Young people from rural areas enroll in and complete postsecondary education at lower rates, on average, than other students. Limited access to postsecondary institutions in rural areas and smaller sets of course and program offerings at rural institutions contribute to these differentials. The Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) has implemented a system-wide eCampus initiative, which uses a common learning management platform and leverages TCSG’s and its 22 colleges’ instructional capacity to increase access to educational programs regardless of student location. David C. Ribar, Ross Rubenstein, and Jennifer Darling-Aduana are conducting a comprehensive investigation of TCSG’s eCampus initiative through the Ascendium Education Group’s Building Evidence to Increase Rural Learner Success initiative.
- How does eCampus affect academic and employment outcomes for rural learners and for rural learners from low-income backgrounds and historically underserved groups? How do outcomes differ among different groups of rural learners?
- How do the availabilities of local campus technological, instructional, student success, and other supports and off-campus supports, such as the provision of Wi-Fi hotspots, affect the outcomes associated with eCampus for rural learners and for rural learners from different groups?
- How does eCampus contribute to the diffusion of advanced and innovative learning technologies to TCSG’s rural campuses and rural learners? Do experiences with these technologies improve student outcomes?