A tweet from @meepbopeep brought my attention to this report from NBC Nightly News:
The story caught my attention for a few reasons:
1. It’s actually, in a way, old news. I’m aware of some small-town high schools in Alabama which have been using online/distance learning technologies for years, to help bring more challenging coursework to schools which lack the student pool and/or finances to support them.
2. I’ve actually been a fan of distance learning since I first became acquainted with the concept, about 20 years ago when I was introduced to the internet. Considering all the times growing up where I was frustrated with the slow pace of classes…well, the notion of distance learning has a certain appeal to me.
3. More recently, within the American actuarial profession, there has been a bit of fuss raised over “Future Education Methods”, most recently framed as a way that certain rigorous university programs could be used in lieu of passing actuarial exams on the path towards earning actuarial credentials.
While I’m still opposed to that particular idea, I have for years thought that online/distance learning would be a wonderful reform to the actuarial exam process. I’ve questioned whether self-study exams are really the best way to educate actuaries. I’ve speculated that online classes could be a way to more effectively educate prospective actuaries, while maintaining the rigor of the system.
I probably was a bit before my time in thinking such thoughts (and admittedly they could be a bit of disgruntlement on my part, since self-study for an all-or-nothing exam isn’t really my forte). I’ve quietly welcomed the introduction of modules, first on the life side, and soon on the casualty side, as being sorta/kinda close to the education system I’d love to see the American profession adopt. But I still wonder if more could be done in this regard.
Talk a few colleges into giving credit for an SOA/CAS-sponsored online class, perhaps even collaborating in providing material and manpower, and you’ve got a better FEM proposal right there. 
