Higher Education Embraces Online Learning

For many companies, elearning software provides a way to train employees from different backgrounds and ensure that they’re all ready to successfully execute the job they were hired to do. However, the business sector isn’t the only place you can find people learning in front of computer screens, as Web-based instruction is more popular than ever in the education field.

Students attracted to online learning
While plenty of college students still trek across campus and take a seat in physical lecture halls, more and more degree seekers are embracing the convenience that comes with taking courses over the Internet.

The 2013 report “Grade Change: Tracking Online Education in the United States,” from the Babson Survey Research Group, Pearson and the Sloan Consortium, reveals just how many students are choosing to take classes online. In the fall of 2002, for instance, about 1.6 million students were taking at least one Web-based course. By the fall of 2012, this figure had increased to about 7.1 million.

Schools of all types embracing distance learning
When schools first began to provide online education, many people may have been skeptical of its quality, or viewed it as nothing more than a passing fad. Today, however, academic institutions of all shapes and sizes offer students a chance to earn a degree online. Harvard University, Stanford University and New York University are among the schools that provide online courses.

“The rate of growth in online enrollments remains extremely robust, even as overall higher education enrollments have shown a decline,” said Jeff Seaman, co-director of the Babson Survey Research Group, as quoted by a press release.

The benefits of online course software
Of course, the growth in the popularity of online education shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. After all, Web-based instruction provides a level of convenience many people find quite appealing.

Nontraditional students, such as older adults, working professionals and parents, can especially benefit from taking courses online. Balancing a job or a family can make it difficult for these individuals to find the time in their busy schedules to attend regular classes. If they can sit down in front of a computer in the comfort of their own home and start learning whenever is most convenient for them, they don’t have to give up on their academic goals.