Even the academic institution itself benefits from distance learning. The benefits come not only in the obvious sense of an improved ability to serve an increased pool of potential students, but also in the ability to create new educational partnerships with organizations outside the institution. These include private sector industry, the military and the government, and even other academic institutions. Academic or training courses can be tailored specifically to meet the needs of the workplace, and designed to be delivered in the most effective and efficient way possible. Students can be anywhere, from the shop floor to an aircraft carrier at sea.
Instruction can be degree coursework or proprietary training.
Distance learning models are as varied and numerous as the courses themselves. The most effective distance learning courses possess special design features that take advantage of the medium of distribution and the nature of the subject being taught. In this way, course can be tailored to suit the student population being served, the needs of the professor, the educational institution and the partner organizations. Models are continuously modified and new ones created. Interactivity between instructor and student and among students as a group, is an important part of the learning process.