Online education as a measure to reduce carbon emissions in Dutch higher education

Online education may be an instrument to substantially decrease the carbon footprint of a higher education institute (HEI) through its potential to reduce education-related student travel. International research identifies this travel behaviour as one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases of a HEI. The presented study explores the carbon emissions associated with student (and staff) travel of Dutch HEIs and the (dis)advantages of online education in higher education (HE).
The travel-related emission data are derived from reports, published by Dutch HEIs, containing the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol calculations of the HEI’s carbon footprint. These data are analysed and compared with international findings. In-depth interviews with Dutch HE professionals specialized in online education/ICT/sustainability, followed by a grounded theory analysis, yield results on their attitude towards online education.
The results show that the contribution of travel-related emissions to the carbon footprint of the investigated Dutch HEIs is between 40 and 90 percent, which is consistent with other international research. To reduce these travel emissions most ICT/sustainability professionals mention stimulating students and staff to use a lower carbon-intensive travel mode as a solution, not online education. The educational professionals consider online education as an opportunity to personalize education to the students’ needs, but also express their concerns about students’ motivation and deteriorated social processes between student and lecturer or fellow-students.
The aforementioned concerns may be addressed by adding face-to-face instruction to online education. Thus it becomes blended education. Further research is needed to investigate how online and blended education affect educational quality and the carbon footprint of a HEI.