VIP Online Education

Can you really get a decent education online? That's like asking if shopping on the Internet is easy!

Online education is really just a tech-savvy form of distance education. Once upon a time, distance education began as what is commonly known as a "correspondence course." The first in the America dates back to approximately 1728 when there wasn't even a U.S. yet. It was an offer to learn shorthand through the mail. After that, thanks to the improved mail system and the shear vastness of the United States that correspondence colleges flourished.

Another name for online education is remote learning. Many universities offer degrees which can be earned through online studies programs.

The Modern History of Distance Education

The modern champion of distance education in America is Charles Wedemeyer of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. But backing this pioneer was the Carnegie Foundation who funded his Articulated Instructional Media Project (AIM) from 1964-1968. He recommended the use of a number of communications technologies to provide off-campus to a rural populace. But the greatest first experiment in distance learning was the creation of the Open University, now called the United Kingdom Open University. The Brits had picked up on Wedemeyer's model and used TV and radio to reach those who couldn't otherwise enhance their educations. But in Wedemeyer's day, the greatest drawback was the timeline for feedback between students and educators. A question could only be asked or answered by mail or telephone.

The Internet: Near Instant Access

The dawn of the Internet Age, the term distance education has all but been replaced by the phrase "online education" because of the Net's place in the field.

Thanks to computers in every home and high-speed access, online distance learning has never been easier or faster. For example Phoenix University is almost exclusively an online university. It boasts 200,000 students and expects to have an enrollment of half a million by 2010!

But it isn't just upstart, for-profit institutions like Phoenix who see the benefits of offering courses and degrees to the online populace. The Sloan Consortium did a study in 2006 that showed more than 96% of the largest colleges and universities in America had online courses. It also claimed that over 3,000,000 people were taking at least one online course during the 2005 fall term.

The names of the institutes of learning and the subjects and degrees being taught are far too numerous to list. But online learning seems to be the wave of the future, especially with the skyrocketing costs of traditional secondary school educations. Bear in mind that these are no fly-by-night correspondence courses. No, very serious students intent on getting the best educations are turning to online education. Even k-12 students can receive their educations at home or in groups through tax-supported public schooling!

With teaching certificates and diplomas offered for associate degrees, baccalaureate degrees as well as advanced degrees such as masters, online education holds the promise of a brighter future for Americans and for our nation. With the breaking down of geographical and financial barriers which restrict access to many in rural and inner-city communities, online education is fast becoming the great equalizer for educational opportunity, not only here, but worldwide. And with the degree that eluded so many for so long, at long last no one need stand in line to receive a VIP education on line. Learn how to pick an online education provider here!