Online Occupational Education in Community Colleges: Prevalence and Contextual Factors

"This study examined the current state of online occupational programs in community colleges and explored issues related to institutional, economic, and social indicators that influence (a) the offering of online programs and (b) the programmatic connection to workforce development needs. This project is the first national study that categorizes and inventories specific types of online occupational programs in community colleges. The study included a national random sample of 321 institutions in the United States. Data were collected through institutional websites, statewide websites, follow-up emails, and phone inquiries to institutions. Appended are: (1) Database Variables and Sources; (2) Social/Economic and College Student Population Variables; (3) Four-Predictor Regression Model Coefficients; and (4) Social/Economic/College Variables Used in Multiple Regression. (Contains 10 tables and 21 footnotes.)" (p. ii) (Abstractor: Author and Website staff)

"Connection to Workforce Development Needs: Among colleges offering online occupational programs, 26% offered one or more programs associated with the state’s five fastest-growing occupations (overall average of .65 programs per college in the five fastest-growing occupations). Among the institutions offering online occupational programs, 39% offered one or more programs in the state’s top 10 occupations with the most projected openings (overall average of .89 online programs at each college in the sample). A minimal relationship existed between colleges’ online offerings in high-demand, high-growth fields and the specific institutional, social, and economic characteristics for institutions. Community and Institutional Demographics: Institutions with higher percentages of White students are more likely to offer online occupational programs. However, other national studies have found that students of color and White students have comparable participation rates in distance education. These findings illustrate a potential need for additional online program development in colleges with larger percentages of students of color. Governance and Centralization: Institutions operating under statewide governance structures and in states with more highly centralized statewide practices have more online occupational programs than other types of institutions." (p. iii) (Abstractor: Author)

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2010
• Author(s): Githens, Rod P; Crawford, Fashaad L; Sauer, Timothy M.
• Organizational Author(s): University of Louisville
• Funding Source: U.S. Department of Education
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by: Wesley Peterson
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies