In 2006 and 2007, over 12 million enrollments in education institutions were through distance learning programs, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Seventy-seven percent of these enrollments were for online courses. Online courses allow students to use their computers to simulate the training and interaction they would receive in a classroom. This has allowed students with busy schedules to work their education around their family and work responsibilities. Also, online courses are generally less expensive, opening higher education to low-income citizens who could not afford traditional classroom-based courses.
A growing number of courses provide students with a hybrid learning environment--part of it takes place in a traditional college or university, while the rest is carried out online. This reduces the cost of programs and allows teachers to take advantage of the benefits of both face-to-face education and online teaching. In the 2006 to 2007 college year, over 1,464,000 student enrollments were for hybrid courses.
Schools and colleges are adopting successful training models used elsewhere, which are already established in other sectors, such as architecture studios. In this model, just as with architects-in-training at a studio, all work progress is made public. Students can see what other students are doing, interact with them, learn from their mistakes and offer suggestions.
Some institutions, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Rochester Polytechnic Institute, are using the Technology-Enabled Active Learning, or TEAL, learning environment to improve the level of education offered to students. This project creates a learning environment where students move from lectures to experiments and class discussions seamlessly, while they work around a central problem. TEAL learning environments require large multi-functional rooms where students can listen to lectures while they work on a group project. This learning environment allows students to work with real-life problems, which helps them make their training more relevant when they join the workforce.