Due, in part, to tough economic times, more people are seeking higher education -- and nowhere more than on the Internet. A new online education study from The Sloan Consortium found that online education has increased by 17 percent, exceeding the 1.2 percent growth of the overall higher education student population.

"Online enrollments have continued to grow at rates far in excess of the total higher education student population, with the most recent data demonstrating no signs of slowing," the report states. "The economic impact has been greatest on demand for online courses, with 66 percent of institutions reporting increased demand for new courses and programs."

More highlights from the report:

• In fall of 2008, 4.6 million students were taking at least one online course. A plateau may have been reached by institutions believing that online education is critical to their long-term strategy.
• Most institutions with online offerings provide training for faculty on how to teach over the Internet.
• Less than one-third of chief academic officers believe that their faculty accepts the value and legitimacy of online education.
• Since 2003, the proportion of chief academic officers reporting that the learning outcomes for online courses are the same or better than face-to-face programs has increased from 57 percent to 68 percent.

Lastly, the report also took note of another trend: the outbreak of the H1N1 flu led many institutions to create contingency plans that would place students out of risk if they were faced with an outbreak. According to the report, "twenty percent of institutions with no current online offerings include introducing online classes as part of their contingency plans."