StraighterLine and the Growth of Online Education

From September 2008…

The increase in online college educational courses in recent years has been so expansive that the figures astound even some leaders in the profession. Take a look at these numbers:

• Almost 3.5 million students were taking at least one online course during the fall 2006 term, a nearly 10 percent increase over the number reported the previous year.
• The 9.7 percent growth rate for online enrollments in recent years far exceeds the 1.5 percent growth of the overall higher education student population.
• In Minnesota alone, online enrollment shot up 50 percent in 2007 as compared to 2006.

These impressive statistics indicate that the already considerable demand for online education will only become stronger in the future. We at StraighterLine (SL), a new online educational resource, believe that we are an excellent tool to meet this growing field, for several reasons.

First, SL provides students with the basic entry-level courses in English, math, science and business that most institutes of higher learning require for any degree. And it does so at a much more affordable rate than them – just $399 per course, plus e-books and related study materials that cost on average half of what you would pay to buy them at an average college bookstore.

Our courses compare favorably in terms of quality to what you will find at colleges and universities too. We use the highly respected McGraw Hill course content that has been adapted exclusively for our use by the well-trained education department at SMARTHINKING, our parent company. The content receives further review from members of our Partner Colleges who award credit to our students for their coursework.

Also, when a student has a question about the material being presented, there is an educator available to answer their questions immediately online any time of the day, any day of the week. Good luck finding any online course from a college or university that will perform the same way.

For more information on how we are your best option for online education at the introductory college level, visit www.StraighterLine.com and learn how we can be the shortest distance between you and your degree.