This presentation is based on a national survey conducted by PulsePoint Group from May 23-27, that asked 1,500 high school graduates, college graduates, and post-graduate degree holders their opinions of and experiences with online learning. Results indicate that online efforts will grow, especially in some sectors, but won’t replace the on-campus experience.

1. 11
PULSE POINTS
The Future of University Education:
On Campus vs. Online
June, 2013

2. 22
PULSEPOINT PERSPECTIVE
• A national debate is being fueled by the rapid and
widespread adoption by students and well-known,
respected institutions of MOOCs (massive open online
courses).
• Primarily based on cost efficiencies, there is a call for
online universities to become the new model for higher
education institutions.
• For some, large enrollments seem sufficient enough
evidence to support the proposition for online
universities, however, there has been little discussion
about what would be sacrificed in the exchange of an
online for an on campus experience.
• As Presidents and Boards of higher education
institutions look to make decisions with long term
implications, important issues have yet to be debated.

3. 33
KEY QUESTIONS FOR SENIOR LEADERSHIP
1. What is the value proposition of an on
campus versus an online experience?
2. What is the size of the US market for
university sponsored online courses?
3. Who are the key target audiences for
online courses?
4. What are prospective students willing to
pay for online courses?
5. What is the University’s role in the national
debate about offering online courses?

4. 44
SURVEY METHOLODOGY
• Fielded May 23-May 27, 2013
• Online Survey: 7 minutes (median)
• Completed Sample Size: 1500
• Complete Rate: 43%

5. 55
SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS
• National distribution: 25% in four quadrants of US;
all states represented
• Education: (Distribution of degrees for college and
post-college graduates)
– High School graduates
– College graduates
– Post-graduates: Master’s, Doctorate, Post-Doctorate
• Age: 16-69 years of age
• Income: Distribution range: less than $30K-$250K+
• Children living at home: 73% (0-20+ years of age)
• Racial and ethnic diversity (White: 85%)
• Gender: Equal female/male

6. 66
SURVEY QUESTION AREAS
• Preference and benefits of attending a
college or university in person versus online
• Awareness, participation, and completion of
past online courses
• Influencers for taking online courses
• Level of interest in taking online courses and
reasons for interest and hesitation about online
courses
• Reasons for taking online courses at various
price points
• Reasons for why online courses should be
offered

7. 77
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH:
FINDINGS

8. 88
ON CAMPUS UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE PREFERRED
5=Prefer to Attend
University In Person
4
3
2
1=Prefer to Attend
Online University
44%
18%
17%
8%
13%
3 to 1 Preference for Attending a University in Person (top 2 box)
Question: If you had a choice, would you prefer to attend a university or college in person or online?
Please use a scale of 1-5, where 1=I would prefer to attend an online university, 5=I would prefer to go to and attend a university in

9. 99
MORE BENEFITS WITH AN ON CAMPUS EXPERIENCE
Benefits On Campus
%
Online
%
Difference
%
Get a better job 62 55 7
Meet new people 52 3 49
Learn more about a particular subject matter 52 50 2
Obtain a personally rewarding career 50 35 15
Be challenged 49 36 13
Learn how to think more critically and express
myself better
46 24 22
Obtain financial security 43 37 6
Learn how to be independent 42 17 24
Get a degree and elevate my status in society 40 38 2
An opportunity I will remember the rest of my life 39 8 31
Learn more about the world 38 15 22
Become a better person 34 17 17

10. 1010
MORE BENEFITS WITH THE ON CAMPUS EXPERIENCE
Benefits On Campus
%
Online
%
Difference
%
Participate with other students in
extracurricular activities
32 1 31
Become more social 32 2 30
Become a leader 29 11 18
Better contribute to the community 28 12 16
Work with faculty members 26 5 21
Live in a dorm and experience dorm life 23 .5 23
Have more fun 22 3 19
Make the world a better place 20 8 12
Be with my friends 18 1 17
Get into graduate school 17 15 2
Conduct research 17 12 5
Fits this time in my life 13 46 -33

11. 1111
HIGH AWARENESS AND PARTICIPATION
WITH ONLINE COURSES
• 98% have heard of an online course
• 44% have checked out an online course
• 42% started an online course, but did not
complete it
– High school grads and Bachelor’s grad more
likely than graduate degree to not complete
• 59% started an online course and
completed it

12. 1212
ONLINE COURSES TAKEN IN COLLEGE AND
BEYOND. PREFERENCE FOR NOT FOR PROFITS
• When online courses were taken and
completed:
– During high school: 3%
– While in college: 27%
– While in graduate school: 14%
– After formal education and not in school at the
time: 63%
• Where online courses were taken:
– Not for profit online university: 42%
– For profit online university: 36%
– Other: 25%

13. 1313
LESS FAMILIARITY WITH NEWEST PROGRAMS
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
None of the above
Other
Online high school
Khan Academy
For Profit
University associated
2U
Udacity
edX
Coursera
% Selected
University associated searched by Bachelor’s and Graduate degree vs.
For Profit by all groups
Question: Which of the following, if any, have you checked out?

