The rate of enrollment in distance learning courses surpasses the growth in enrollment in face-to-face classes nationally, and two-year associate-degree institutions (community colleges) not only had the highest annual growth rate at 24 percent but also accounted for half of the online enrollments for the past five years. 

Four-year universities, on the other hand, had the lowest online enrollments and the smallest annual growth rate, at 6.9 percent.

That’s the news from a recent study on distance learning conducted by the Sloan Consortium. Read more here. 

But it isn’t surprising–community colleges were the pioneers in distance learning because their priority is finding low-cost ways to deliver education to students who may be working, raising a family, or living far from campus.  Four-year universities offer some online options, but their focus is on creating a campus experience (for which they can charge much higher prices) in which to deliver education.

Savvy students recognize that combining both can be a powerful way to get a great education.  Most early undergrad classes can be taught easily online, and learning on your own is often a more intense and personal educational experience (at least, in basic courses) than sitting in a huge lecture hall. 

But there’s a trick to making this work.  You’ve got to know which courses are smart to take online and which ones are going to be more valuable if you’re in an actual classroom.  There’s a sweet spot, and if you go beyond it, you’ll be wasting time and money and end up retaking courses once you transfer.

The sweetest spot of all is figuring out how to get credit for online courses–strategically selected, of course–that transfer seamlessly to four-year institutions.  You can get study-abroad semesters and independent learning experiences counted at the four-year schools, too, without spending four-year school prices. 

If you want to save thousands of dollars, one way to do that is to get innovative about taking online courses and to get smart about WHICH ones you choose.

More on that in my book, The World Is Your Campus.  By getting creative, you can get an outrageously relevant global college education that doesn’t cost a fortune!

Here we are! 

I’ve moved around a bit but now that the book title is firmed up (relatively), this is where the blog will stay.

Watch for an exciting announcement soon about the publisher of

The World Is Your Campus:  How to Skip the SAT, Save Thousands On Tuition, and Get An Outrageously Relevant Education.

It’s not that I think online learning is going to replace face-to-face class time in all cases.  It’s just that it is becoming an accepted part of a relevant education. 

You get to choose how much of your education you get online.  For some, it will be a large percentage.  For others, just a class or two.  The point is that it’s a viable option that is growing rapidly, and ALL students need to be familiar with what’s available at the education smorgasbord so that they can create the best combo platter for themselves. 

According to the fifth annual study conducted by the Sloan Consortium, a group of institutions and organizations dedicated to improving the quality, scale and breadth of online programs, we can expect a continued focus on the development of e-learning options. 

Their report, based on responses from more than 2,500 colleges and universities, revealed the following nuggets:

**Almost 3.5 million students were taking at least one online course during the fall 2006 term; a nearly 10 percent increase over the number reported the previous year.

**Much of the past growth in online enrollments has been fueled by new institutions entering the online learning arena.  This transition is now nearing its end; most institutions that plan to offer online education are already doing so.

**Institutions that are the most engaged in online education cite increasing the rate of degree completion as a very important objective; this is not as important for institutions that are not as engaged in online learning.  [Note:  most four-year institutions--including the most expensive ones--are in no hurry to help you graduate early.]

**Virtually all (83 percent) institutions with online offerings expect their online enrollments to increase over the coming year.

I found it interesting that most academics believe the biggest barrier to online learning is a lack of discipline on the part of online students.  This was the same response that showed up in last year’s survey. 

Students love the idea of studying online, but not all of them have the motivation to check in regularly, keep up to date with readings and assignments, and get their work turned in on time.

Apparently, some students need a bit of nagging.  Perhaps someone will develop a virtual Eve  (see below) that will cajole students who need an extra (virtual) kick in the pants.

Read the full Sloan report here.

Some interesting things are happening down at Massey University in New Zealand.  The e-learning and computer worlds are abuzz with the news of a decidedly hip and unexpectedly caring teacher named Eve.

Massey scientists, led by Dr Hossein Sarrafzadeh at the Auckland-based Institute of Information and Mathematical Sciences, have created Eve, a computer-generated teacher that can actually adapt its responses to the emotional state of students by interaction through a computer.  

Referred to as an intelligent or affective tutoring system, the “Easy With Eve” system is the first of its kind.

Dr Sarrafzadeh says the researchers wanted to create a virtual teacher that could pick up body language and facial expressions – like a real teacher – to interact and to ensure they are holding the attention of students.

Though Eve was developed to teach math to eight-year-olds, there are exciting possibilities for all levels and fields of online learning.  

