Adoption of technology-mediated learning in the U.S

Technology-mediated learning (TML) has been a growing trend among higher education institutions in the U.S., especially after the inception of e-commerce. In this paper, we develop an analytical framework that focuses on the relationship between the extent of TML adoption and students’ return from a higher education degree. This framework is used to derive hypotheses about how adoption levels should vary based on the institutional and student characteristics of a university. Using an extensive data set for the 2000-2001 academic year, our empirical work supports hypotheses concerning the importance of the quality and location of institutions as well as students’ time value on the TML adoption decision. Specifically, we find that TML is used more in lower-ranked universities, in states with high population densities, and at the graduate than the undergraduate level. These results provide insights on the kind of institutions and program offerings that stand to gain the most from adopting TML. ∗We would like to thank Dr. Cynthia Barton and National Center for Education Statistics for providing confidential access to survey data on distance education at postsecondary education institutions.