ACCESS GRANTED: Online education has been lauded for its potential to increase access and affordability for higher education. A working paper from the National Bureau for Economic Research provides evidence that it’s delivering on that promise. Researchers studied Georgia Institute of Technology’s master’s in computer science program—one of the earliest programs to combine an online option with a highly ranked degree—and found that “low-cost, high-quality online options may open opportunities for populations who would not otherwise pursue education.” That single program will boost annual production of U.S. CS master’s degrees by about 7 percent, according to the researchers.
