The innovation of online education improves the quality of educational experience by building rich educational programs that can be used in various learning environments. The success in online education and online instruction stems from using the best approaches to distance learning

Dating back to the late 1800 distance education is associated with online education. In 1996, founders Glenn Jones and Bernard Luskin created the first accredited online university, called Jones International University. Since the inception of distance learning, online learning has grown in popularity and has given traditional campus learning a run for its money. Now distance learning is fully functional and attractive to millions of students nationwide. Online schools have come a long way and will continue to move forward in the right direction.

The future of Online Education

Reports show that online education grew 13 percent last year and had been growing at about 20 percent in previous years. According to the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, online education is a growing industry in the United States with estimated revenues of around $12 billion at a dozen or so for-profit companies that provide primarily online learning.

Transformation of Online Education

Richard Garrett of Boston consultant Eduventures Inc. said interest in online education may have plateaued for now, awaiting innovations that will transform the experience beyond screen imitations of the brick-and-mortar curriculum.

“We are still at a pretty rudimentary stage,” Garrett said, noting educators rarely employ video, unique links, or other technological innovations.

“Will it be games? Will it be simulations? Will it be social networking? Will it be something we haven’t yet come across?” he said.

Evolution of Online Education

Online education has evolved over the years and continues to explode at all school levels. Even though there have been a lot of changes in online education some things have remained the same. The majority of online courses are organized in much the same way as their campus counterparts. As a matter of fact, most online schools are an extension from the brick-and-motor institutions. In order to remain competitive, most online schools follow traditional academic standards and are accredited by reputable accrediting agencies.

Online Education meeting the needs of Everyone

Online education trend is likely to increase as more and more higher education institutions harness the capabilities of technology to reach a wider audience of student nationwide with online courses and degree programs to fit students’ needs. Today, many online institutions have learned that over time online courses will help to free up classroom space for other courses that might better utilize campus facilities, while providing easy access to online education for those who cannot attend on-campus classes.