Summer Reading: Strategies to boost online learning programs

This summer, Education Dive is providing readers with compilations of stories on a variety of topics that we've published during the past year that provide solutions to challenges facing colleges and universities nationwide. Next up online learning. Rather than be threatened by boot camp models, colleges should learn from them and integrate them into their core to better prepare their graduates for a wide variety of jobs, according to Matthew Rascoff, associate vice provost for digital education and innovation at Duke University. He argues that institutions should view boot camps as programs to even better prepare students for the job market. A study from Arizona State University suggests that online courses may be better equipped to help retain students and to keep them on the path to graduation. The university examined digital learning trends and outcomes from two public universities, two community colleges and a community college system. It found that three out of four institutions that offered in-person and online courses had higher retention and graduation rates for students who at least enrolled in some digital learning classes.