Overview Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States, 2005 represents the third annual report on the state of online education in U.S. Higher Education. This year’s study, like those for the previous two years, is aimed at answering some of the fundamental questions about the nature and extent of online education. Supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and based on responses from over 1,000 colleges and universities, the study addresses the following key questions: