How #highered is struggling to meet online demand: The Capacity Paradox, AI Strategy Fragmentation, and Faculty Development Stagnation.

Saturday morning reads via Alison Griffin and Forbes. One other aspect I've been mulling over more recently is the idea of creating community and connection for online learners. In the old days, you'd show up on campus, find your people (in class or via other activities), and build lifelong connections. That's much harder in today's digital-first world, so colleges must also think about how to nurture networks, allow for serendipitous interactions, and create a real sense of belonging.

The world wants to know about the state of online learning! CHLOE 10 was a key resource for this article from Alison Griffin in Forbes. Read about how learner demand is, in many cases, outpacing institutional response in her article below, and download the full CHLOE 10 report now: https://lnkd.in/gbbhuHA6

As I shared with Alison Griffin in this new Forbes piece, nearly 1 in 10 higher education institutions have no AI strategy at all. That’s a five-alarm fire. We’ve already seen the consequences when colleges treat transformative technology as experimental—the pandemic exposed how unprepared many were for the shift to online learning. With AI, the risks are even greater. Without coherent strategies, institutions risk leaving students—and the future workforce—unprepared for a data-driven economy. https://lnkd.in/e_gBWnFZ

Bart’s Bytes - Online Learning’s Moment: How Colleges Struggle to Meet Rising Demand ⸻ Colleges across the U.S. are confronting a critical inflection point in online education. According to the 2025 CHLOE 10 Report, nearly nine in ten institutions plan to expand online offerings in the next three years—marking a dramatic shift from two decades ago when digital learning was often restricted. Surging demand across all learner groups: • Graduate student interest up by 74%. • Adult undergrad interest up by 66%. • Traditional-age undergrads showing a 60% rise. • Mounting competition in the online landscape. • Over 79% of institutions report a more competitive marketplace compared to five years ago. A paradigm shift in learning experience: • Physical classrooms still dominate today, but only 32% expect that to be the case by 2030. Instead, tools like AI tutoring, adaptive learning, and flexible digital formats are gaining ground. • Credential innovation fueled by community colleges. • Non-degree options—such as certificates and microcredentials—are more than doubling since 2018‑19, with community colleges leading the way. Persistent equity gaps: • Despite progress, digital divide issues persist—broadband access, device availability, and tech literacy remain barriers for many learners. Data and AI: priorities still in progress: • While 93% of institutions view data analytics as critical to strategy, only 40% believe their data is clearly defined and effectively used. • Interest in AI is strong—84% deem it important—but fewer than 25% have a cohesive AI strategy, and nearly 10% have none at all. Takeaway: Online education isn’t merely a convenience—it’s fast becoming a foundational expectation. Institutions that invest in strategic infrastructure, faculty readiness, inclusive access, and differentiated credentials will lead the way. #HigherEd #OnlineLearning #DigitalTransformation #EdTech #OnlineEducation #DigitalEquity #AIinEducation #Microcredentials https://lnkd.in/gUPD9g7R

"Perhaps most revealing in the data is how institutions are approaching the integration of artificial intelligence. While 77% of chief online learning officers believe AI will become crucial within two years, only 23% have developed institution-wide strategies. Another 66% of these professionals describe fragmented, department-level efforts with no coordinated approach. Nearly 10% have no AI strategy whatsoever, which should concern anyone who remembers how unprepared institutions were for pandemic-driven online learning demand." "[The finding] that nearly 10% of institutions have no AI strategy is a five-alarm fire for higher education," says Josh Jones, CEO of QuantHub, a data and AI skills training platform offering online courses and credentials. "We're watching history repeat itself. This mirrors exactly how universities approached online learning in 2010, and we know how unprepared that left them for 2020. But this time, the stakes are higher. [I]nstitutions without coherent AI strategies aren't just falling behind—they're failing to prepare students for a fundamentally transformed workforce." https://lnkd.in/gxkgKXCJ

At the Leeds Online Learning Summit, one theme stood out clearly: the success of online learning hinges on how we equip academics. Adult learners value connection, relevance, and respect. Technology (including AI) can amplify this - but only if academics are supported to shift from knowledge transmitters to learning partners. That’s why professional development can’t be an afterthought. Institutions need to make it strategic, building capability in learning design, digital pedagogy, and AI-enabled teaching. The future of higher ed isn’t just about adopting new tools, it’s about empowering the people who bring learning to life. Read Joël McConnell and my reflections here: https://lnkd.in/gybAnDJB #HigherEd #ProfessionalDevelopment #OnlineLearning #FutureAcademic

