Roughly two-thirds of colleges are making it a priority to create virtual versions of on-campus classes and programs, according to an annual survey of chief online learning officers.

College officials likely see creating online versions of existing programs as easier than launching entirely new academic programs, according to the report.

However, 48% of chief online learning officers still said their priorities included launching new online programs with no campus equivalent.

The ninth Changing Landscape of Online Education report — from Eduventures Research, Quality Matters and Educause — offers a look at how colleges are approaching online education.

“While institutions exhibit varying approaches and priorities in their online strategies, there appears to be a common acknowledgment of the driving forces behind the expansion of online offerings and associated marketing efforts: recruiting new students and fulfilling current students’ needs,” the report’s authors wrote.

The survey found 69% of respondents said it’s a priority to create virtual versions of on-campus classes.

A slightly lower share, 65%, said the same about launching virtual versions of entire in-person degree programs.

This result suggests launching online programs may be a growing priority. In last year’s CHLOE survey, 42% of chief online learning officers said they were focusing on creating virtual versions of popular in-person programs.

The vast majority of respondents, 92%, said online offerings allow them to recruit students within their institutions’ regions, while 87% said it enables them to reach students outside of their traditional borders.

Almost half of respondents, 46%, said online enrollment at their colleges is outpacing growth in on-campus programs.

The survey asked respondents to forecast their top three online student markets for the future. More than three-quarters of respondents, 78%, listed adult undergraduates pursuing college degrees.

Adult students are typically considered those ages 25 and older. Colleges have been ramping up their efforts to recruit this population to prepare for the demographic cliff — a sharp decline in the number of high school graduates expected to start around 2025 due to lower birth rates during the Great Recession.

Read the full article about virtual versions of on-campus classes by Natalie Schwartz at Higher Ed Dive.