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More Students Use Online Education from High School to College
By Catherine Groux
Posted May 25, 2012 12:34 PM
Students begin using online education early in their academic careers.In the era of technology, the Internet has established itself as an integral part of education, giving students the chance to engage in personalized lessons regardless of whether or not they are in a classroom. The use of online education begins early in students' academic paths, as a new report by the Department of Education shows that in 2009-2010, about 53% of public school districts allowed high school students to enroll in distance learning courses. During this academic year, about 1.3 million of them used distance learning, compared to only .3 million five years earlier.
"There's really been a big shift in how these courses are delivered," Jack Buckley, commissioner for the National Center for Education Statistics, told The Huffington Post.
Students' participation in online courses does not end in high school. Various reports show that when these tech-savvy students get to college, they are also willing to take some of their classes over the Internet. According to a 2011 survey by the Sloan Consortium, more than 6.1 million college students took at least one web-based class in the fall 2010 semester, marking an increase of 10% from the previous year.
Community colleges in particular saw an 8.2% growth in the number of students taking online courses between the fall 2010 and fall 2011 semesters, according to a 2011 report by the Instructional Technology Council.
"We see online education as the great tool of the 21st century," Fred Lokken, the council's chair, told Inside Higher Ed. "I think it will ultimately become the most common way in which students attend [community college]."
