Is Online Growth Slowing Down?

The answer is a resounding "No!" according to the 2006 Sloan Report, "Making the Grade: Online Education in the US." In fact, there has been no leveling off whatsoever, with nearly 3.2 million students taking at least one online course during the fall 2005 semester, up from 2.3 million the year before. This additional 800,000 online students is more than twice the number added in any other year. The study also found that the population is non necessarily non-traditional, but tends to mirror the general student population, with the vast majority being undergraduates. What types of institutions have the greatest penetration of online course and program offerings? The answer: doctoral/research institutions - with more than 80% having some form of online offerings. So, if online learning has becomed mainstreamed and offers tremendous potential for increased enrollments, then what's the problem? According to the study, the barriers to adoption are the perceived increased time it takes to develop and teach courses, and some remaining lack of acceptance of online courses by traditional faculty.