online instruction 95% 73% 22% 92% 66% 26% is excellent. Faculty are responsive to student needs. 95% 75% 20% 92% 70% 22% Instructional materials are appropriate 94% 76% 18% 91% 73% 18% for program content. Faculty provide timely feedback 93% 71% 22% 90% 67% 23% about student progress. Assessment and evaluation procedures 91% 77% 14% 87% 72% 15% are clear and reasonable. The frequency of student and 86% 72% 14% 83% 69% 14% instructor interactions is adequate. Student-to-student collaborations 53% 59% -6% 44% 52% -8% are valuable to me. Three items are consistently noted as challenges for online learners at both four-year and two-year institutions: quality of instruction, faculty are responsive to student needs, and faculty provide timely feedback. These items have been cited as national challenges for the last several years. Four-year institutions do not have any strengths identified within the instructional services category, while students at community colleges have three items of strength: student assignments clearly defined, appropriate instructional materials, and evaluation procedures. This is an important distinction—identified for the first time by examining the results separately for four-year and two-year segments. Keep in mind, this area is of particular importance because 86 percent of students in four-year programs cited the reputation of the program as an enrollment factor. If the quality of online instruction, assignments, and faculty availability are issues, those could undermine the perception of the program and impede student completion. Green=strength, red=challenge © 2016 Ruffalo Noel Levitz | National Online Learners Satisfaction and Priorities Report 7 SM Table 7: Student services FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTIONS COMMUNITY COLLEGES Item Importance Satisfaction Gap Importance Satisfaction Gap This institution responds quickly 93% 77% 16% 89% 67% 22% when I request information. I am aware of whom to contact for 90% 76% 14% 85% 64% 21% questions about programs and services. The bookstore provides timely 85% 78% 7% 85% 71% 14% service to students. Channels are available for providing 83% 64% 19% 77% 57% 20% timely responses to student complaints. Online career services are available. 77% 67% 10% 75% 61% 14% This cluster reflects two items of challenge for online learners at community colleges: the institution responding quickly to information requests and being aware of whom to contact with questions. These are not perceived as challenges for students in four-year online programs. Community colleges have opportunities for improving communication with their online learning students. Green=strength, red=challenge © 2016 Ruffalo Noel Levitz | National Online Learners Satisfaction and Priorities Report 8 SM Conclusion: Questions that satisfaction assessment can help you answer with your students Satisfaction assessment provides valuable data about the student experience as well as priorities for planning. The results in this report provide valuable benchmarks, but what else can you uncover through satisfaction assessment? Here are several questions you can answer with your own survey administration. Do your online learners feel their tuition is a good value? As Table 3 shows, nearly all online learners place importance on the tuition they pay being a good value. This tuition value is vital, because students need to feel that their investment in an online course or program is worth it. Assessing their satisfaction and using it to guide improvements can not only strengthen the student experience, but also show the concern the institution has for students. How can you guide more online learners toward completing their educational goals? The importance of institutional assessment with online learners and how they perceive the online student experience is key to retaining them. Satisfaction assessment gives online programs a way to pinpoint those challenges that could lead to dissatisfaction and discontinuation of the program. Where should you focus your priorities for improving your online programs? This is where the value of dual satisfaction-priorities assessment is very worthwhile. Satisfaction assessment alone does not identify priorities for improvement and planning. By looking at what students value, your institution can pinpoint top priorities and address major issues that could impact student satisfaction and completion of the program. What strengths should you emphasize to prospective online learners? Unlike in-person education, online programs can draw students from a much larger pool of potential students, increasing competition among programs. Satisfaction assessment can provide valuable data for prospective students and differentiate the strengths of an institution. Surveys also convey a sense of concern for the student, showing the institution cares enough about quality to routinely gather feedback from its students. © 2016 Ruffalo Noel Levitz | National Online Learners Satisfaction and Priorities Report 9 SM Demographic overview Key demographic characteristics at four-year institutions: Key demographic characteristics at community colleges: GENDER GENDER Female Male Female Male 69% 31% 75% 25% AGE AGE <24 25-34 35-44 45+ <24 25-34 35-44 45+ 10% 29% 29% 32% 33% 29% 20% 18% ETHNICITY ETHNICITY Caucasian/White African American Hispanic Caucasian/White African American Hispanic 60% 22% 6% 69% 11% 7% ENROLLMENT STATUS ENROLLMENT STATUS Primarily online Primarily on campus Primarily online Primarily on campus 96% 4% 70% 30% CLASS LEVEL CLASS LEVEL Graduate/ First year Second year Third year Fourth year First year Second year Third year Fourth year Professional 19% 15% 16% 15% 32% 29% 38% 15% 5% EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENT Not employed Full-time Part-time Not employed Full-time Part-time 21% 67% 12% 26% 49% 25% CURRENT ONLINE ENROLLMENT CURRENT ONLINE ENROLLMENT 1-3 credits 4-6 credits 7-15 credits >15 credits 1-3 credits 4-6 credits 7-15 credits >15 credits 25% 31% 26% 18% 31% 28% 37% 4% The gender mix is similar between students enrolled at four-year institutions and those enrolled at community colleges. Online students at community colleges are younger, with more students 24 and under (33 percent vs. 10 percent). More African American students are represented at four-year institutions (22 percent vs. 11 percent). Students at community colleges are more likely to indicate that they are enrolled primarily on campus while also taking online classes (30 percent vs. 4 percent). Four-year online learners are more likely to be graduate students (32 percent), while community college online students are most likely first- or second-year students (67 percent). Both populations reflect high percentages of students employed full-time, but the percentages are higher for students at four-year schools (67 percent vs. 49 percent). © 2016 Ruffalo Noel Levitz | National Online Learners Satisfaction and Priorities Report 10