Online Education and Flexible Learning Options

Abstract

This chapter discusses the increasing enrollment in online courses, particularly among nontraditional learners. Nontraditional learners rely heavily on distance education courses due to their demanding schedules. Therefore, they require the flexibility afforded by distance education; otherwise, college enrollment and success may not be possible. Although distance learning was increasing in popularity among college students, there was still pushback from faculty before the COVID-19 pandemic, although the pandemic forced professors who avoided online education to adjust their teaching methods to online learning platforms in place of the traditional classroom environment. As nontraditional adult learners increase in numbers, there will be a greater demand for distance education, and institutions that hear and respond to this demand will fare better than those who continue to oppose nontraditional teaching methods.