CR's March 20, 2026 Times Standard Article: Balance in Course Delivery

Published on Mar 17 2026

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education has undergone a significant shift toward online learning. According to data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statics, prior to the pandemic about 36 to 37 percent of college students took at least one online course. Today that figure has risen to more than half of all college students nationwide with roughly one quarter of them studying fully online. In other words, millions more students are now learning partly or entirely online than just a few years ago, reflecting a structural change in how colleges deliver instruction.

It is not only the modality of the classroom that is changing. Over the last decade, demographic shifts, fiscal pressures, changing student characteristics and expectations, and rising skepticism from the public and policymakers about the worth of higher education and our business model have converged, encouraging us to reshape how we think about how to communicate the value and impact of higher education to the public we serve.

However, as Winston Churchill wrote, “Kites rise against the wind, not with it.”

We are ready to meet the challenge. To us, the core value of higher education and its promise of a better life has never been more important. 

I believe that to fulfill this promise in today’s world of revenue generation and focus on growth at all costs, CR must remain an institution that augments its face-to-face course offerings with strategically placed online and hybrid courses. However, at the same time we must resist the growing pressure to move the majority of our classes to the online environment. 

CR has done a tremendous job of regaining our enrollments since the precipitous drop during the COVID era. This past fall semester, enrollment increased by 11 percent over fall 2024, and our total enrollment is on track to grow another 8 percent this year. Altogether, that represents a remarkable 39 percent increase since 2020.

We did this through a thoughtful, wholistic process of enrollment management that includes scheduling, outreach, counseling and advising, and communications. It was not simply shifting the bulk of our instruction online as many institutions have done. 

I acknowledge that online classes are an efficient way to deliver course content to students. We know that online classes allow students to attend classes from any location. They can be more affordable since they may eliminate the need for costly transportation, housing and relocations expenses, as well as childcare costs for working parents. 

We also know that every student has a unique learning pathway and an individual learning style. Some students are visual learners who benefit from reading, diagrams, and written materials, while others are auditory learners who absorb information more effectively through listening and discussion. Some thrive in an online setting where they can work independently and move at their own pace, while others benefit from the structure, interaction, and engagement of the in-person classroom.

When I served in the role of instructor, I experienced how the spontaneous exchange of ideas, collaborative problem-solving, and the subtle cues of body language all contributed to a richer teaching and learning environment. I believe that this is often absent in the asynchronous nature of several online courses. This lack of real-time engagement can lead to social isolation, reduced peer learning, and diminished impromptu discussion and learning opportunities. 

Equally important is the negative impact on non-technical skills. Our work environments demand employees who can participate effectively in teams, who can lead, who are skilled in conflict resolution and public speaking. These skills are honed through in-person interactions and collaborative projects. 

During the COVID years, about 52% of our classes were offered face-to-face and 48% online or hybrid. This percentage marginalized many of our students and reduced access. That is why we made the decision, post-pandemic, to push back on the pressure to become more of an online college and provide options without sacrificing student engagement and the development of soft skills necessary for the workplace.

With that in mind, I set an institutional goal of having at least 60% of our classes offered in-person. 

As a result, our instructional balance reflects that philosophy. In the 2025–26 academic year, 62.7 percent of our courses were offered face-to-face, 32.4 percent online, and 4.9 percent hybrid, allowing us to preserve the engagement and community that come with in-person learning while still providing the flexibility students increasingly expect.