BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Indiana University officials say enrollment in online courses has soared during the past decade across the school's campuses even as overall student enrollment has dropped.
School research shows total enrollment of degree-seeking students at IU campuses fell by nearly 5% from the fall of 2011 to the fall of 2019. But The Herald-Times reports that the number of students taking at least one online course has more than doubled during the same time.
IU's online education director Chris Foley noted that most students who take online classes are undergraduates and typically in their early 20s.
Administrators say IU must continue to prioritize growth in its online space as students' expectations change and the university prepares for a decline in the number of high school graduates.