We’re in a time of rapid change, where technology — especially AI — is reshaping what instruction and the systems that shape it look like and where humans fit in. As the modern world continues to grapple with technology integrated with real-life experiences, so too is the world of postsecondary education. Students, in particular, are evaluating how to access education that best fits their needs and preferences. For example, many students do not live close to a college campus, are juggling full-time work and family obligations on top of their schooling, or simply prefer the flexibility of online learning.
While learners appreciate the flexibility and individual focus that online programs offer, they still highly value human engagement and interaction. In a previous report, we found that many students are excited about the potential of AI, but they don’t want these tools to replace faculty. How can higher education be designed to meet both of these needs and offer high-quality, human-centered learning experiences across learning modalities?
To better understand these trends, we asked 2,365 students across six institutions of higher education about their perceptions of and experiences with online and tech-enabled learning as part of our EdTech Survey Series. We explored students’ perceptions of and experiences with various learning modalities, identifying friction points and opportunities for improvement.
Overall, most students responding to the survey are enthusiastic about the expansion of online, tech-enabled, and non-traditional learning in the future. But we also found other mixed feelings: their interactions with peers and professors drive perceptions of quality learning experiences; personalization of learning experiences is low across all learning modalities; and many students continue to experience technology fatigue. These results highlight the importance of creating learning experiences that leverage technology alongside interpersonal interaction to ensure that students have high-quality learning experiences in all modalities. Here are some more details about what we learned:
Key Takeaways:
- The demand for online learning continues to rise, with 75% of students reporting positive attitudes toward more online learning in the future.
- Regardless of primary learning modality, supportive faculty, and frequent peer interactions were related to higher perceptions of course effectiveness.
- Personalization is lacking across all learning modalities.
- 40% of in-person students feel technology fatigue versus 27% of online learners
Methodology
In April of 2024, the College Innovation Network (CIN) at WGU Labs research team emailed surveys to more than 30,000 students across six CIN member institutions. These post-secondary institutions included community colleges, primarily online, not-for-profit colleges, and one public four-year university. The survey contained a variety of questions about students’ experiences with and perceptions of educational technologies, online learning, and the future of higher education. Our final sample consisted of 2,365 students. Fifty-three percent of respondents were enrolled at a primarily online institution, 28.7% were at a four-year university, and 18% were at a community college.
The demand for online learning continues to rise, with 75% of students reporting positive attitudes about more online learning in the future.
Consistent with previous years’ surveys, we saw high levels of enthusiasm for the expansion of online learning among students in this year’s sample. Seventy-five percent of students held positive attitudes toward the expansion of online courses in the future, and 74% held positive attitudes toward the expansion of online programs in the future. Additionally, 75% and 81% were favorable about the expansion of hybrid courses and micro-credential programs, respectively. Students in our sample were notably more enthusiastic about the expansion of online programs compared to faculty (68%) and administrators (57%).
We saw that students who primarily took online courses were more enthusiastic about the expansion of online learning, but 63% of those learning primarily in hybrid or in-person modalities were also positive about the shift toward more online options.
Taken together, these results suggest that students are increasingly embracing online learning. Institutions will need to continue to invest in expanding and improving the effectiveness of online learning, a persistent concern we note below.
Regardless of primary learning modality, supportive faculty and frequent peer interactions were related to higher perceptions of course effectiveness.
Consistent with findings from the previous year, students viewed online and hybrid courses as less effective for learning compared to in-person classes. Seventy-nine percent of students perceived their fully in-person courses as very or extremely effective for their learning, while only 60% of surveyed students perceived their fully online courses as very or extremely effective.
When we examined factors that correlated with perceptions of course effectiveness we saw that having supportive instructors and interacting with peers in courses were positively correlated with course effectiveness across modalities. In all three course modalities, students who reported having supportive faculty and frequent peer interactions also reported having more effective learning experiences (see Table 1).
Table 1: The correlation between different learning experiences and perceived effectiveness of the learning experience, across modalities.
Among the three modalities, online courses understandably had the lowest levels of perceived instructor support, with 67% of students reporting their instructor was very or extremely supportive, compared to 72% in hybrid and 78% in in-person courses. Since students typically complete online courses independently, and asynchronously, it’s unsurprising that they experienced less instructor support.
Peer interaction was particularly low in online formats, with 17% of students reporting frequent interactions, in contrast to 44% in hybrid and 71% in in-person courses.
As more students opt into online courses — particularly those from groups who have historically not been able to access traditional in-person models of college — these responses suggest that online institutions may need to invest in strategies to increase the student, faculty, and peer interactions in their courses.
Personalization is lacking across all learning modalities.
