Although Distance Education is the trend of the moment, tuition reimbursement programs still rely 85% on land-based training, as the survey showed (Tampone, 2005). The trend is moving toward online education because technology can delivery the programs anywhere, unlike the traditional classroom. Corporations are looking at online education for professional development, but they also want their employees to have face-to-face training. The article suggests that blended educational methods of delivery will be the most popular in the future. However, the author does not mention that the University of Phoenix has online, onground, and a hybrid, FlexNet.
Capella and the Disabled
Capella markets its program for the disabled, but a spate of letters to the Chronicles of Higher Education raised some questions about the marvel of online education for the disabled (Chronicles of Higher Education, 2005). Both WebCT and Blackboard are roundly criticized for being difficult to handle, difficult to view, and expensive. Those with no disabilities see the advantages of online education, but there is so much variety in physical problems that another generation may have to generate simpler and more effective technologies for all users, but especially for the handicapped.
Capella has shown that an online university can grow and reach a respectable number of students within a few years. In contrast, Bethany Junior College bragged after WWII that they finally had 100 students enrolled, after decades of work. The technology demands and global recruiting for online students will probably produce some consolidation in the coming years. More likely the online schools will continue to be strong while the small colleges of the past will run into the costs of an aging physical plant, salaries and benefits for tenured professors, and smaller numbers of young students who can afford a more leisurely degree.
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