1 in 5 Students Nationwide Taking Online Courses

The 9.7 percent growth rate for online enrollments far exceeds the 1.5 percent growth of the overall higher education student population. Nearly one in five college students takes at least one class online, according to a fifth annual report, with Fall 2006 totals reaching 3.5 million. The survey also shows:

• Highest growth rate has been seen in the undergraduate area, for the last five years.
• Institutions cite increasing the rate of degree completion as a very important objective.
• Virtually all (83 percent) institutions with online offerings expect their online enrollments to increase over the coming year.
• Faculty acceptance of online instruction remains a key issue only for the less-engaged institutions who do not incorporate online learning into the school’s strategic plan.
  

For the complete SLOAN report, go to http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/survey/index.asp For a more personal look, see this follow-up story in NPR News: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16638700