Inspection Essay

Higher education
In the United States, e-learning has become a predominant form of post-secondary education.[citation needed] Enrollments for fully online learning increased by an average of 12–14 percent annually between 2004–2009, compared with an average of approximately 2 per cent increase per year in enrollments overall.[76][77] In 2006, 3.5 million students participated in on-line learning at higher education institutions in the United States.[78] Almost a quarter of all students in post-secondary education were taking fully online courses in 2008.[76] In 2009, 44 percent of post-secondary students in the USA were taking some or all of their courses online, this figure is projected to rise to 81 percent by 2014.[79] During the fall 2011 term, 6.7 million students enrolled in at least one online course.[80] Over two-thirds of chief academic officers believe that online learning is critical for their institution.[81] The Sloan report, based on a poll of academic leaders, indicated that students are as satisfied with on-line classes as with traditional ones.
Although a large proportion of for-profit higher education institutions now offer online classes, only about half of private, non-profit schools do so. Private institutions may become more involved with on-line presentations as the costs decrease. Properly trained staff must also be hired to work with students online. These staff members need to understand the content area, and also be highly trained in the use of the computer and Internet. Online education is rapidly increasing, and online doctoral programs have even developed at leading research universities.[82]
Although massively-open online courses (MOOCs) may have limitations that preclude them from fully replacing college education,[83] such programs have significantly expanded. MIT, Stanford and Princeton University offer classes to a global