Written by: Jessica Montgomery
Published: 05/24/2006

Online Degrees Grow in Popularity

Despite initial setbacks, online degree programs have boomed in the last ten years, and are now an integral part of many universities’ long-term strategy. Eduventures, a Boston firm that studies trends in education, predicts that by early 2008, 1 in 10 college students will be enrolled in an online degree program.

While e-learning may not be well-suited for young learners who have not developed the discipline to study independently, online programs have drawn most of their student body from the adult age group. Jack M. Wilson, president of the University of Massachusetts, which started online programs in 1999, says the average online student there is between the ages of 24 and 50, and working.

The University of Maryland University College has more than quadrupled its number of online students in the past seven years, from 9,696 in 1998 to over 51,000 in 2005. Paul J. Fekete, an international economic consultant and professor for UMUC online classes, finds the caliber of students quite good. “They have motivation because they are forced to put their views in writing, which can be much more difficult than just a quick answer in class,” he said. He added that distance group projects also pose a challenge for students.

Angela Bostic, an MBA student who spent most of her time studying from Brusells for the UMUC degree, agrees. “I actually feel like I am learning more,” she said. “The dynamic is such that you have to learn how to effectively communicate in the written form. That is actually more of a task than speaking in class.”

The largest increase in online education has been in associate degree institutions, where 72 percent now agree that it is part of their institution’s long-term strategy, up from 58 percent in 2003.

Related Links:

Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/15/AR2006051501496.html