Campus on the Computer

Tampa – Online education is taking off, and several bay area companies rank at the top of the class in the industry.

James Wong, a lawyer by trade, had a passion for computers and information systems.

But with two children and a full-time job that required frequent trips to China, the California resident had no time for school. Well, at least not the traditional kind.

In May, Wong, 43, graduated with a 4.0 grade-point average in systems engineering from an online program at Florida Institute of Technology. His new master's degree helped him snag a job at Toyota.

"I didn't know what to expect in the beginning, but it's a great way to learn extra skills," Wong said.

Online learning, or distance learning, once frowned upon by fans of brick-and-mortar classrooms, is fast becoming mainstream as single moms and busy professionals are taking to learning in their pajamas and in the comfort of their homes.

The trend has spawned companies such as Tampa-based SIM, which provides online professional training and certification to government and nonprofit organizations. It has also transformed companies such as Bisk Education in Tampa into profitable industry leaders.

Nearly 3.5-million students were taking at least one online course during the fall 2006 term, up almost 10 percent from the previous year, according to the 2007 Sloan Survey of Online Learning. Over the past five years, online enrollments have grown by an annual average of 21.5 percent, the survey found.

Riding the trend are quite a few Tampa Bay companies that are fast turning the area into a hotbed for the distant-learning industry. They offer everything from college courses to certification programs for health care professionals and teachers.

"I've been involved (in online education) for seven or eight years, and it's really taking off now," said Marshall Jones, coordinator of the Forensic Psychology program at Florida Institute of Technology.

The growth is fueled by technology advancements and faster Internet connections that allow students to discuss coursework in real time, said Michael Dykstra, CEO of Rue Education.

The 18-year-old Clearwater company trains health care professionals through correspondence and made a transition to online earlier this year.

"We've grown 30 percent since then," Dykstra said.

At Bisk Education, profits soared after the mid 1990s when the company teamed up with universities such as Villanova, Tulane and the University of South Florida to offer some of the most in-demand degree and certificate programs online. Before that, the company provided distant-learning programs for accountants, lawyers, physicians and nurses to fulfill their mandatory continuing- education requirements.

"We realized that the market was getting broader and around that same time the Internet started taking off," said Adrian Marrullier, a Bisk vice president and chief marketing officer.

The universities love Bisk's partnership because it solves the problem of creating physical space for hundreds of aspiring students who would otherwise be turned away, Marrullier said.

Marrullier and others in his field said they can't explain why so many of the successful online education companies are in the Tampa Bay area, but they say the companies complement one another.

"I believe that we are not that different than Boston or Orlando," said Marc Blumenthal, CEO of Intelladon, another Tampa company that is growing at 50 percent a year. "If you went to any reasonably sized city that's a great place to live and lends itself as a technology hub, you'll find lots of e-learning companies thriving there."

It's a growth that students like Wong, the California lawyer, believe will continue.

"There's an element of fear and competitiveness in brick-and- mortar classrooms," Wong said. "What I realized was I learn more in a virtual environment."

Times researcher Angie Drobnic Holan contributed to this report. Madhusmita Bora can be reached at mbora@sptimes.com or (813) 225- 3112.

Hotbed of online learning

Here are a few Tampa Bay e-learning companies, with some of their offerings:

Bisk Education

Location: Tampa

Offerings: Its University Alliance division offers associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees, as well as professional certificate programs online from universities such as Villanova, the University of Notre Dame, Tulane University, Thunderbird School of Global Management and Florida Tech.

SIM

Location: Tampa

Offerings: Provides professional training and certification to government and nonprofit organizations.

Intelladon

Location: Tampa

Offerings: Provides e-learning programs for both the corporate world and the public sector. Some of its clients include AAA, Raytheon, TECO Energy, WellCare, Hard Rock Cafe, Siemens and Caterpillar.

Rue Education

Location: Clearwater

Offerings: Specializes in developing materials for adult learners, especially in the health care profession, and awards accredited degrees.