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Archive for the ‘Online Education’ Category

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Online Educator Western Governors University Reaches Milestone

September 2nd, 2010 by Matthew C. Keegan | 1 Comment | Filed in Online Education

As far as major universities go, Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, Utah, isn’t a household name.

The school doesn’t have a huge research facility, active alumni or Top 25 football program. Heck, WGU doesn’t even have a campus unless you count its administrative building as part of that equation.

Online Education

Yes, WGU is an online university, its students are from all 50 states and from around the world. Though founded by 19 western governors, WGU is open to eligible students everywhere. Importantly, its tuition rates are much lower than the typical for-profit online university.

Did I say that WGU is a non-profit educational institution? That’s something worth noting given how expensive college is these days.

Enrolled Students

The milestone WGU has reached is 20,000 enrolled students. That’s significant as the school has grown by 30 percent in each of the past 5 years. The first student was enrolled in 1999 and tuition has only increased by $200 in the past four years.

Yes, dig a bit deeper and you learn that students are paying about $6,000 annually for their education, far off the $40,000 on up figure lots of colleges and universities are charging today.

“Today, more than 70% of college students are considered ‘non-traditional,’ meaning that they don’t live on a campus and that they work and have family responsibilities,” said WGU’s Vice President of Marketing & Enrollment Patrick Partridge. “WGU makes it possible for these non-traditional students to realize their dream of advancing their education by providing a flexible, affordable way to get an accredited degree online.”

Degrees Conferred

To date, WGU has conferred more than 7,000 degrees with that number expected to increase sharply as the current crop of students make their way through their classes.

Notably, big business is bullish on WGU, perhaps because the school makes it easy (and affordable) for their employees to further their education. WGU counts AT&T, Dell, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Lumina Foundation, Hewlett-Packard, HCA, Microsoft, Oracle, Qwest, SunGard Higher Education, Sun Microsystems, American Express, and Zions Bank among the corporations and foundations who support the university.

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History of Online Education

June 18th, 2010 by Ann Smarty | 3 Comments | Filed in Online Education

By Ann Smarty

Online education has created possibilities that previous generations couldn’t even fathom.

Literally, students can earn their entire degree at home, by working when it’s convenient for them, while wearing their pajamas. This amazing innovation has allowed for greater access to universities and targeted specializations that may not be locally available. It has also been especially beneficial for working adults or stay at home parents who are eager to earn a degree.

So, how did online education programs get started? Here is a brief history of online education.

The history of online education extends back further than you may think, with the very first virtual classroom environments being created in the 1960s. University of Illinois scientists created a classroom system based in linked computer terminals. There, students were able to access informational resources while listening to a professor whose lectures were brought in remotely, via some form of television or audio device.

Certainly not a form of “online learning” that stands up to the web learning of today, but it was the beginning of enhanced distance learning and the utilization of computer resources for educational purposes.

Universities quickly began to take advantage of these new resources by offering distance learning courses, using computer networking for information and resource sharing, and more. By the mid 1980s, college resources frequently included online access to course information and student networking tools.

Online only courses began emerging in the late 1980s, with some moderate success. The concept was further popularized as major corporations began using similar utilities to trim their training budgets. While businesses began with software training programs, the largest corporations started utilizing online tools to minimize software distribution costs.

Another phenomenon that contributed to online learning was the correspondence school. The original correspondence schools worked in a very straightforward way: You registered by mail, received materials by mail, then mailed the course work back for grading upon completion.

As the digital age swept across the nation, the correspondence school became more grounded in the virtual world, and the first online correspondence school, the University of Phoenix, made its way onto the scene in 1989. It was not a fully accredited institution at that time, however, and it wasn’t until 1993 that the first accredited university, the Jones International University, really opened the floodgates.

It was at this same time that a new innovation in the online world made more universities of this kind possible: the Mosaic web interface. This was the first graphic interface that reached out to more common users, allowing for unprecedented access and support. Since that time, hundreds of standard universities have started offering a variety of online courses.

