What are the top five online schools of 2011?

With the combination of the recession hitting and the increase in tuition fees (soon to be increased even more), many people are deciding that the better option for higher education is distance learning. This is the type of learning where one learns at their own pace with study materials rather than the classic didactic style of teaching. This article will detail five of the top providers of online schools.

Number one and two

Number one -The Open University
Probably, the most esteemed of the online universities (at least, in the UK), The Open University has been offering a wide variety of different degrees since its first enrolment in January 1971. With over 250,000 enrolled (a significant proportion of which 32,000 under 25), it is somewhat ironically, technically the largest academic institution in the United Kingdom and Europe and one of the largest in the world. It is very well regarded by employers and students alike, in 2005 and 2006 being a top-rated university for student satisfaction and in 2007, placing second. Number two - Resource Development International (RDI) With the motto ‘learning without boundaries’, RDI is the self-proclaimed ‘world’s largest independent provider of UK university distance learning education’. They partner with a number of different UK universities so that their student gets a lot of perks of them (library admission, qualification), but without the seminars and lectures and usually without the general experience too. For those who have to fit study around something else, this is very useful.

Number three, number four and number five

Number three - The University of Phoenix
The University of Phoenix is an odd case, avoiding easy categorisation of what type of academic institution it is. Typically, it is a for-profit institution (owned by the Apollo Group) and it offers both typical didactic courses and degrees online, such as MBA degrees. It is, thus, often the subject of controversy and even scorned by those rooted in traditional academia. It does, however, have a very large enrolment, over 400,000 undergraduates and around 80,000 postgraduates.
Number four - Study Interactive
‘Globally recognised’, Study Interactive is one of the many companies which offer the online MBA (Masters in Business Administration). Number five - Universities in general As mentioned, with technology improving (and, cynically, budgets being cut), there is a general trend in the UK towards making traditional degrees more akin to distance learning, with recorded lectures and such like. Therefore, even a traditional degree in a humanities subject can now be largely learnt through ‘distance learning’.