Course Submission, Participation Trends, and the Pandemic

Life seems to be returning to pre-pandemic days—with folks socializing, traveling, and enjoying concerts and other indoor events. We all know that many of 2020’s in-person courses were either canceled or converted to distance learning events. Three years on, CE staff wondered if the shifts seen during the pandemic in Provider and participant behavior were temporary or if they were early signs of enduring change. CE staff examined the most recent 5 years (2018–2022) of ASHA Approved CE Provider and participant reporting data, looking for (a) trends in the types and locations of courses being submitted by our Providers and (b) shifts in participant course selection behavior. We found three things of note when examining the data:

• Growth in blended course type submissions and number of reported participants. These numbers grew, whereas the number of group and individual course submissions and reported participation in those courses was relatively stable over the same period. About 6,000 courses were submitted, and more than 1 million participants reported each year between 2020 and 2022. Here are the blended course type data for the same period:
  • 2022: 152 blended courses were submitted, and 22,000+ participants reported
  • 2021: 93 blended courses were submitted, and 16,000+ participants reported
  • 2020: 57 blended courses were submitted, and 3,800+ participants reported

Some but not all of this growth can be attributed to the number of blended conferences conducted during the pandemic.

• Slight return of in-person course offerings. We looked at the percentage of course offerings conducted in-person—that is, the Provider listed a physical location for the offering. Early signs are showing that in-person course offerings are making a mild comeback. However, it is far from 2018, where in-person format accounted for 30% of all course offerings held and 20% of all course offering completions. In 2022, in-person course offerings represented 7% of all course offerings and 6% of total participants, rising from 6% and 3%, respectively, in 2021.
• Continued participant preference for distance learning. The number of participants engaging in course offerings, regardless of course offering type, not conducted in a physical location (a.k.a. distance learning) has been on the rise for many years. In 2018, 80% of participants reported completed distance learning course offerings. The percentage increased to 97% in 2021 before decreasing to 94% in 2022.

How do these findings align with what your organization is doing and experiencing in this post-pandemic world?