online learning's exponential growth

2013 numbers for online learning

    The number of students taking at least one class online in 2013 rose to 6.7 million, according to a report published by The Sloan Consortium [1].  The same report noted that this translated into 32 % of all students taking at least one course online.
    Given that two-thirds of working adults have some sort of Internet access at work, and that many adults find access to the Internet important to being successful at their jobs, many high schools are seeing online learning experience as essential preparation for the workforce.
   The number of adults turning to the Internet for training, certification, and college degrees keeps growing. E-learning's growth was projected to be 23% for 2013 - 2017 according to an infographic published by Aurion Learning.  Of current adult online learners, Aurion reported the average learner is 34 years old, with 81 % of them being employed and 82% enrolled in undergrad programs.

How many online students are kids?

   In 2012, four states - Michigan, Alabama, Florida, and Virginia - required graduating seniors to have taken at least one online course while in high school.   Thirty-one states had multidistrict, fully online schools in 2012, and the number of states using Connections Academy, K12.com, Florida Virtual School, or some other online course provider continued to grow.
    Increasing emphasis is being placed on making online experiences available, even to students in the elementary and middle school grades. Connections Academy, a natione-wide provider of virtual learning for K-12 students, noted a 450% increase in the number of students learning online over a five year period following the 2006-07 through the 2011-12 school years. 
    An overview of both Michigan and schools nationwide is presented in Expanding Online Learning. This publication also details Michigan's current law regarding online learning.

Created by Knewton and Column Five Media

1. Allen, I. Ellaine, Ph.D., and Jeff Seaman, Ph.D. Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education In the United States. Rep. N.p.: Babson Survey Research Group and Quahog Research Group, LLC., 2013. Print.

To read the report in its entirety, go to:http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/changingcourse.pdf