While "brick and mortar" mode of learning will never be eliminated, students are attracted to the online environment for many reasons:

• Students can attend a course anytime, from anywhere.
• Online can be less intimidating.
• Course material is accessible 24/7.
• Online learning can facilitate team learning.
• Online course development allows for a broad spectrum of content/diversity of course material.
• Online environment makes instructors more approachable.
• Online learning enables student-centered teaching approaches.

JUST THE FACTS

According to the National Center for Education Statistics Distance Education at Postsecondary Institutions: 2006-07.

1. There were 12.2 million distance education enrollments at two-year and four-year institutions of which 9.8 million were undergraduate and 2.4 million were graduate or first-professional. Of the 12.2 million, 9.39 million were for online courses, 1.46 million were for blended courses (online/campus based), and 1.22 million enrollments were for correspondence courses.
2. Two-thirds of all institutions offered college level, credit-granting distance education.
3. One-third of all institutions provided degree or certificate programs that could be completed totally online.
4. One-third of all institutions offered non-credit distance education courses.

Top 5 Factors Affecting Institutions' Decision to Offer Distance Education:

1. Meeting student demand for flexible schedules.
2. Providing access to college.
3. Making more courses available.
4. Seeking to increase student enrollment.
5. Responding to the needs of employers/business. 

According to Steve Kolowich of The Chronicle of Higher Education, "Both public universities and two-year colleges did agree that online courses were 'critical' to their long-term strategies, while baccalaureate institutions generally refrained from ascribing them such dramatic importance.  Still, 58 percent of all colleges surveyed agreed that online courses were strategically critical."

Articles 

• Recession May Drive More Adult Students to Take Online Courses by Steve Kolowich, The Chronicle of Higher Education, January 16, 2009.
• Distance Learning for Continuing Education by John R. Hall, January 26, 2009
• Online Education Grows, but Painfully by Marc Parry, May 22, 2009. 
• The Distance Ed Tipping Point by Scott Jaschik, May 26, 2009

Resources

• United States Distance Learning Association
• Distance Education and Training Council
• Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration
• Magna Publications
• Handbook of Online Learning: Innovations in Higher Education and Corporate Training
• Evaluation in Distance Education and E-Learning: The Unfolding Model
• Building Online Learning Communities: Effective Strategies for the Virtual Classroom