Online education demand jumps on gas prices
The future of commuter education may be unfolding today. We are lucky plateau/peak oil didn’t hit before our communications systems advanced to today’s amazing level. With video skype, telecasting conferences, cell phones and libraries of information available at our fingertips, we no longer have to travel every day to get a good education. The high value of on-campus education, where students live in dorms and feed off of each other’s interests, will remain. But commuter education looks to be defined more as telecommuter education.
The New York Times reports that online education demand growth has at least tripled through much of the country — from the ~10% annual additional increases to 30+% so far this year. The biggest factor cited in the article is higher gas prices, though certainly it has been enabled by advances in online tools.
Such sources of demand reduction can help us lower our bills even as gasoline prices continue to rise. In fact, online classes may help educational institutions achieve their aggressive greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals and reduce the need for expensive on-campus parking lots. While I hope that we don’t lose sight of the importance of human interaction in education and our communities, I hope shifts toward more energy efficient behavior take place.
And here’s to continued improvements in communication technology that help us all stay in touch across long distances without having to jump in an SUV (or even a Prius) each time we want to connect.