Is online education finally going to become a viable option for students?

Online education could be taking a major leap forward on its road to legitimacy. Hillary Clinton is directly courting Silicon Valley in her $350 billion scheme to overhaul higher education, in a plan that may finally bridge the gap between Internet-channeled coursework and accredited higher education. Clinton’s campaign, which provided the major tenets to news outlets, has the overarching goal to reduce student debt and lower the cost of education. Reportedly, one tactic would urge colleges to let students fulfill some requirements with less-expensive streaming classes and other digital initiatives. Sebastian Thrun, the founder of online education provider Udacity, consulted on the plan. The idea seems to be bipartisan. Clinton competitor, Senator Marco Rubio, has his own plans for education reform, which includes a proposal for overhauling the accreditation process by including “low-cost, innovative providers.”