Online Courses Expected to Play Integral Role in Higher Education; Long-distance Learning is Increasingly Flexible, Affordable and Relevant
According to a recent study by Merrill Lynch, online courses constitute just $350 million of the $240 billion higher education industry today, but will grow to $2 billion by 2003. Though the estimate is still paltry when compared to the overall industry, the fact that online education is growing exponentially is causing all kinds of educators to ponder delivery methods for future courses.
“We believe that we’re seeing just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the number of online courses available,” says Brent Handler, CEO of IQdestination, a Denver-based company educating technology professionals nationally with a full range of online courses. “For instance, we’re able to offer IT professionals 1,600 courses online. These courses are affordable, convenient and highly customized. We’re seeing similar trends in other industries. It seems that everyone from students to mechanics to linguists would like to take courses online.”
According to the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University, 61 percent of workers want access to training via distance learning. Currently only 26 percent have such an opportunity. Not surprisingly, educational institutions are at the forefront of the movement. In fact, 72 percent of all colleges now offer some kind of distance learning, up from 48 percent in 1998.
“Online courses will play an increasingly significant role in educating and training,” Handler says. “The Internet, after all, allows students and workers to take highly-specialized courses that might not be locally available in traditional classroom settings. And the participants have luxury of taking the courses from the comfort of their homes.”
About IQdestination
IQdestination offers companies and individuals a comprehensive suite of online and instructor-led information technology courses, as well as consulting services for its 80,000 members on topics such as training acquisition and strategies for achieving certification in technology-related disciplines. IQdestination delivers intelligent IT learning solutions for professionals and corporations as they seek to research, purchase, and complete IT training courses. IQdestination’s partnerships with vendors and other industry leaders ensure that its customers are provided the lowest-priced and most suitable IT training courses in the business.
IQdestination offers more than 1,600 Internet-based courses, as well as instructor-led classes at more than 1,100 training centers across the country. Based in Denver, IQdestination is funded in part by meVC Draper Fisher Jurvetson Fund I (NYSE: MVC – news). For more information on IQdestination’s products and services, please visit IQDestination.com or call toll free (877) 369-2237.
