h sense to have a course on public speaking or acting in a distance format. It lends itself somewhat better to content rather than process. The recent proliferation of e-learning alternatives speaks highly of the feasibility of learning online. The cost is often a factor, and as such, this type of education tends to be offered to a greater extent by public higher education institutions. Kiernan mentions that public institutions offer e-learning to a much greater degree then private institutions; Eighty-nine percent of public four-year colleges offered online courses compared with 40 percent of private four-year institutions (Kiernan, 2003, p.A29).
Online education has many forms and many providers. Traditional colleges and universities, such as the New School University in New York, compete with for-profit universities such as University of Phoenix and virtual universities such as Jones International University and Capella University. The term e-learning encompasses everything from master's degree programs to corporate and military training (Green, 2000, p.32). Corporate entities are typically earlier users of new technology that academia, and it is predicted that e-learning businesses will be worth more than $7 billion by 2002 (Charp, 2001, p.10). According to a research survey of 250 firms in the February 26, 2001 issue of Information Week, 46 percent of those corporations who have established e-learning programs have already received a return on their investment, but 21 percent believe that it will take more time to report a return on investment for e-learning programs (Charp, 2001, p.10).
One e-learning program, Army University Access Online, popularly known as eArmyU, has generated media attention in recent months, due to its comprehensive, innovative approach to education for enlisted military in the U.S. Army. The program is relatively new, but its success is been widely touted from a variety of directions. Aside f...