Linked to a child via computer, the animated character or virtual tutor can tell if the child is frustrated, angry or confused by the on-screen teaching session and can adapt the tutoring session appropriately.

The animated Eve (with a human-sounding and very New Zealand voice) can ask questions, give feedback, discuss questions and solutions and show emotion. To develop the software for this system, the Massey team observed children and their interactions with teachers and captured them on thousands of images.

Interesting.  I think there was a bit of computer-geek fantasy going on with her design (see above).  I mean, does her hair have to be so, well, sexy?  And that title–”Easy With Eve”–well, perhaps it’s just me, but I think she’s geared for the 25-year-old male, not eight-year-olds.

Then again, maybe she is the cool tutor every eight year old dreams of. 

What matters most, of course, is if Eve inspires kids to learn and helps them when they are struggling.  It sounds like she has been designed to do precisely that.

Hmmm.  Could this be the solution to the teacher shortage?

See the intro video here

If you’ve done any searching for online courses, you’ve probably come across DeVry University.  DeVry University has grown to become one of the largest degree-granting higher education systems in North America, with more than 52,000 students enrolled in programs online and on-site at its 88 locations in 25 U.S. states and Canada.

But it might surprise you to learn that this university was named after Dr. Herman DeVry, a motion picture engineer from Chicago who pioneered the concept of “visual distance learning” 95 years ago. 

Back in 1912, Dr. DeVry unveiled the prototype of his soon-to-be-famous Model E 35mm portable movie projector, or as he liked to call it, his “Theater in a Suitcase.” For the first time, moving images, whether of foreign societies in motion or step-by-step instructions for complex tasks, could be distributed to student audiences regardless of their location. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, where the projector is part of its Photographic History Collection, called DeVry’s 1912 silent movie projector the most advanced educational-enabling technology of its time.  

I think Dr. DeVry would be astounded to see how the concept of that little projector has changed the world of education.  Video has become a powerful educational tool, and online video in particular is transforming the way children and adults are learning from their teachers. The United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) is celebrating the tremendous growth and accomplishments occurring today in distance learning programs offered by schools, businesses and governmental departments. According to the USDLA, there are currently more than 2.5 million college students taking online courses and/or earning online college degrees, and over 700,000 high school students are taking one or more courses online.

And the percentage of students who are taking online courses is growing at double-digit rates each year.

Here’s a tip o’ the hat to Dr. DeVry and his visionary use of technology.

We’re reading less and we’re reading less well.

That’s the conclusion of a recent report by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) called To Read or Not To Read: A Question of National Consequence, a new and comprehensive analysis of reading patterns in the United States. To Read or Not To Read gathers statistics from more than 40 studies on the reading habits and skills of children, teenagers, and adults.

The bottom line?  We’ve got a serious decline in both the time spent on voluntary reading and the test scores for reading skills. 

You can read more here– I mean, if you’re so inclined.

Books are fabulous and we should encourage everyone to read more of them, but I believe there is a shift from reading books to other forms of reading, and it might show up initially as fewer reported hours spent doing so.

Reading of all kinds helps us develop our comprehension skills and vocabulary.  We need to do more of it, and we can certainly choose to read whatever we like.

Now I want to admit something:  I don’t read a lot of books.  It’s not that I don’t want to.  But I live in Argentina, where it’s hard to find the books I want to read in English and ordering them is prohibitively expensive. 

But I spend probably six hours a day reading.  It’s just that I am reading ONLINE. 

I read education blogs.  I read travel blogs.  I read Spanish lessons.  I read emails and news and reviews of books and interviews with authors and teachers and school folks of all kinds. 

Yes, kids are watching TV, playing video games, whatever, and they aren’t reading the way I did as a kid.  Even my own kids didn’t read the way I did–there were far more distractions for them than there were for me. 

And though they might not have devoured the Nancy Drew mysteries or Reader’s Digest Condensed Books like I did in elementary school, they were learning about other countries online, looking up recipes, viewing sites on subjects that interested them, etc.  They were reading in different ways, assimilating different kinds of information and learning more about the great big world whereas I spent a lot of time immersed in fiction. 

Which is better?  Well, I don’t know.  But reading is looking different these days, and it NEEDS to look different.

I’m glad that the Harry Potter books inspired millions of kids to read.  Anything that turns kids on to reading is a good thing.  But there is new content now that might prove even more, well, relevant than what kids can find in novels. 

I guess I’m not one for hand-wringing sorts of commentary.  I’d rather look at how we can improve reading (and interest in reading) by doing it differently than bemoan the lower book count per person.

