The COVID-19 pandemic shifted much of higher education from in-person to online. According to a survey by senior partners Jonathan Law and Jimmy Sarakatsannis and coauthors, most students want to continue at least some aspects of virtual learning, but many have reservations about enrolling in fully remote programs. For example, students cite a fear of becoming more distracted, getting bored, and lacking discipline to complete the online program as the top three reasons they hesitate to go all in for online.
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A heat map provides insights from respondents across 17 countries on barriers to online study programs. The chart displays 13 statements, each differentiated by shades indicating the level of perceived impediment, from high to low. Predominant challenges identified include fear of distraction, potential boredom, and lack of personal discipline for online work.
Footnote 1: Brazil, the US, France, Mexico, Colombia, and India contributed notably large respondent samples. The statistical relevance of other countries might be less due to smaller sample sizes.
Footnote 2: Limited availability of extracurricular activities, such as sports and cultural events, is identified as one of the top 5 challenges in online programs.
Footnote 3: Respondents also cite inadequate access to teachers, such as for question resolution, as a notable impediment to online study programs.
Source: McKinsey Global Research on Online Higher Education in 17 countries.
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To read the article, see “What do higher education students want from online learning?,” June 7, 2023.