Do students prefer online or in-person classes this fall semester?

Posted on August 24, 2021 by Bryan Alexander

Are you seeing college students opting more for online or in-person classes this fall semester?

I’m asking this question today because I’m hearing contradictory things from various reports and individual academics as they observe students choosing in real time. On the one hand, polls have held that students prefer in-person education. On the other, online sections might be more popular, especially if students don’t enjoy face-to-face classrooms mediated through masks, shields, and social distancing.

I put this question to Twitter and people have offered a range of stories about a shift towards online learning.

For example, Dr. Tracy Stuntz:

Dr. Christopher Conzen concurs:

Stephanie Kim describes a situation with two different online options, and both are growing: