The times, they are a changin'. Instead of brick-and-mortar colleges, some are predicting the evolution of higher learning will soon be mainly online. Many colleges are "catching up" with the market shift to digital-based learning and are being challenged to ramp up their online class selections. Even the Microsoft mogul Bill Gates is touting the end of place-based learning. "Five years from now on the web for free you'll be able to find the best lectures in the world. It will be better than any single university," he said.

Five years? In 2015, could we be sending little Johnny off to his bedroom or to the living room to earn his college degree online? Maybe. Will the next generation experience roommates, a dorm room, or college professors in person? Will the future be what Gates suggests? If so, that means poorly performing professors are on their way out, and colleges will need more technology, fewer physical classrooms, and more ways for distance learning students to collaborate online.

Could it happen in five years? That's something to ponder. Just think of all the cost savings and the options available. College wouldn't be a place. In fact, you could take various classes from various online colleges. Aligning classes with study preferences would be the norm. Geographical boundaries would be non-existent.

Can you imagine no expensive traveling costs, no dorm boarding, and no more cafeteria food? Online learning is poised to make college a completely different learning experience for the next generation. Will colleges convert? If more students do move online as quickly as Gates predicts, colleges will be forced to quickly reduce physical facility spending, making location less important and quality online education more so.

Are your Christian school students ready for a shift to online learning after they graduate? Are you preparing them for a digital college experience?