Dive Summary:

• According to a new report from technology consulting firm Eduventures, the market for online higher education aimed at adults may be reaching a plateau after years of endless growth, and the report's author says online learning may become little more than a back-up plan to on-campus education unless the product is better-defined.
• The study challenges the conventional wisdom regarding the growth potential of online education at a time when the for-profit sector has seen its online enrollment numbers tumble and the market is showing signs of stagnation.
• Study author Richard Garrett says colleges will now need to compete with one another on the merits of their online programs if they wish to continue attracting students, and that such competition could be a good thing as far as differentiating their online offerings because "it's very hard to tell one school from the other."

From the article:

The market for online higher education aimed at adults may be reaching maturity, according to a new report from Eduventures. And without a better-defined product, the report's author said online learning faces a risk of petering out and being little more than a back-up alternative to on-campus education for students. ...