5 Major Players in Distance Learning

By: Justin Ferriman • September 19, 2013
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Due to the growing elearning industry, the number of distance learning providers is also growing.  Be it a traditional LMS offering, new software-as-a-service tools or the newer MOOC platforms, the list seems to grow larger every day.  Distance learning is growing so much, even Google is getting into the game.

To explore the distance learning major players in more detail, let me introduce Allie Cooper – an individual who has a passion for all things learning, education technology, and the latest industry happenings.  Below is her assessment of who is worth watching in the distance learning space.

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According to the US Department of Education, National Center for Education statistics, about 4.3 million students have greatly benefited from distance learning.

It has provided flexible courses and programs to post and undergraduate students in the higher education bracket, without the need to require a physical on-site classroom presence.

In the realm of e-learning, private companies and institutions are slowly expanding to provide services for this new trend. Below, we’ll feature five major players in distance learning worldwide.

Distance Learning College and Training

The Distance Learning College and Training is United Kingdom’s top specialist for accredited distance learning courses. The company prides itself in providing virtual learning solutions for students who don’t have the luxury of time. With these flexible courses, students will be able to work at their own pace to meet their goals and time frame.

To achieve this, learners can choose from the pool of courses including logistics, purchasing, supply change management, and export and management. In the last five years, the Distance Learning College has been consistently enjoying a 97% passing rate on all the courses they provide. 

Verizon Wireless

Aside from being one of the top mobile service providers in the United States, Verizon is immensely venturing into the education sector. Recently, the company has partnered with the Center for Distance Learning Research (CDLR) to assist the blossoming accelerating technology. This was after the company saw a significant impact to students by giving them solutions to satisfy their education requirements. These include video conferencing, hosted application, and web conferencing.

Remotely connect students and campuses

The challenge brought by this is to connect your facilities to local school systems, as well as the campus community to maintain a conducive virtual learning space. In this connection, the telecommunications giant offers broadband data connections to bridge the gap with remote institutions into a single campus community.

Demands for highly-technical students

With mobile education, students are now relying mainly on their gadgets, Internet, and social media to facilitate their learning and school interactions. The company ensures that their initiative is meeting this high demand, providing customer support and managing systems through digital contact centers.

Apple

Through its products and their cutting-edge technology, Apple makes its attempt to move into this budding trend. According to TechnoBuffalo, the iPad has a high usability factor, which appeals to educators in the far-flung areas who are unaccustomed to modern technology.

Moreover, education institutions, with the likes of the Khan Academy, have created their own approach to to the trend with the use of Apple’s intuitive technology.

Meanwhile, according to Utexas.edu, the iPad redefines the learning activities such as reading and social interaction, hoping to add a new and valuable approach to the practice of distance education.

As an example, a student can instantly share his thoughts on the class page after reading an online textbook. Ultimately, this paves the way for a greater classroom and virtual learning dynamics.

BSY Group

Ever since its conception in 1946, the BSY Group has redefined the education platform. It is considered as one of the largest colleges in the Europe, providing courses in complementary therapies and alternative health. Committed to distance learning, the BSY Group offers opportunities for people around the world to pursue their interest in the comfort of their homes.

BSY Group Instructors

As a student completes a specific discussion, the instructor gives an evaluation before diving into the next aspect of the chosen module. Aside from commenting on lesson work, these instructors also answer questions via email, phone, or fax.

BSY Group Students

Students can sign up for a certain course, which would give them a completion certificate or a diploma upon completion. If you have finished more of the advanced courses, you are now entitled for the Associate Membership of the school.

LearnDirect

LearnDirect is one of the most highly-recommended and in demand provider of distance courses. Since it started operations, the company has helped three million students to gain new knowledge and skills, specializing in math, English, and Information Technology (IT).

Some of the courses provide business concepts in job-specific skills and employability. They also offer eCourses, allowing you to develop your skills in web design, Microsoft Office, and Customer Service.

With these five companies, distance learning prides itself as the future of education mobility. Moreover, these will help pave the way for more technical familiarity, which is the true solution for mobile education. That said, where do you think this new trend is going?

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About the Author of this Article

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allie-cooper Allie Cooper is a tech enthusiast who dreams of becoming a primary grade school teacher. She loves writing about TechEd resources using smartphones tablets and other mobile devices as well as social media updates and trending apps fit for learning. Her free time is taken up exploring her passion for playing piano and old films.

Follow her on Twitter.

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Justin Ferriman

Justin started LearnDash, the WordPress LMS trusted by Fortune 500 companies, major universities, training organizations, and entrepreneurs worldwide. He is currently founder & CEO of GapScout. Justin’s Homepage | GapScout | Twitter