Professional, continuing, and online education (PCO) units saw significantly fewer instances of enrollment declines during the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as many as 56% of units saw growth, Louder says. “The world that we are in now, the opportunity to work with more and more faculty, teachers, and students has been incredible,” Louder says. “Developing different courses and programs online, either for credit or for continuing education non-credit—we don’t have a real waiting list, but we do have a lot of people wanting to work with us.” The key to online education is interaction, Louder says. Ensuring that there is a connection between student and instructor, even if the two never step foot in the same room, is crucial to student success. That starts with the lowest hanging fruit or the lowest barrier to entry.