We can do that.  We ARE doing that in some ways.  Students who learn online are relying solely upon written-word lessons as opposed to lectures.  That’s reading, baby.  And the double-digit growth in online learning means there is definitely interest in reading course material as opposed to listening to it in a classroom setting. 

So, I’m not a gloom-and-doomer.  We are reading and we are encouraging reading.  It just looks different.

Our tests and studies might show some bumps as things shift, but that doesn’t mean the shift is going to be disastrous.

Let’s keep reading and keep encouraging our kids to read–in whatever format they choose.

This happens to be National Distance Learning Week (November 12th through 16th), an opportunity to promote and celebrate the tremendous growth and accomplishments occurring today in distance learning programs offered by schools, businesses, and governmental departments.

According to the website:

Currently, over 2.5 million college students are taking online course and/or earning online college degrees. At the secondary school level, over 700,000 high school students are taking one or more courses online, and nearly 40 states have established state-wide or state-lead virtual schools. Michigan became the first state in 2007 to require high school students take at least one online course for graduation.

Distance learning is completely transforming the education landscape.  The dramatic shift from place-based learning to student-based learning is profoundly altering access to education and creating new opportunities for learning at every age and in every field. 

College students today will take at least one online course before graduation, and children as young as five are discovering the joys of interactive learning online and building relationships with teachers and students in completely new ways.

As in all major shifts, we can choose how we respond.  We can go all alarmist and say that education will never be the same again–and, well, that is true.  But there’s no reason to think that online learning will decrease the value or relevance of education or turn college into a stay-in-your-room-all-day proposition. 

We need to see that distance learning has enormous potential to enhance the traditional classroom-oriented educational experience by providing more options to those who want to learn but need the flexibility that online courses provide.  

With double-digit growth every year, distance learning is proving to be a powerful force capable of turning non-students into students. 

That’s worth celebrating. 

In a recent press release from Insight School CA-LA, I found some interesting examples of the

kinds of students who are turning to virtual high schools. 

**Those who cannnot attend school regularly due to illness or injury.

**Those who are competing in sports or other pursuits that require a great deal of time.

**Those who are looking for a way to avoid the peer pressure, drugs, and other distractions of their local high school.

Read the article here to learn about a student suffering from Crohn’s disease, a young competitive bowler, and a student who is avoiding negative influences and exploring her passion–boxing. 

I’ve a fan of online learning.  I’m a fan of ALL kinds of learning, and here at Free Agent U, we don’t get into the whole my-way-or-the-highway approach.  We embrace all of the options and put together our own perfect blend of education opportunities, experiential learning, travel, volunteering and more. 

Life is rich.  We have so many great options when it comes to getting an outrageously relevant education.  The only reason to follow one prescribed path is if you’ve taken a look at all the possibilities and decided to immerse yourself in what you believe is your very best option.

Otherwise—-your role as a student is to explore, and your job as a parent or mentor is to help your student discover the tools, media, methods, instructors, venues and options available.

Get out and see how you might incorporate whatever inspires you into your own education plan.

As a Free Agent, you get to choose.

Cool, huh?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/dGCJ46vyR9o]

Sooooo….is technology the solution to our education woes?  Or is it creating a whole new layer of challenges? 

How do college students learn today?  In what ways is technology allowing them to learn more?

What’s really going on in the college classroom?

Hmmm.  You’d better watch this video.

My take?  Technology is most useful in higher education when one is NOT in a classroom setting–online courses, virtual schools, tutoring online, etc.  Sure, the wikis and blogs can be great, the nings and the FlashMeetings and all the other tech bells and whistles can add tremendous value to those who are learning virtually.  But in the bricks-and-mortar classroom?  At the college level?  No.

Young children can benefit greatly from interactive tech tools in the classroom that enhance education by engaging different learning styles.  But at a certain point–and I’m guessing maybe late middle school–it’s more important for students to spend their face-to-face time without the laptops. 

Oh, but here’s the key:  we need less face-to-face time in high school.  Period.  Oooh.  Radical, I know.  But there’s nothing more likely to turn off a passionate learner than spending hours in a dull class with others who don’t give a rip about the subject matter or the teacher. 

Sure, kids need mentors.  Absolutely.  Just one outstanding teacher can make all the difference.  But the school day is too long, the school year is too short, and the traditional path to graduation is interminable.

We need change.  Good news:  the solutions already exist, and there are plenty of savvy students (and parents) already clued in.

Stay tuned.

Cheers can be heard from school administrators who are “place-bound” and longing to earn a doctoral degree in education. 

Regents gave the green light to Texas A&M University to offer online courses to education doctoral students studying curriculum and instruction.