Rochester Institute of Technology is being recognized as one of the nation’s best online colleges for 2014. TheBestSchools.org ranked RIT 11th in its list released this week of the 30 best online colleges.

According to TheBestSchools.org, the ranking is based on such factors as academic excellence, online teaching methods, awards, scholarly quality of faculty, reputation, cost, financial aid and number of degree programs.

RIT has long had a strong offering of online courses. But RIT Online, launched recently as part of the Innovative Learning Institute, is taking this method of learning to the next level. This fall, RIT Online will offer courses in a variety of fields of study, including user experience design and development, digital communications, data analysis, games and learning, packaging science, social media marketing and digital entrepreneurship.

Courses are based on real-time employer demand and participants can choose courses from several disciplines to craft a program uniquely suited to their goals, said Neil Hair, interim executive director of the Innovative Learning Institute.

Hair said the ranking reflects the hard work of faculty and staff in the design and delivery of contemporary courses and programs that use the very best delivery techniques.

“We are charged with rapidly expanding and deploying RIT’s high demand academic courseware to meet the competences sought by today’s leading professionals,” he said.

Added Thérèse Hannigan, interim director of the Innovative Learning Institute and RIT Online: “As a leader in the push to bring the total campus experience online, RIT Online aims not just to augment but to transform the online marketplace by introducing its new virtual campus to students in the fall.”