Students across the country are getting ready to go back to school, but that may not mean leaving the house — it may mean opening a laptop. According to U.S. News and World Report, more than 60 percent of colleges and universities offer online programs, an increase of almost 50 percent from 10 years ago. Electronic education, or e-learning, is not just an alternative form of education, it is a mainstream approach to learning and is the way more than 30 percent of students receive higher education. In fact, the results of a 2012 online learning survey show that more than 6.7 million students take at least one online course, notes the Sloan Consortium.

Moving Online in the Classroom

Online courses are available in numerous formats. E-learning options include synchronous virtual classrooms, where students and instructors log in to attend class at the same time through webcasts, or through discussions using voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) technology. They could also be an asynchronous learning format, where students log in whenever they choose and use email or message boards to communicate with the instructor or other students.

These types of online courses are just one way students are using technology to earn a college education. Other e-learning options include smartphone apps, so students can download textbooks or other class materials to their phones, computers or tablets; podcasts, so students can download course lectures, and listen to them according to their own schedules; and use of live chat software, so students can ask questions and gain immediate answers.

Students and instructors are reaping the benefits of chat in the electronic classroom. With chat technology, students can interact with professors or teaching assistants during office hours from any location, without waiting, and while multitasking. This capability is especially useful for students who are not on campus.

Instructors also benefit from live chat functionality, giving them the ability to chat with and help multiple people at one time, exponentially increasing the number of questions they are able to answer and students they are able to work with on a given basis. Furthermore, instructors see results because this online tool takes away excuses for students to avoid being in contact with the professor, or to neglect being part of the class dynamic.

Schools are finding that live chat services benefit students outside the classroom, as well. Universities are extending chat functionality to other student services, such as libraries and campus IT help desks, to help students conduct research, or receive answers to computing questions. Live chat functionality could also assist students by providing a platform for tutoring, advising, or career counseling.

Using Live Chat to Increase Enrollment

Schools should consider utilizing chat in enrollment and admissions, as well. Live chat is a great way to inform students about e-learning options, build a rapport with tech-savvy students, and ultimately increase enrollment. The college recruitment and enrollment process should consist of a variety of ways for potential students to electronically learn more about, and ultimately enroll in, college programs. School administrators and marketing officers should utilize chat technology to reach potential students looking for electronic education options by using electronic means of reaching students.

Reaching potential students and increasing enrollment numbers through chat technologies has proven successful. This past spring, the National Catholic College Admission Association hosted an online, live chat information fair to recruit students to its member colleges. Similar recruitment fairs could be replicated by individual colleges and universities.

Facilitating communication through technology is a great way to reach students who are part of the technology generation. Furthermore, real-time interaction can make the enrollment process simpler and more immediate. University representatives staffing live chat services can direct prospective students to pertinent information immediately, and students can complete enrollment forms at the same time they are working with live chat counselors.

Using Live Chat to Connect with Other University Social Media

Live chat could also be utilized to connect students with other forms of electronic campus information. Universities currently utilize electronic marketing strategies to inform potential students about their offerings. These strategies could be augmented by live chat functionality. Live chat technology would give school employees an opportunity to link prospective students to other social media marketing tools on a university’s website, such as Facebook pages and Twitter feeds, which promote student interest in school-related programs or activities, and encourage student pride in and dedication to the university.

Universities across the country tout their social media tools and market themselves to prospective students through these means. Harvard University has a social media page on its website to encourage prospective students to engage with all aspects of the school. Vanderbilt University’s social media page has a handbook that explains how social media is used on campus. The social media guide on the Marquette University Web site shows students how to reach information through a variety of online media channels.

And while chat technologies can point students to other forms of social media, the reverse is true, as well. Universities can build on the social media capabilities already in place, and use their established social media networks to direct students to live chat boards where the university employees can connect with students on a more personal level.

How do you think live chat can benefit higher education?

This post was written by Amy Bizik