College Consensus Publishes Ranking of the Most Innovative Online Colleges for 2019

News provided by

Mar 04, 2019, 08:07 ET

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., March 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- College Consensus (https://www.collegeconsensus.com), a unique new college ratings website that aggregates publisher rankings and student reviews, has published their ranking of the Top 25 Most Innovative Online Colleges for 2019 at https://collegeconsensus.com/rankings/innovative-online-schools/.

Online education has been around for more than two decades, and it has made incredible strides from its early years, when online learning was viewed as a novelty at best, and a travesty at worst. But the colleges and universities of the 21st century are still pushing online education forward, with innovations in technology, in student support, in variety, and in vision. Those are the institutions highlighted by the College Consensus Most Innovative ranking - the ones shaping the future face of higher education on a daily basis.

The institutions in the running for Most Innovative were selected after extensive research by College Consensus editors for local and national media coverage of colleges and universities revolutionizing online education.

Schools in the Most Innovative Online Colleges ranking have been ranked by their College Consensus score (which combines published academic rankings and real student reviews). The full top 25 (in alphabetical order) are:

Arizona State University

Boston University

Brenau University

Brescia University

Campbellsville University

Central Michigan University

Champlain College

Drexel University Online

Eastern Illinois University

Eastern Kentucky University

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide

Florida Institute of Technology

Northern Arizona University

Old Dominion University

Oregon State University ECampus

Robert Morris University (PA)

Rochester Institute of Technology

Rowan University Global

University of Illinois at Springfield

University of Massachusetts - UMass Online

University of Minnesota - Crookston

University of Missouri - Mizzou Online

University of North Dakota

University of Texas - Arlington

Washington State University

"Innovation is a funny thing," College Consensus editors write; "if an innovation really works, it becomes widespread, smoothed out, and conventional. A good innovation stops being an innovation once everyone adopts it." As the editors note, "Online college degree programs were an innovation just two decades ago," but today "experts can talk about 'traditional online delivery' without a hint of irony." That is the burden of being an innovator, but "the things that make the most innovative online colleges innovative today, if they're truly useful, will one day be an accepted way of doing things." But it's a challenge that the colleges and universities on the Consensus Most Innovative Online Colleges ranking are proud to take on.

For the Most Innovative ranking, College Consensus admits to having their work cut out for them. "The best accredited online colleges may not necessarily be the most innovative, if they play it safe and do an exceedingly excellent job providing a totally conventional online education," but on the other hand, "innovation that doesn't get results isn't a real innovation." College Consensus focuses on the innovations that make a difference in students' education and lives. That means "establishing new online course design best practices," or "building a spectacular virtual support system for online students." In many cases, the most innovative online colleges are "using the reach of distance education to serve underrepresented students, making diversity, social mobility, and community engagement central to education." College Consensus celebrates the colleges and universities using online education for good, not just for profit.

College Consensus is a new approach to college rankings. We combine the latest results from the most respected college ranking systems with thousands of real student review scores. Learn more about the College Consensus rankings methodology at https://www.collegeconsensus.com/about/.

Contact:
Carrie Sealey-Morris
Managing Editor, College Consensus
[email protected]
(512) 710-9901
http://www.collegeconsensus.com/
https://www.facebook.com/collegeconsensus/
TW: @CollegeConsens
IG: @CollegeConsensus

SOURCE College Consensus