Online Education Working Its Way Into All Sectors!
Online education is expanding in leaps and bounds. U.S. News & World Report recently wrote that 25% of all students are taking at least one course online in 2008. This was a 17% increase from 2007. Students have discovered online classes from high school through post-graduate school. The evidence is even stacking up that students learn their lessons just as well through online teaching as face-to-face class work, if not better. There's no reason to believe the number of students getting a degree on line will do anything but grow.
Still, the biggest population of students is adult professionals. Their employers see going online as a convenient and time efficient method for training their employees. They are requiring all manner of personnel to stay on top of the latest innovations in their industry, and have discovered they can do it more rapidly online, as well as more cost effectively. For example, many in the health and insurance field have a series of new rules to learn thanks to Obama's new health care policies and IRS and accountants have to constantly update on the latest tax law. By having employees set up online school accounts, employers wind up with a higher skilled level of personnel. If you need more information about associates degree, look on the internet.
The private sector isn't the only one capitalizing on this trend. Online education has proven to be so effective the U.S. Air Force announced all its personnel orientation and supervisor training through e-learning through online colleges. The approach allows military students and workers to get online educations without interrupting their careers, both when they are stationed overseas and when awaiting assignment at a domestic base.
This goes beyond cadets, airmen and officers, too. The Air Force employs a number of civilians for non-combat related services with outside contractors. New civilian employees and contractors must take seven online modules on how to conduct business with them. It's working so well nearly 8,000 people use it. The Air Force also requires the 4,000 new supervisors a year to complete a minimum of three virtual classes.
One reason the online approach works so well for employers is their personnel can work on their classes literally any time they are free, thus not having to take time off of work to go to a brick-and-mortar school. Some classes also allow webcams so they can communicate over live video links with their instructors and fellow classmates. There is an abundance of information about online bachelor degree on the web. So how rapidly is this form of education growing? It's become so popular some schools have to turn students away from its projects, particularly when it comes to a masters degree. The Air Force accepted just 150 of the 600 applicants for its free classes in military operational art and science.
Other federal agencies are taking tips from the Air Force's policy. The U.S. Health and Human Services Department is recommending virtual classes for its employees who need developmental training. They have also set up forums for those who just want to share tips with colleagues wherever the department has personnel. The U.S. Army has also set up its own system for both its officers and troopers, which they can take whether stationed in New Jersey or Iraq.
A online college degree is the way to go for a growing segment of the learning population. An online bachelors degreelets those in the workforce climb just a little faster.
