Imagine this: You’re fresh out of a hot shower, lounging in comfy PJs, and have just sat down at your computer with a tub of your favourite ice cream. Midnight snack before bed? Think again — you’re about to start class.
    Sound too good to be true? This scenario is a reality for hundreds of thousands of students. While traditional institutions continue to rule the educational landscape, online and distance education, or so-called e-learning, is fast becoming the ideal choice for those seeking to further their skills.
    “There’s been a huge increase in enrolment into our programs as online and distance learning is becoming more popular,” says Lori Van Rooijen, vice-president advancement of Athabasca University, adding that the school has seen a nine to 11 per cent increase in enrolment compared with an average of two to three percent at conventional universities.
    Reasons for the popularity increase are varied, notes Van Rooijen, but mainly stem from the demands of modern living — the fact that we’re living in a 24/7 world, juggling schedules with jobs, family and a life, and finding it increasingly difficult to pencil in a typical, and often rigid, student timetable.
    Whether the aim is to further skills, earn a degree or continue a professional education, the flexibility and convenience of obtaining these through a distance or online education is a no-brainer to some. Most of the programs don’t involve any sort of commute to a campus, cutting out driving times and gas costs. Instead, students attend class from, well, wherever. With a computer and access to an Internet connection, students can set their own class times, allowing them to maintain other commitments.
    “Our programs offer flexibility and balance; you can learn anywhere at anytime while maintaining a life outside of school,” Van Rooijen says.
    Athabasca University, with a main centre north of Edmonton, recognized the potential of distance education years ago and was an early entrant in providing this service. With a focus on liberal arts, sciences and professional programs, the school offers more than 700 courses as well as bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and undergraduate and graduate certificates and diplomas. Van Rooijen says tuition costs are more or less the same as traditional schools and include the cost of required books.
    While some argue education is years behind other fields when it comes to using technology such as e-learning, others claim an online education diminishes the time-honoured standard of obtaining a degree at an established university.  And these aren’t just concerns coming from luddites opposed to its technical aspect. Rather, they believe a certain je ne sais quoi is lost in the online classroom. Amy Cameron, a business student at the University of Calgary, says she’s sceptical of studying in an e-learning environment because she’d miss out on the insight that comes from face-to-face classroom discussion.
    “There is a certain intimacy that takes place in the classroom between students and with the instructor — some of my education’s finest moments have taken place in the minutes before or after class through priceless little anecdotes,” she says.
    Now that online and distance education has reached mainstream status and been widely adopted, uncertainty and skepticism is bound to occur.
    “Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer to physically be sitting in a lecture room, absorbing everything; not just the oral discussion but also the atmosphere, the vibe,” Cameron says. “Besides, I don’t think I’d be strict enough on myself to keep me afloat through a degree.”
    Aside from Cameron’s sentiments, others claim these programs erode academic freedom, and lower the standard of university faculty. Online university class offerings don’t quite run the gamut like brick-and-mortar institutions. But that’s changing as demand rises. They also generally lack the brand equity, such as cachet and trust, which is associated with many of the well-known traditional schools. But Van Rooijen says that times have changed and that sort of thinking is outdated.
    “Companies are seeing the benefit of hiring graduates who’ve obtained a degree online,” she says. “The fact that these individuals have committed to this type of program shows they are self-disciplined, driven, are able to balance work, life and school.”
    She also says that contrary to the belief that online and distance education doesn’t promote group work, students engaged in these programs use various platforms that allow them to interact one-on-one with the instructor and other classmates. The delivery of material online also gives them access to an immense amount of material and digital libraries all over the world.
    “Our students tell us (an online education) facilitates team-learning,” Van Rooijen says. “Students connect through e-mail, forums, and become familiar with technologies that companies are using.”
    Many businesses are adopting e-learning as an effective way to educate employees and bring people up to speed on practices and procedures, and several organizations now provide online education and training sessions, courses and programs to both employees and customers.