Online learning demand triples

In just three years, the number of high school students who have access to online learning has tripled, while twice as many middle school students are now learning online, according to a new report, reveals eSchool News.

These figures come from the non-profit group Project Tomorrow and its most recent Speak Up survey on school technology use.

Project Tomorrow first released from its survey earlier this year, but the organisation has teamed up with learning management system provider, Blackboard, to dig deeper into the results that pertain to online learning.

Project Tomorrow and Blackboard issued a report on these findings during the International Society for Technology in Education's annual conference on 28 June.

According to PR Newswire, more than 40% of students now designate online classes as an essential component of their learning experience with administrators and parents also becoming more supportive of this vision.

In two years' time, 39% more administrators and five times as many parentsincorporate online classes into their vision for the ultimate school.

While support grows, so does the untapped student demand for online learning as part of the ultimate school.

One-third of middle school and high school students say they are interested in taking an online course but have not yet, and 30% of 3rd to 5th grade students report they would like to take an online course, according to the survey.

“Online learning is transformative. We are just starting to see a generation rising through middle schools that demand online learning and have a clear insight into how it can change the future of education,” says Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow.

The surveys captured views on online education and 21st century learning from more than 379 000 US K-12 students, parents, educators and college students enrolled in teacher preparation programmes.