14. 1414
MODERATE INTEREST IN NEXT 3 YEARS
26% Express Interest (Top 2 Box)
5=Very interested
4
3
2
1=Not al all interested
11%
15%
26%
29%
19%
Question: How interested are you in taking an online course in the next three years?
Please rate on a 5-point scale, where 1=not at all interested, and 5=very interested.

15. 1515
ANTICIPATED POPULARITY OF ONLINE COURSES
20-60% of people taking online courses next 5
years
0-19%
20-39%
40-59%
60-79%
80-100%
12%
42%27%
16%
2%
Question: If you had to predict, what percent of people will be taking online courses in the next five years?

16. 1616
INFLUENCERS WILL ACCELERATE INTEREST
• 19% of their children have taken an online
course
• 88% of their children are 14+ years of age
and have taken an online course
– 54% are 19 years old
• 58% know of someone who has taken an
online course or received an online degree

17. 1717
VARIED BENEFITS WITH ONLINE COURSES
Benefits % Selected
Add to knowledge in an area of interest 54
Learn something new 54
Supplement my job 35
Add to my knowledge in my current degree 32
Get a new degree 32
Get up to speed on what’s happening today 18
Finish a degree 15
Receive instruction from a well-known university/college 12
Retake something I didn’t learn well before 11
Test preparation 7
Receive instruction from a well-known professor 6
More fun learning this way 4
Meet new people 2
Other 4

18. 1818
HESITATIONS FOR TAKING ONLINE
COURSES
Hesitations % Selected
Too expensive 38
Not sure it would be worth my while 32
Don’t have the time 31
I prefer going to a class and being with people 29
Not well taught 20
Less fun learning this way 19
Too much homework 11
Haven’t heard of it before 3
I don’t have ready access to a computer 2
Other 7
Question: What would make you less interested or make it less possible for you to take an online course? Select all that apply.

19. 1919
PRICE AFFECTS INTEREST
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
% Indicating “Wouldn’t take or pay this much for
an online course”

20. 2020
ATTRIBUTES INFLUENCED BY PRICE
Attributes % Free % $100 % $250 % $500 % $1,000
Subject matter of interest/relevant to me 67 50 32 16 9
Relevant to my job 48 42 31 18 11
Good instruction by any professor 38 30 19 8 4
Offered by a well known university 37 31 26 15 9
Relevant to a job I hope to get 32 32 25 14 8
Certification for my job 32 32 25 15 8
Good word of mouth recommendations 27 22 17 9 5
Become registered professionally 20 21 18 11 6
Offered by any university 19 16 11 6 3
Professor tries to make it fun/interesting 18 17 12 8 4
Good instruction by well known prof 17 20 18 12 7
Offered by a university close to me 16 13 9 6 3
I wouldn’t take a free/pay this much for
an online course
7 18 40 64 77
Other 1 2 1 1 1

21. 2121
EQUAL SPLIT ON RESPONSIBILITY TO
OFFER ONLINE COURSES
% Rating
5=Should definitely
have to offer
4
3
2
1=Should definitely not
have to offer
33%
13%
21% 19%
15%
Question: Do you think that universities and colleges should have to offer free online courses? Please rate on a scale of 1-5
where 1=universities should definitely not have to offer free online courses, and 5=universities should definitely
have to offer free online courses.

22. 2222
REASONS FOR WHY UNIVERSITIES
SHOULD OFFER FREE ONLINE COURSES
Reasons % Selected
This makes it possible for everyone to receive some
additional education
64
The current cost of university education is too high 52
It is important to improve the level of education for all
citizens
52
With access to the Internet, it is possible to offer online
education
41
Some universities are already offering free online instruction 20
Other 6
Question: Why do you think universities/colleges should be offering free online courses. Select all that apply.

23. 2323
SURVEY CONCLUSIONS:

24. 2424
CONCLUSIONS
• Balance and build infrastructure.
– Prospective students highly value the on campus
experience. Therefore, the adoption of online
offerings should be more evolutionary than
revolutionary. The most appealing educational
experience is a combination of the best of the on
campus experience AND the online offerings.
– The pricing of online offerings makes the non-
academic offering more transparent. Therefore, the
non-academic experience will become more
important than ever as a meaningful differentiator.

25. 2525
CONCLUSIONS
• Fortify your brand.
– Prospective students are willing to pay the most
for the best brands.
– In the online world, the competitive frame
increases dramatically. Knowing your customer
and what is relevant is more important than ever
in a crowded marketplace with similar products.
– Create an identifiable brand and strategically
reinforce it with internal and external audiences.

26. 2626
CONCLUSIONS
• Take charge.
– Don’t let provider dilute your brand.
– Put a basic infrastructure in place including a
business plan, the right leadership, and partnerships.
– Start with students and alumni, those who know you
best. Include alumni as a key beneficiary of this new
form of learning and engage them as brand
stewards.
– Create a narrative for your faculty regarding this
issue.
– Communicate with the Board on the pros and cons
of online programs and long term implications.
– This is an important national agenda item and one
with which institutions should have a point of view.

27. 2727
PULSE POINTS
The Future of University Education:
On Campus vs. Online
June, 2013