Statistics

• The Chronicle of Higher Education: Facts and Figures
  Statistics, surveys and other data from The Chronicle of Higher Education are collected together and linked to from this single page. Included are links to the Chronicle's major annual surveys, including the annual Almanac issue which provides data on demographics of students, faculty and staff, costs, funds, and many more collected facts. Access to some data is restricted to registered Chronicle subscribers. Archived data from earlier years is also available. Although most of the data is not directly relating to distance education issues, all does pertain to higher education conditions.
• Distance Education: Quick Stats
  The Distance-Educator.com web site provides some links to major sources of statistics, as well as these quick facts and stats, along with their sources.
• Distance Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions: 2000-2001
  This is a July, 2003 report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). It presents data on distance education at postsecondary institutions. Distance education was defined for this study as education or training courses delivered to remote (off-campus) sites via audio, video (live or prerecorded), or computer technologies, including both synchronous (i.e., simultaneous) and asynchronous (i.e., not simultaneous) instruction.
• Employees in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2005, and Salaries of Full-Time Instructional Faculty, 2005-06
  An April, 2007 study from the National Center for Education Statistics includes tables identifying the "number of full-time instructional faculty employed in Title IV postsecondary institutions in 2005-06 by length of contract/teaching period, academic rank, gender, and average salaries."
• Making the Grade: Online Education in the United States, 2006
  Making the Grade: Online Education in the United States, 2006 is the fourth annual report on the state of online learning in U.S. higher education supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and conducted by the Babson Survey Research Group in partnership with the College Board. This study, like those for the previous three years, is aimed at answering some of the fundamental questions about the nature and extent of online education.
• NACUBO links to U.S. Department of Education Publications and Tools
  Listings are links to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), this collection of resources is maintained and annotated by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO). Referenced stats relate to higher education in general, not specifically distance education.
• National Center for Education Statistics
  NCES is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data relating to education in the United States. (U.S. Department of Education). For example, the report Rates of Computer and Internet Use by Children in Nursery School and Students in Kindergarten Through Twelfth Grade: 2003 describes the percentage of students in grades 12 or below who used computers or the Internet in 2003. Links to tables and additional reports on similar topics are available from the NCES site.
• Pew Internet and American Life Project
  The Pew Internet and American Life Project produces and features many reports on the topic of Internet use. These reports offer detailed information and statistics on a variety of ongoing issues. New reports are posted continually, and are grouped by topic or category.
• Sizing the Opportunity: The Quality and Extent of Online Education in the United States, 2002 and 2003
  The 2003 Sloan-C Online Learning Survey Report provides critical information about the current state of online learning. It is available for download in PDF format (32 pages, 263K) or for order in a full-color printed version. The 2003 Sloan Survey of Online Learning was designed to find answers to some key questions related specifically to online teaching and learning. For example, the overview to the report states: "Over 1.6 million students took at least one online course during Fall 2002."
• Telecom Industry Trade Statistics/Trends
  This collection of research publications and reports is from the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). Examples of the types of publications include the "Telecommunications Market Review and Forecast" Also included are press releases which highlight industry trends and statistics.

...and, if you're looking for something a little different:

• Atlas of Cyberspaces
  The images and maps collected on this site help to visualize the networks, commmunications, and protocols of cyberspace. 'Cybermaps' are grouped by topics such as Information Landscapes, Tracer Routes and Census. For example: how about a graphical representation of ISPs in the UK? The images are from many different sources and disciplines, and represent many global views. Some images are conceptualized drawings, others are real maps. Links to the original sources are included for most images.