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Government shutdown looms after Trump-backed bill fails; Environmental groups sue CA Air Resources Board over biogas credits; NY elected officials work to electrify municipal buildings; Need a mental health boost? Talking hot dog is here.

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President-elect Trump repeats his threats to jail Jan. 6th committee members, while also putting a stop-gap spending plan in jeopardy. A court removes Fani Willis from Trump's Georgia election interference case. The FAA restricts drones in New Jersey, and a Federal Reserve rate cut shakes markets.

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Rural folks could soon be shut out of loans for natural disasters if Project 2025 has its way, Taos, New Mexico weighs options for its housing shortage, and the top states providing America's Christmas trees revealed.

Online Education Boosts Enrollment at Community Colleges

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Thursday, February 16, 2023   

Results of a new study showed community colleges are building on pandemic-era success when more students turned to online education.

Enrollment has fallen sharply in recent years, but has picked up post-pandemic, thanks to online learning. In an effort to keep students enrolled during the pandemic, colleges turned to online learning, which was especially important in rural areas, where enrollment declines were stark.

Andrew Koricich, executive director of the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges at Appalachian State University, said community colleges can make better use of technology because they are not having to react to an emergency, which boosts enrollment.

"It feels a little more optimistic," Koricich observed. "It feels like campuses can be proactive with technology rather than reactive the way they have been for several years. And even for students, as faculty and administrators get better about their incorporation of technology, students are going to have a better view of it."

The study surveyed more than 1,200 faculty and 2,300 students in all 50 states.

Koricich pointed out the uptick in online learning can be especially helpful to students in rural areas, where enrollment has been declining dramatically, and accelerated during the pandemic, but only if they have access to it, which has been a problem in some rural locations.

"It still kind of feels like it's dancing around the broader digital-divide question," Koricich explained. "If you live in a place that doesn't have broadband internet, or it doesn't have affordable broadband internet, it doesn't matter how enthusiastic you or the college are about technology because you can't use it."

The study found 97% of the colleges surveyed had reliable internet access, but it did not address the needs of rural students who do not. The colleges said they also no longer differentiate between online and in-person students, focusing instead on the needs and convenience of their students.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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