A personalized learning experience is highly valued by students and faculty but is often thought to be more limited in an online learning experience. Our results showed, however, that there is a similarly low prevalence of students, about one-third, who report having personalized learning experiences, independent of modality.. Indeed, just 36% percent of learners reported that their in-person and hybrid courses were very or extremely personalized, while 32% reported that their online courses were very or extremely personalized.
Importantly, perceptions of personalization correlated with perceptions of effective learning experiences — across modalities students who reported that their courses were more personalized to their specific needs and learning preferences also reported that their courses were more effective (see Table 1).
We also found that having supportive instructors consistently predicted perceptions of personalization (see Table 2). In all three learning modalities, students who reported that their instructor was more supportive reported that the learning experience was more personalized.
Table 2: The correlation between instructor support and perceptions of course personalization, across course modalities.
Over 40% of in-person students feel technology fatigue versus 27% of online learners
Technology fatigue may have more to do with the quality of the technology than the quantity of technology used in learning. A small but meaningful proportion of students have consistently reported a sense of technology fatigue in our surveys. Thirty-four percent of students in this year’s survey reported feeling mentally tired from using educational technology, 26% felt overwhelmed by EdTech, and 60% said they occasionally avoided using EdTech because they were tired of it.
Interestingly, online learners reported lower levels of technology fatigue compared to in-person and hybrid learners. While 27% of online learners reported feeling mentally tired due to the use of technology, 42% of students learning in other modalities expressed weariness from technology.
Moving toward an AI-powered learning experience
As we write this report today, higher education institutions and EdTech companies are racing to explore deeper and more creative uses of AI in instructional delivery. Our findings present critical tensions and concerns that institutions must address as they move forward. As optimistic as students are about expanding online options and technology in learning, many are fatigued by these tools and most students still value interaction with instructors and peers, as well as personalized support.
These findings highlight the importance of understanding which aspects of the learning experience should remain centered around engagement with others and which can be optimized through technology to make more time for meaningful human interactions.
Online, in-person, and hybrid institutions need to be intentional about how they incorporate technology into learning. While online education is typically more individualized and self-paced, high-quality online education is not synonymous with self-guided or entirely technology-driven experiences. Simply posting a recorded lecture online is not enough to create a meaningful online learning experience, just as simply having an instructor show up and stand in front of a class is not enough to create a meaningful in-person learning experience. Intentional design is key for both modalities.
Leveraging AI in instructional delivery unlocks tremendous opportunities to create adaptive and personalized learning experiences. But, according to the students we surveyed, the more we deliver instruction with technology, the more intentional we need to be about using the technology to enhance the interactions between students, faculty, and peers.
Our research also reveals a gap between students and faculty in enthusiasm about the expansion of online education. While students are generally enthusiastic about the flexibility and accessibility of online options, faculty often view these modalities more negatively. This difference may reflect the challenges faculty face in adapting to virtual teaching and their concerns about increased standardization and lower levels of human engagement in online courses. Bridging this gap could involve providing faculty with resources to enhance online pedagogy and fostering open dialogue to better align expectations between students and faculty.
Future research directions
We are still in the early stages of understanding how AI technologies will improve higher education systems. However, there is no doubt that technology will play an increasing role in students’ education experience, and given that there is good reason to better understand the causes of and solutions to students' technology fatigue. In our survey, students in primarily online programs reported lower levels of fatigue despite their presumably higher levels of technology use. This suggests that the systems that support and integrate the technology into instruction, rather than the technology itself may be causing technology fatigue. Research comparing how different types of institutions integrate technology into the learning experience could help identify best practices for using technology to enhance, rather than detract from, the educational experience.
We also have to better understand why faculty may be resistant to online modalities. Investigating the factors behind this resistance, including concerns about pedagogical quality, standardization, and student engagement, could help identify strategies to better align faculty attitudes with the potential benefits of online learning for students. Given that primarily online institutions have developed successful practices for delivering high-quality online experiences, exploring these approaches may offer valuable insights for overcoming faculty skepticism, fostering broader acceptance of these modalities, and better positioning faculty to deliver high-quality online instruction for their students.
Finally, future research should explore what a personalized learning experience means to students. For example, while higher education administrations often look to technology to provide personalization, students may look to their instructors to provide tailored instruction. Indeed, our research shows that having supportive instructors was highly correlated with perceptions of personalized learning experiences. Understanding how different personalization methods impact learning outcomes could provide valuable insights into designing more effective educational experiences that meet the diverse needs of learners. Additional studies should explore technology’s role in providing a student-centered personalized experience for students, and how it fits in with students’ desire for supportive interactions with their instructors.
