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Students report that virtual patient cases are a far more interesting way to learn. Students have time to consider various facets and details of a case over a longer period of time than might be possible in the classroom. Time for integration and concept application helps deepen understanding and solidify student knowledge and skills. Adaptive Learning Perhaps the most exciting development in the world of online education is the emergence of adaptive learning strategies. Providing an educational experience that fi ts everyone has always been a challenge. In adaptive learning, course content adapts to the learner's mastery of previous content. An online course can be constructed to recognize when a student has mastered initial stages, so highly skilled students can move to more challenging parts of the course more quickly. Students who need or want more help with early course concepts can be presented with additional information so they can master understanding before moving ahead. Adaptive learning strategies dramatically reduce student frustration with standardized courses. The online course can be programmed with personalized adaptive learning elements, which is an advantage for teacher and student alike. CHALLENGES AHEAD Incredible potential exists for effective online learning in massage therapy education. However, as with any new innovation, there are challenges. Instructor training is by far the greatest. A common misconception for online course development is that it is easy, with some instructors simply posting their course content to the web and calling it an online course. We know from multimedia learning theory that the instructional design strategies for an effective online course are very different from those of a classroom course. Creating and developing an online course involves a very different skill set than course development for a classroom. Additionally, in most physical classrooms, one individual is responsible for being the subject matter specialist and constructing educational activities. The successful online course requires three specialists: a subject matter expert (SME), an instructional designer who understands and can produce effective multimedia instructional design, and a developer who can implement the course in an online platform and ensure it works correctly. It is rare to fi nd these three specialized skill sets in one individual. Finally, online courses require complex and advanced software programs and training whose costs may be challenging for schools or educators. Usually a school or educator works with a company that specializes in online course development, rather than trying to produce courses in- house. There are a variety of fi nancial arrangements that can be made with online course development and hosting companies. An ideal company would have both an instructional designer and a technology expert, with the school instructor or consultant acting as SME. ONLINE LEARNING IN MASSAGE Online strategies hold tremendous potential for stimulating and advancing education within the massage profession. The ability to incorporate unique and advanced instructional design strategies—along with multimedia such as audio, video, and highly interactive and engaging learning activities—holds great promise. We are now moving past the infancy of online learning, and it is time to progress beyond simple online offerings like webinars or "text and test" courses and welcome the challenge of new learning methods that can excite students and improve their competence. Author note: an earlier version of this article previously appeared in the Journal of the Australian Association of Massage Therapists 12, no.3, www.aamt.com.au. Note 1. Barbara Means et al., "Evaluation of Evidence- Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta- Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies," US Department of Education (revised September 2010), accessed January 2015, http://search. ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&d b=eric&AN=ED505824&site=ehost-live. Whitney Lowe's texts and courses have benefi tted professionals and schools for more than 25 years. Learn about Lowe's engaging, innovative, and interactive instructional designs, and gain free CEs at www.academyofclinicalmassage.com. THE NE W ERA OF EDUCATION F r e e m u s i c d o w n l o a d s f o r C e r t i f i e d m e m b e r s : w w w. a b m p . c o m / g o / c e r t i f i e d c e n t r a l 71 A common misconception for online course development is that it is easy, with some instructors simply posting their course content to the web and calling it an online course.