Enrollment in higher-education distance-learning programs in the state of Illinois has risen 44 percent from spring 2000, reports the Illinois Virtual Campus (IVC), a joint project of the University of Illinois and the Illinois Board of Higher Education. Online courses led all distance-learning programs in terms of popularity, followed by "stored-media" programs that are available on DVD, CD-ROM, audio, or videotape. IVC reports that community colleges are the main source of distance-learning programs, offering 75 percent of all programs, followed by public universities at 20 percent, and private institutions at 5 percent. IVC now offers an online database of available distance-learning courses. "I think ultimately people need to go to classes when they can attend," explained the project's assistant director Vincent Donahue, Jr.
(Civic.com, 6 June 2001)