XplanaZine

Anyone of a certain age (or those with a penchant for classic Hollywood comedies), remembers the scene in The Jerk where Steve Martin’s character is upset because he can’t guess people’s weight accurately at the circus. When his boss explains to him what the real goal is, Martin exclaims with renewed understanding, “Oh, it’s a profit making deal!”

Well, the world of e-learning is, indeed turning into such a venture as well. Enrollment at the State University of New York’s online Learning Network has hit a record 70,669 students. That enrollment is 32 percent higher than in 2002-03.

At another point on the spectrum, Fort Hays State University in Kansas recorded enrollment growth of over 20% this year>/a>, due in large part to the students enrolled 3,524 through its Virtual College long-distance learning program.

So far, the forecast by the Sloan Consortium on e-learning trends is holding true: “online learning is at historically high levels and will continue to grow at a rate of nearly 20%.” That growth will be sustained through technological, pedagogical, and commercial shifts in the educational framework:

• Textbooks will have a decreased importance in the curriculum or, at the very least, one that is dramatically changed. E-learning and successful student experience is driven by integrated tools and information (i.e. digital Learning Objects). Textbooks will be less important in their current state as online learning continues to develop;
• Instructors will adapt their methodologies and carerr goals to take advantages of hte opportunities offered by online learning;
• Institutions (non-profit and for-profit) will become increasingly competitive with regards to the online student;
• Just about everyone may be willing to sacrifice the real goal of learning for the chance to make more money.

One thing I’ve learned about online learning so far is that it really is a profit-making deal. People are in it for the money, and their ability to capitalize on its profit-generating capacity have shaped and will continue to shape its direction and future. From conferences to LMS platforms, we are in the Wild West of commercial education and the stakes are high. 20% market growth annually? That’s more than enough to keep bringing in the big players and plenty of temptation to to do the wrong thing.

It is up to each of us to work together and form alliances that protect student and learning interests. This does not mean that we shouldn’t be about encouraging growth and profitability. It simply means that we must all work together to help shape this unweildy force that can easily evolve into something less than effective for the real users.