Distance learners across the UK can now gain wider access to universities thanks to the new partnership between Open Study College and QA Higher Education.

More than one in four students in the US was enrolled on at least one distance learning course in 2014, new research has shown. This marks a 13th consecutive year of enrolment growth, but bucking the trend, the for-profit sector has seen enrolments fall.

Apollo Global, the investment branch of Apollo Education Group – one of the world's largest private education providers – has acquired Australia-based Open Colleges– a leading distance education provider in operation since 1910. Open Colleges says the deal makes international expansion more viable.

Crowd learning and gaming are the latest e-learning trends to make an impact in the burgeoning MOOC culture that is gaining attention in the education industry. These predicted shifts in teaching and learning are set to change education in the next two to five years, according to a report from the OU.

Enrolment on online courses in Europe increased 15-20% last year, the continent's largest degree search engine, StudyPortals has estimated, suggesting interest is growing in this previously slow moving sector. The website, which has just launched its EU-funded DistanceLearning portal, added that the number of universities offering distance learning also grew to 500 – up 40%.