subject: Distance Learning And Education: Going Worldwide In The Near Future [print this page] It is heartening to learn that when it concerns distance learning and education there has been a worldwide swell in popularity with many educators finding this form of education to be a vehicle with which to better the many millions of people in different and remote places on the planet. Government agencies and many companies from the private and public sector are investing their time and money in getting involved with distance learning and education.
Rosy Future
The future is indeed rosy when one thinks about what lies in store as far as distance learning and education goes. For those who feel that they would benefit from distance learning, there is good news in that there are many educational programs becoming available that can be completed in this way. In fact there is a real headwind blowing that is sweeping everyone in its wake.
The main factor that is fueling this tremendous growth in distance learning education is of course the many well known universities and even traditional colleges that are revamping their traditional courses and making them available to students who can learn without having to physically attend or enter an institution of education.
Other factors that are promoting distance learning and education include the fact that as many as one hundred and thirty-three million U.S. adults (or, sixty-six percent) are known to have their own Internet access. This is a very strong motivating force that is driving colleges and universities to include distance learning as an integral part of their services.
Another interesting fact related to distance learning and education is that it is believed as high as ninety percent of the U.S. collegiate population has access to the Internet and about fifty percent access the web on a daily basis. This fact is not lost on the educational big-wigs who have been quick to recognize the potential that such figures show and thus they are losing no time in also creating more opportunities for distance learning and education.
From past figures, it has also been learned that just in the year 2004, there were an estimated eighty-seven percent of all colleges that offered four-year courses also offering distance learning. This is an estimated sixty-two percent jump in this form of education from just six years previously. In fact, it is believed that a quarter of all colleges and universities have added distance learning education programs between the period of 1998 to 2004.
There are millions of U.S. students who are involved in distance learning and education and this growth has also been noticed on the global level. So some companies have planned to spend an estimated two hundred seventy billion dollars in providing in-house as well as distance learning educational programs.
It is easy to see that the new direction that distance learning and education is taking is also making it easy to obtain a distance learning higher education in a more convenient manner. It is also expected that in the future distance learning will start to include teaching courses in more than just one language. This will then help to truly globalize distance learning and education and change the way that people learn things.
