Online degree programs a growing trend

An AP Member Exchange

By JESSICA SELF

The Hutchinson News

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) -- Amy Jones has a goal: finish a college degree she started nearly 10 years ago.

The dilemma?

She has a family -- a husband and two children -- and a full-time job that keeps her in Hutchinson, miles from a university.

"I can't uproot everyone and move," Jones said. "And I sure can't spend the time and the gas to go to class several times a week."

Jones found her solution in an Expanding Success program, a partnership between Hutchinson Community College and Fort Hays State University, which allows a student to complete an associate's and a bachelor's degree completely online.

"It's different," Jones said of the classes she's taking online for a bachelor's degree in marketing, "But it works for me."

The partnership between the two institutions is just one of several programs launched by colleges statewide in an effort to draw nontraditional students.

While no comprehensive data is available, the Kansas Board of Regents Web site lists at least seven community colleges and five universities offering online degrees.

"Online courses are definitely on the increase," said Kip Peterson, spokesperson for the Regents. "Students are able to find more options in that realm, and colleges are responding to their interest."

The programs target students who might not otherwise be able to take college classes because of family, location or working a full-time job.

"You have to be a disciplined student," said Larry Carver, HCC's director of instructional technology and distance education. "It isn't for everyone."

But the online programs do seem to attract students.

At HCC, online students generate about 25 percent of the college's enrollment, Carver said. The virtual college at Fort Hays draws nearly 5,000 students, slightly higher than the on-campus population of about 4,500, said Kevin Splichal, a coordinator for the virtual college.

Western Kansas' EduKan program, a cooperative effort between six community colleges that offer associate's degree courses online, has an enrollment of about 220 students, up from 50 when the program opened in 1999.

"Online education is a rapidly growing phenomenon," said Steve Quakenbush, of Garden City Community College, one of the colleges in EduKan. "It wouldn't be growing like it is if students didn't feel like they were getting a quality education in a convenient way."

Online classes are typically a little more expensive. Students enrolled through EduKan pay $125 per credit hour for tuition and fees, compared to around $60 per credit hour for traditional classes at most community colleges, Quakenbush said.

"To some, it is worth it," he said. "The convenience option is huge for some."

Students enrolled in online classes typically never meet the instructor or other classmates in person. Instead, a syllabus, complete with class expectations, is posted online and students tackle the assignments as they have time during the course of the semester.

For Jones, this means class time is late at night, on weekends and during her lunch break.

"Basically, it is whenever I have time," she said.

The assignments can include readings, reflections, projects, chapter questions -- work that mirrors traditional class workloads. Tests are given online with an approved proctor present. Instructors are able to monitor the amount of time students are logged on, allowing them, if they choose, to check on progress through coursework.

"There is not much an instructor can do if the student hasn't logged on in days, or weeks," Carver said. "It's a similar situation if a student chooses to sleep through an 8 a.m. class. The instructor isn't going to go get them out of bed. They have to make that decision to be successful in both scenarios."

And most in the virtual college are successful, said Garden City's Quakenbush.

"It takes a very disciplined person to complete the work online because there is no one there every week making sure your work is done," he said. "Many of these students know this is their only opportunity to earn a degree, and they are thankful for that."

To assist students, many of the programs also include round-the-clock technical service, tutoring services through the Internet, a virtual library and a chat room, which serves as the online equivalent of a student union.

"We go to great distances to make sure the online student has the same services available to them as the traditional student on campus does," Carver said. "As part of our accreditation, each student -- online or on campus -- has to receive the same benefits."

The Higher Learning Commission -- which oversees the accreditation of degree-granting colleges and universities in nineteen Midwestern and south-central states -- does not distinguish between online and on-campus programs because they "accredit entire intuitions rather than individual programs within those institutions."

They do, however, have a statement on their Web site that cautions students about "a proliferation of online institutions that are either unaccredited or are accredited by agencies that are not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education." Students, the commission says, should always check on the legitimacy of a program before enrolling.

The Expanding Success program and EduKan's program are both accredited along with their respective colleges.

Employers say they are not concerned with whether a potential candidate completed coursework in a traditional classroom or online, as long as the degree is from an accredited institution.

"That is our foremost concern," said Loretta Fletchall, Hutchinson Hospital's vice president of human resources. "Beyond that, we look at their recommendations and their performance in field experiences."

Rick Kraus, human resource director for Hutchinson USD 308, agrees.

"It really isn't a concern for us," he said. "We approach it as another opportunity to get someone in the classroom who might make a good teacher but couldn't drive the 60 miles every day to attend classes because of family commitments or other life demands."

Most employers, HCC's Carver said, would never know if a student completed his or her degree online or in a classroom because the transcript or diploma doesn't distinguish between the two.

"We use the same syllabus for each class," he said, "and we have the very same learning outcomes. A student who gets an 'A' in an online class did the same work for an 'A' in a face-to-face class. These students are getting the same education; it is just delivered in a different way."

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Information from: The Hutchinson News, http://www.hutchnews.com