MC eLearning Blog

ICCB Releases Online Instruction Report

The Illinois Community College Board recently released a number of reports based on data that’s been collected in community colleges in Illinois.

Specifically, the Online Instruction in the Illinois Community College System Report has some fascinating and telling data about online teaching and learning within in this part of the academic population.  Some highlights from the report include:

• Online credit enrollment at Illinois community colleges in fiscal year 2008 was 65,703, or 9.6 percent of the total enrollment (N = 682,607).
• On average, students who accumulated online credits were 28.3 years of age while the median age was 24.3.
• Traditional aged students – 24 or younger — accounted for over one-half (52.9 percent) of all online enrollments.
• Overall, minority students were less likely to pursue online courses than white students. One in five individuals enrolled in online coursework was a minority student (21.1 percent; N = 13,762).
• Almost nine out of ten (86.8 percent) students enrolled in online courses during fiscal year 2008 were residents of the community college district where they were studying.
• In fiscal year 2008 Illinois community college students earned 71.6 percent of the onlinecredit hours they attempted (N = 324,288/452,765).
• Nearly two-thirds (64.8 percent; N = 6,916) of all online courses were taught by full-time faculty during fiscal year 2008.  Another 3,761 part-time faculty taught online courses.
• The latest results (fiscal year 2007) show that full-time students who enrolled in online courses had an adjusted retention rate of 72.4 percent compared to 59.3 percent for non-online students.

Because of its benefits and despite the challenges this method of course delivery brings, online instruction is expected to grow within IL community colleges.