Since 40 percent of all people pursuing degrees are over the age of 40, adult higher education is a big industry. The University of Phoenix is one of the largest accredited, online degree-granting private higher education institutions in the country. UOP's distance education program is growing at a mad rate of 50 percent per year. Terri Hedegaard heads up the university's Center for Distance Learning. Her program has been around for nearly a decade, founded before the advent of the World Wide Web.
Traditional education is still on that old lecture-style of instruction.
Everybody knows that's not the most effective way to teach people. Electronically, it's not as threatening. In a classroom, students tend to hold back for fear of asking a stupid question. The fear is gone in the online classroom. Good thing, academic success literally depends on students' ability to speak up.