Teachers may benefit from degree in online education

Teachers may benefit from degree in online education

Last year teachers held about 3.5 million jobs, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. This number is expected to increase by 13 percent over the next eight years, as the demand for teachers continues to grow. Educators with training in online learning may have increased job prospects due to the expansion of web-based degree programs.

Many schools are expanding their education-related degree offerings as e-learning continues to grow. For example, Ashford University recently announced the launch of a bachelors degree in instructional design. The new program was created to prepare enrollees to teach in an online environment.

Graduates who hold a degree in instructional design may pursue careers in curriculum development, course editing, teaching, instructional design, desktop publishing, web design, learning and technology, multimedia, human resources, textbook development, marketing, project management for e-learning and consulting, as well as instructional materials development.

"The College of Education at Ashford University is pleased to expand our offerings to include [degree] programs that will prepare our students to address e-learning in the 21st century," said Joen Rottler, dean of Ashford's College of Education.

According to the Sloan Consortium, the number of American students taking at least one online course increased from 1.6 million to 3.9 million over the past eight years.

By Mark Danson