Current Trends in distance education Over the last decade, the field of distance education (and e-learning) has substantially strengthened and assumed a more international scope. There has been an impressive growth in the conceptual, empirical and experiential foundations of the field. The Value of Distance Learning – This first trend is great news for all involved in the eLearning community. With the number of people earning online degrees or participating in some type of distance learning program growing exponentially each year, the marketplace is continuously placing more and more value on online education. As additional brick and mortar learning institutions, such as established colleges and universities, begin to add or grow their online course offerings, the value of distance learning in the marketplace will simply continue to grow as we Growth Rate – Speaking of the growth rate for enrollment in eLearning courses, experts predict that online education enrollment will continue to eclipse enrollment rates in traditional school settings. One source is reporting the current distance learning enrollment growth rate to be as high as 21%, while the brick and mortar school enrollment growth is a meager 2%. Again, eLearning enrollment is expected to continue this rapid growth as more and more distance learning courses and programs become available and technology continues to advance. Distance education has already become more than an alternative form of delivery. It has shaken up the educational establishment, especially at higher education and corporate levels. Precisely because of this success, though, assessing potential at midstream can be a challenge.

Current Trends In Distance Education