The Kept-Up Academic Librarian

By 2014 Millions Of Students Will Earn Diplomas Online

According to Ambient Insight Chief Research Officer Sam S. Adkins, already some 1.25 million students in higher education programs take all of their classes online, while another 10.65 take some of their classes online. The two groups are still outnumbered by students who take all of their courses in physical classrooms, which Ambient Insight reckoned at 15.14 million as of 2009. But this situation will change drastically by 2014, at which time, Adkins forecast, only 5.14 million students will take all of their courses in a physical classroom, while 3.55 million will take all of their classes online, and 18.65 million will take some of their classes online. Read more at:
http://campustechnology.com/articles/2009/10/28/most-college-students-to-take-classes-online-by-2014.aspx

Adult Learners In Online Courses Is Higher Ed's Growth Market

They live in different towns, but one evening -- without leaving the comfort of their homes -- a dozen or so college instructors gathered around a virtual campfire on the virtual campus of Drury University. Empowered by technologies and driven by student demand, local universities and colleges are making big strides in their offerings of online classes, posting double-digit growth semester over semester. With financial backing from their schools, local online educators say they hope to meet the desires of a changing student population while grabbing their share of this growing online education market, unfettered by campus walls. Read more at: http://www.news-leader.com/article/2009910260349

Online Learning A Wake-Up Call For Traditional Higher Ed

In many ways, education hasn’t changed much since students sat at the feet of Socrates more than two millenniums ago. Learners still gather each autumn at colleges to listen to and be questioned by professors. But the Internet has caused sudden shifts in other industries, from the way people read news to the way they buy music or plan travel. Might higher education be nearing such a jolt? Many have theorized that the Internet could give education a rude shock. Read more at:
http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2009/10/15/the-future-of-college-may-be-virtual/

HR Professionals View Online Degrees More Favorably

While there is still a stigma attached to online education, new data indicate that employer perception of online schools is changing. Adult mid-career professionals, in particular, are flocking to study in online courses and even earn entire degrees through distance learning. The benefits are obvious: They offer convenience, accommodating work and family schedules. As such, institutions offering online degrees have proliferated in the adult and higher education landscape to meet these needs.However, many people remain concerned about a certain stigma being attached to their online coursework. In a July 2009 survey of human resources (HR) professionals across industries, 76 percent of respondents said they view online university degrees more favorably today than they did five years ago. Read more at:
http://news.thomasnet.com/IMT/archives/2009/10/online-college-degrees-viewed-more-favorably-according-to-reports-still-some-skepticism.html?t=recent

Time For Online Learning To Be Taken Seriously

Children born since the dawn of the Internet Age probably wouldn't think twice about learning online. They might just as soon read a Shakespeare sonnet on Twitter as hear it live from a teacher in a classroom. And yet the educational establishment still debates whether e-learning (aka "virtual schooling" or "distance education") can be as good as traditional in-person teaching in a campus setting. The Education Department is making plans to create free, online courses for the nation's 1,200 community colleges – which teach nearly half of undergrads – to make it easier for students to learn basic skills for jobs. The courses would be offered as part of a "national skills college" managed by the department. Read more at:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0831/p08s01-comv.html

Online Education Reaches New Market

As the job market grows softer and less nourishing than a jelly doughnut, reports show more people are returning to school to immunize their careers and feed their souls. But "school" is not necessarily the idyll of leafy campuses and long afternoons arguing philosophy in oak-paneled rooms. Online education, long an ugly duckling of the ivory towers of the world, is coming into its swan years. Though distance learning has mostly served older working adults, online education is now attracting a younger generation. Read more at:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/02/CMLM18L4MG.DTL&feed=rss.education

Troubled Economy Fuels Growth Of Online Learning

While the troubled economy may be bad news for GM dealers or people selling their houses, it's creating a greater demand for online college courses. Enrollment is growing steadily, especially among older, working students. The courses offer them a way to gain additional skills that could provide insurance if they get laid off or give them better credentials in the job market. Whether inspired by the economic slowdown or the high cost of a traditional college education, online learning is growing at a much faster rate than traditional classroom learning. Read more at:
http://www.courant.com/business/hc-online-degrees-atwork0727.artjul27,0,52040.story

Going Where The Students Are With Branch Campuses

Higher education is moving to where the students are, with satellite centers and branch campuses popping up all across traffic-clogged metropolitan areas. Four area universities will join Prairie View A&M University in northwest Houston next spring, ending an ongoing turf battle over who will serve the fast-growing affluent area. Students at these far-flung campuses — most of them 25 or older, juggling jobs and families along with their studies — say they look for the right mix of location, schedule and program. Read more at:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6512628.html

Jack Welch Puts His Name Behind An Online MBA

Former General Electric Co. Chief Executive Jack Welch is putting his name and money behind a little-known educational entrepreneur, injecting some star power into the budding industry of online education. Mr. Welch is paying more than $2 million for a 12% stake in Chancellor University System LLC, which is converting formerly bankrupt Myers University in Cleveland into Chancellor University. It plans to offer most courses online. Chancellor will name its Master of Business Administration program The Jack Welch Institute. Mr. Welch's name may help add allure to for-profit, online education, which is growing rapidly despite nagging questions about quality. Read more at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124562232014535347.html

University Of The People Begins With 150 Students

An Israeli entrepreneur who has started what is believed to be the world's first tuition-free online university said Saturday he hopes the effort will expand education to less fortunate people around the world.
Shai Reshef said University of the People has about 150 students from 35 countries who have enrolled since the school began last week. He hopes to expand the program to include 15,000 students in four years. "It's a simple idea. Take social networking and apply it to academia," said Reshef. The university, which is seeking accreditation in the United States, offers two undergraduate programs in business administration and computer science in English. Read more at: http://www.technologyreview.com/wire/22670/?nlid=2045