Online Education Goes International

Online education is gaining momentum across the U.S. as hundreds of accredited colleges and universities go online to offer traditional education virtually. But it isn't just happening in the States. Online education is taking off around the world in fast paced business savvy countries like China and India. The People's Daily of China recently reported that many educational institutions in the country are taking advantage of Blackboard, a new technology partnered with China's leading online education service provider CERNET, to serve as a possible solution to the growing need for quality teachers in the traditional classroom setting.

By the end of 2005, the number of Blackboard clients has grown to include 96 colleges and universities in China in the past two years. Renmin University of China, Beijing Normal University and Nanjing University have all signed on to Blackboard as well as a few high schools including the Minhang No.2 School in Shanghai. Officials in China are hoping that online education could act as an effective substitute for quality teachers and teaching materials, which are in urgent need there. In India nearly 90,000 students are enrolled in the Symbiosis Center for Distance Learning, where students learn international business and information technology among other courses.

While online education technology like this has been available in the U.S. for years, it is just now beginning to affect foreign markets as the role of education is reexamined on an international level. Prospective students have hundreds of accredited online colleges and universities to choose from.

Health care, business, education, psychology and technology top online education searches. Schools like DeVry University,Capella University and the University of Phoenix offer programs to earn an Associate, Bachelor, Masters or Doctorate degree via the Internet. Education portals provide prospective students with multiple search options to find an online degree program.

Some boast student resources pages with tips on resume building, while others offer a wide range of degree programs designed to help them further their career, supplement existing education or aid in a career change. Distance learning provides students who might otherwise be working or raising a family the opportunity to further their education and advance their career. E-learning is now moving from the domestic market abroad as more students in China, India, and the UK go online to further their education through distance learning programs.

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By: Nina Nocciolino