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Assessing the Costs of Balancing College and Work Activities: The Gig Economy Meets Online Education. Discussion Paper No. 2052

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Title: Assessing the Costs of Balancing College and Work Activities: The Gig Economy Meets Online Education. Discussion Paper No. 2052
Language: English
Authors: Esteban M. Aucejo, Spencer Perry, Basit Zafar, London School of Economics and Political Science (United Kingdom), Centre for Economic Performance (CEP)
Source: Centre for Economic Performance. 2024.
Availability: Centre for Economic Performance. London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE, UK. Tel: +44-20-7955-7673; Fax: +44-20-7404-0612; e-mail: cep.info@lse.ac.uk; Web site: http://cep.lse.ac.uk
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 85
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Costs, Student Employment, Educational Attainment, Motor Vehicles, Labor Needs, Partnerships in Education, School Business Relationship, State Universities, Corporations, Employees, Online Courses, Cost Effectiveness, Time Management, Study Habits, Flexible Scheduling, Academic Achievement, Low Income Students, College Students, Higher Education
Geographic Terms: Arizona
ISSN: 2042-2695
Abstract: Balancing the demands of work and schooling is a challenging task for an increasing number of students who have to pay their way through college and for workers who intend to upgrade their skills. However, flexible learning and working environments could play an important role in easing many frictions associated with performing both activities simultaneously. Using detailed (work and study effort) data -- from a partnership between Arizona State University and Uber that allows eligible drivers to enroll in online college courses for free -- we analyze how labor supply and study efforts respond to changes in labor market conditions and college activities/tasks. Our findings indicate that a 10% increase in average weekly online college activities reduces weekly time spent on the Uber platform by about 1%, indicating a low "short run" opportunity cost of studying when working. We also show that study time is not particularly sensitive to changes in labor market conditions, where a 10% increase in average weekly pay reduces study hours by only 2%. Consistent with these results, we find that workers take advantage of their flexible schedules by changing their usual working hours when their college courses are more demanding. We do not find adverse effects of work hours on academic performance in this context, or of study hours on workplace performance (as measured by driver ratings or tips). Finally, the (elicited) value assigned to flexible working and educational formats is high among the students in our sample, who view online education as an important vehicle for increasing expected future income. Overall, this study underscores that combining flexible working and learning formats could constitute a suitable path for many (low-SES) students who work to afford an increasingly expensive college education and for workers aiming to improve their skill set.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: ED674575
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: Assessing the Costs of Balancing College and Work Activities: The Gig Economy Meets Online Education. Discussion Paper No. 2052
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Esteban+M%2E+Aucejo%22">Esteban M. Aucejo</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Spencer+Perry%22">Spencer Perry</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Basit+Zafar%22">Basit Zafar</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22London+School+of+Economics+and+Political+Science+%28United+Kingdom%29%2C+Centre+for+Economic+Performance+%28CEP%29%22">London School of Economics and Political Science (United Kingdom), Centre for Economic Performance (CEP)</searchLink>
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  Data: Centre for Economic Performance. London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE, UK. Tel: +44-20-7955-7673; Fax: +44-20-7404-0612; e-mail: cep.info@lse.ac.uk; Web site: http://cep.lse.ac.uk
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  Data: Balancing the demands of work and schooling is a challenging task for an increasing number of students who have to pay their way through college and for workers who intend to upgrade their skills. However, flexible learning and working environments could play an important role in easing many frictions associated with performing both activities simultaneously. Using detailed (work and study effort) data -- from a partnership between Arizona State University and Uber that allows eligible drivers to enroll in online college courses for free -- we analyze how labor supply and study efforts respond to changes in labor market conditions and college activities/tasks. Our findings indicate that a 10% increase in average weekly online college activities reduces weekly time spent on the Uber platform by about 1%, indicating a low "short run" opportunity cost of studying when working. We also show that study time is not particularly sensitive to changes in labor market conditions, where a 10% increase in average weekly pay reduces study hours by only 2%. Consistent with these results, we find that workers take advantage of their flexible schedules by changing their usual working hours when their college courses are more demanding. We do not find adverse effects of work hours on academic performance in this context, or of study hours on workplace performance (as measured by driver ratings or tips). Finally, the (elicited) value assigned to flexible working and educational formats is high among the students in our sample, who view online education as an important vehicle for increasing expected future income. Overall, this study underscores that combining flexible working and learning formats could constitute a suitable path for many (low-SES) students who work to afford an increasingly expensive college education and for workers aiming to improve their skill set.
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    Languages:
      – Text: English
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        PageCount: 85
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Costs
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Employment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational Attainment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Motor Vehicles
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      – SubjectFull: Labor Needs
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Partnerships in Education
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      – SubjectFull: School Business Relationship
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      – SubjectFull: State Universities
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      – SubjectFull: Corporations
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      – SubjectFull: Employees
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Online Courses
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cost Effectiveness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Time Management
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Study Habits
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      – SubjectFull: Flexible Scheduling
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Academic Achievement
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      – SubjectFull: Low Income Students
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      – SubjectFull: College Students
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      – SubjectFull: Higher Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Arizona
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      – TitleFull: Assessing the Costs of Balancing College and Work Activities: The Gig Economy Meets Online Education. Discussion Paper No. 2052
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              Y: 2024
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