Getting Smart, a group that promotes innovative solutions in education, recently featured an infographic on today’s online learners.  The infographic compares online students with their traditional peers, and highlights factors such as retention rates, degree selection, and career outcomes for those who pursue their degree online.

Some interesting points from the infographic include:

• About 30% of all higher education students take at least one class online.
• The demand for online courses exceeds demand for traditional courses across all institution types.
• Academic leaders increasingly view online education as good as or better than face-to-face instruction.
• Nearly 80% of study participants said they had hired an applicant with online degree qualifications in the past year.

We thought this infographic was especially interesting in light of our recent postings on the advanced use of technology at career colleges and the demand for online learning from today’s connected learners.

In a recent article in CampusTechnology magazine, for-profit colleges are praised for their advanced use of technology.  The article’s author, John K. Waters, even argues that traditional non-profit colleges could learn a thing or two from their for-profit counterparts when it comes to IT, especially when it comes to integrating student feedback through technological improvements.

Since career colleges cater to non-traditional students, including many who take most (if not all) of their courses online, embracing today’s “on-demand” digital culture is essential.  We have written elsewhere about today’s generation of connected learners, who demand that developments such as social and mobile technologies be integrated into their educational plan.  This is especially relevant to career colleges, who must constantly adopt the newest, most useful technologies for continuous engagement, particularly because their students may be working or raising a family outside of their coursework.

According to the article, when it comes to IT, for-profit schools tend to have the edge for these reasons:

• They integrate a wider variety of devices and capabilities, such as learning management systems, e-books, and digital libraries.
• Career colleges tend to invest more money on technology infrastructure, often spending over 10% of their operating budgets on IT while traditional schools spend less than 3%.
• For-profits aren’t afraid to survey student satisfaction, and are more likely to respond to feedback on technology due to the potential for student turnover.
• One practitioner emphasized the “technical agility” of for-profit colleges, emphasizing their tendency to implement new technologies efficiently and to abandon older infrastructure when it loses its utility.

Of course, with the help of solutions like Blackboard Learn, tech-savvy colleges of all types can best serve the needs of their students, no matter when or how they receive their education.

We often tell you about our product innovations, and uses, but we know what really hits home for a deeper understanding of our solutions is to demonstrate how our clients put Blackboard into action.  That’s why we’re so excited about our latest case study that features the success of the private college Center for Advanced Legal Studies, a school that focuses exclusively in paralegal education.

The Center uses Blackboard Learn ™ to connect to more students in more places, boost student and faculty engagement, and increase access to educational offerings.  But one of the unexpected benefits of Blackboard that Tthe Center enjoys is that of accessibility for people with disabilities.

Did you know that Blackboard Learn 9.1…

• was awarded the Nonvisual Accessibility Gold Certification by The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), stating the software was the most accessible education application that NFB had tested— making it the first and only learning management system to achieve certification.

• features accessibility tools, such as navigation and form-control, to help students with disabilities compete in school and beyond.

• has functionality to fit varying student needs; for example, an accessible YouTube player in collaboration with users.

The British Columbia Career Colleges Association (BCCCA) is hosting its annual conference from October 27th-29th, and Blackboard’s own Tim Naylor will be presenting!  The conference will feature representatives from over 70 of the most successful and dynamic private colleges in British Columbia, as well as stakeholders from government and industry.

Conference attendees will be able to see Blackboard products in action, hear Tim give two presentations on the value of educational software innovations, and of course, speak directly with Blackboard representatives about the ins and outs of educational delivery technology.

We’re excited to have this opportunity to show the career college sector how Blackboard can help their organization deliver an online learning solution that enables adult learners to reach their highest potential.  Blackboard always strives to integrate feedback from our clients, as was demonstrated in the Service Pack 6 upgrade for Blackboard Learn, and we look forward to discussing the benefits of these innovations with the delegates we meet in British Columbia.

Will we see you at BCCCA 2011?

When Hazel Matthews joined the Sullivan University team less than three years ago, she realized the university was letting a critical asset- its alumni base- leave campus after graduation without maintaining a connection to the college.  As Director of Alumni Affairs, Matthews began to work relentlessly with others in the university to change that entirely- and it has definitely paid off.

Sullivan University, a Blackboard client, now boasts a robust network of over 4,500 alumni with an active website and social media presence.  Alumni referrals have brought dozens of new students to the university and have led many others to job referrals and professional opportunities beyond the walls of the career college.

Matthews wants others in the professional university sector to understand the “necessity” of alumni engagement, and gave practical advice on how to build a successful network of graduates:

• Employ a team approach: Make sure that staff members across the university understand the importance of alumni relations so they can take ownership of the engagement strategy.

• Take advantage of transcripts: When a graduate requests a transcript, the name and contact information should be forwarded to your alumni association, which then should reach out to reconnect.