Confidence isn’t always a good thing if it’s built on unreliable sources and AI hallucinations, and in healthcare education, that really matters. Students now have an incredible range of tools at their fingertips letting them study in ways that suit them best. There is a huge opportunity for institutions to build on that confidence by creating their own solutions, or partnering with credible EdTech providers, which will ensure innovation is also quality-assured and aligned with curricula. Fantastic to see Chloe Barrett from Immersify Education featured in EdTech Digest sharing this important message. #EdTech #HigherEducation #StudentSupport (Read here: https://lnkd.in/ejih4UhK)

Online learning has shifted from the margins to the mainstream. A recent Forbes article highlighted that 9 in 10 colleges plan to expand their online programs. What stood out to me wasn’t just the growth, but the struggle: institutions are racing to keep up with the demand, often without the structures or strategies in place. The CHLOE 10 Report shows: • 73% of graduate students show increased interest in online education • 66% of adult undergraduates are choosing digital learning • Even 60% of traditional-age students are leaning online despite saying they prefer in-person Why the disconnect? Behavioral economists call it the gap between stated preferences and revealed preferences. Students may say they want campus life, but real-world pressures from work, housing, finances, caregiving & parenting push them toward online options. The bigger question isn’t whether online learning is here to stay (it is). It’s whether colleges can adapt fast enough: • Infrastructure gaps still persist, especially in community colleges. • Faculty development has plateaued. • AI is seen more as an admin tool than a learning innovation. For me, the takeaway is clear: 🎓 Education has to bend around students’ lives, not the other way around. Check out the report here: https://lnkd.in/dEshDT46

The Radical Transformation AI Is Driving in Higher Education From Incremental Change to Core Disruption For centuries, technology—from the printing press to the internet—has reshaped education, though often at the margins. Artificial intelligence, however, promises to transform higher education at its core, and it is arriving with unprecedented speed. Where past technologies enhanced teaching, AI has the potential to redefine what professors, students, and institutions look like in the coming years. Key Areas of Impact • The AI Professor • Fully interactive avatars can equal or surpass the best human professors. • Always available, deeply knowledgeable, and capable of adapting pedagogy to each student’s needs. • Raises the question: will faculty jobs be replaced, or redefined into mentorship, facilitation, and oversight roles? • Personalized Learning at Scale • AI can design individualized learning pathways, tailoring material to pace, style, and comprehension. • Eliminates the “one-size-fits-all” model, making higher education accessible to a wider spectrum of learners. • Administrative Efficiency • AI tools can streamline grading, enrollment, and advising. • Frees human faculty and staff to focus on higher-value work, but also risks depersonalizing support services if not carefully balanced. • Access and Equity • Democratizes access by lowering costs and scaling quality teaching across institutions and geographies. • Risks widening inequality if only well-resourced universities adopt AI effectively. • Redefining Faculty Roles • Shift from “sage on the stage” to guide, mentor, and ethicist, ensuring AI use remains grounded in human judgment. • Greater emphasis on research, creativity, and critical thinking that AI cannot replicate. Why This Matters AI is not just another tool in the academic toolkit—it represents a paradigm shift. By combining knowledge delivery, personalization, and automation, it challenges long-held assumptions about what universities provide and how they operate. The implications reach far beyond classrooms: AI could determine who gets access to higher education, how much it costs, and what skills graduates bring into the workforce. The challenge for educators and policymakers is clear: embrace AI’s potential while safeguarding the human values, mentorship, and critical inquiry that define higher learning. Those who adapt quickly may thrive in this new era, while those who resist risk obsolescence. I share daily insights with 25,000+ followers and 9,000+ professional contacts across defense, tech, and policy. If this topic resonates, I invite you to connect and continue the conversation. Keith King https://lnkd.in/gHPvUttw

According to the new CHLOE 10 report, 88% of U.S. colleges plan to expand online programs in the next three years, driven by rising demand from students of all ages. However, while 4-year universities are scaling up quickly, many community colleges still lack capacity and face challenges such as: - The digital divide remaining a major barrier - AI adoption is uneven and still strategy-light - Faculty training for online course design is lagging - Only 1 in 4 schools have plans for future disruptions One example schools could use to address this tech gap is formatting recruitment and enrollment material for AI search queries to better capture changing search trends. As student expectations evolve, higher ed can look to meet them through balancing innovation with online strategies that are sustainable, accessible, and aligned with long-term goals. #OnlineLearning #HigherEd #EdTech #DigitalEquity