Students who are interested in enrolling in online education can find some of the top accredited programs available in the U.S. offered through distance education. By adding newly developed opportunities to their online curricula, many organizations are making strides towards providing students with the most advanced educational experiences.
For example, NASA's Digital Learning Network (DLN) was recently given a silver award from the U.S. Distance Learning Association. Programs that receive these awards are recognized for offering students the opportunity to use the most current web-based technology.
Students who use the DLN benefit from several enhanced options, including access to NASA engineers, researchers and scientists as well as broadcasts of online education events. Also, the efforts by 17 faculty members who work at 10 different field centers were acknowledged by the association.
"It is such an honor for NASA to be recognized for the teaching talent that our DLN coordinators possess," said Jim Stofan, associate administrator of education at NASA. He added that "we have always known they are top quality and dedicated educators, and now so does the world of distance learning through this recognition."
Approximately 4.6 million students were enrolled in at least one class offered online in fall 2008, according to the 2009 Sloan Survey.
