Untangling the Web: How to Monitor the Risks of Online Education

Facing an unprecedented moment in higher education, colleges and universities have closed campuses nationwide and moved online amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, one lasting effect of the crisis may be many more students attending classes online, both at traditional and online colleges. While the best and often only, option during a pandemic, the success of online education is mixed. With a necessary migration emphasizing the long-standing need for better information collection and transparency in online higher education, this report surveys the current landscape of online education and identifies critical problems and widespread questions about how a rapid shift online impacts quality.