Distance education has become increasingly popular in recent years, offering students the flexibility to learn from anywhere at any time. However, despite its growing prevalence, there is a lack of detailed data available on how students are faring in specific programs and modalities. Currently, the only distance education data available are aggregate enrollment numbers in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), which provide totals of students learning fully in-person, fully online, or in a hybrid modality at particular schools. While this information is useful, it does not offer the necessary level of detail to truly understand how students are performing in different programs and modalities.
Recognizing this gap in data, the Department of Education has proposed a new rule that would require institutions to report student-level data on the modality of instruction for students receiving federal financial aid. This proposal stemmed from negotiations on distance education rules involving representatives from various sectors of higher education, including for-profit, public, and private nonprofit colleges, as well as consumer advocates. At the conclusion of these negotiations, the majority of representatives, particularly those from colleges, supported the proposal. This is not surprising, as colleges already have access to this data and could easily provide it to the Education Department through existing reporting mechanisms.
One key aspect of the proposed rule is the creation of a „virtual location“ for colleges for federal reporting purposes. This would differentiate program-level data for students in fully online programs from those in in-person or hybrid programs. Currently, available data do not distinguish between online programs and in-person or hybrid programs, making it difficult for students to compare outcomes between different modalities.
For example, a student considering enrolling in a Master’s of Business Administration program may be faced with the decision of choosing between an online or in-person program at the same institution. However, without program-level data, the student would not be able to compare success rates in terms of student debt and post-graduation earnings between the two programs. The department’s proposal would allow students to make more informed decisions by providing them with the necessary data to compare different modalities within the same institution.
Additionally, the proposed rule would better enable the Education Department to provide debt relief, such as closed school discharge, to students whose colleges end a particular learning modality. For instance, if a college decides to end only in-person enrollment, students who cannot complete their degree program online or prefer not to learn online would be better protected. The department would be able to discharge their loans based on whether the college ended a physical or virtual option, ensuring that students are not financially burdened by such changes.
In conclusion, the Department of Education’s proposed rule on reporting student-level data on the modality of instruction for students receiving federal financial aid is a crucial step towards providing more transparency and accountability in distance education. By collecting and reporting detailed data on how students are faring in specific programs and modalities, students will be better equipped to make informed decisions about their education, and the department will be better able to protect students in situations where colleges make significant changes to their learning modalities.