Online distance education in the United States

Distance education is not a new phenomenon. Correspondence courses have been around for many years. Instructional television is a much newer phenomenon, but we nonetheless have decades of experience. However, currently we are experiencing a "virtual land rush" (some would say "gold rush") in distance education because of the advent of the Internet. This article examines why this is occurring, provide an overview of online distance education activities in the United States, and present a survey of the relevant technologies and their prospects.