Many institutions, as well as a number of digital correspondence schools, offer full degrees online. As the web continued to open doors, these universities expanded their degree selection. These days, it’s literally possible to graduate with the degree of your choice without ever having to set foot in a classroom.


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7 Reasons Why Distance Learning Rocks

March 29th, 2010 by Matthew C. Keegan | No Comments | Filed in Online Education

Distance learning continues to grow and is now an option at more than two-thirds of all institutions of higher education offering at least a two-year degree. Indeed, 88 percent of public universities offer credit-granting distance education courses according to a 2006-07 survey conducted by the United States Department of Education — National Center for Education Statistics, the last year such a survey was conducted.

Education Rocks

college studentIf you haven’t seriously weighed distance education as a learning method you may not have considered all the advantages. To that end we’ve listed 7 reasons why distance learning rocks:

1. Opens Doors – Distance education opens doors for millions of people who might otherwise not be able to set foot in a classroom due to accessibility issues including time, a physical handicap or location.

2. Flexible Schedule – There are two types of distance learning classes: synchronous and asynchronous. With the former, you’ll be gathering together with classmates and your instructor at a precise time during the week, the same as you if you attended school in person. With the latter, you establish your own learning schedule, relying on teaching materials and recorded data to accomplish your work.

3. Saves Money – Certainly, not every distance education program is cost effective which means students may still shell out a wad of cash for each course. But, some schools such as Western Governors University offer a value based package. In addition, you’ll use up less gas and your car won’t wear out as fast.

4. Customized Learning – You may find it easier to get the classes you want online than you would if you had to go to the Registrar’s office each semester. Moreover, some programs are tremendously flexible when you pursue a degree, allowing to basically customize what courses you take beyond core subject material.

5. Builds Confidence – Older students, especially those who have been away from the classroom for decades, can find online learning liberating. No need to keep pace with youngsters or feel embarrassed about asking questions in front of a class.

6. Career Changer – Over the past few years, millions of people have seen their careers go up in smoke. Many are making the transition to a new career with distance education playing a role in helping them reshape their lives.

7. Education Sampler – Lastly, online learning allows students to sample a variety of classes some at no charge. If you aren’t sure what you want to study, you may be able to preview class videos and notes before signing up. Save time and money by targeting the types of classes you want to take first.

Survey Says

More than likely when the next education survey is released, the number of schools offering online learning options will have increased. For a number of colleges and universities that is all they do while traditional campus based institutions are expanding to incorporate distance education.

Photo Credit: Simon Cataudo


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Online Education: Is The Attraction Only Virtual?

October 23rd, 2009 by Matthew C. Keegan | 5 Comments | Filed in Online Education

Online education (distant learning) is here to stay and is becoming a significantly important option for students around the world. We here at SayCampuslife.com have been following this trend since we launched this site in December 2007 and concur that online education’s influence is spreading rapidly.

Virtual Education

campus computer surveyWhile brick and mortar institutions aren’t likely to go away, they’ll need to adjust to reach students who can’t or won’t attend their schools in person. The smart schools are those which are now accommodating students through online options, presenting similar classes via the internet as they do on campus.

But are these classes equal?

2009 Campus Computing Survey

That was one of the questions recently asked by WCET and the Campus Computing Project, a pair of organizations who track trends in online learning. Indeed, since 1994 the “Campus Computing Survey” has been conducted annually with results of the 2009 survey released this week.

The questions asked were submitted to schools who have online programs. Those schools typically responded through their senior campus officer responsible for online or distance education programs with 94% reporting that their online programs are growing.

The most recent survey revealed a few surprises including:

  • Students enrolled in online programs may pay higher fees than their on-campus counterparts. Students are paying a one-time application fee averaging $232 and are often subject to additional fees for instruction materials, technology services, and singular courses.
  • Many campuses require training for their faculty before sending them “into the web” to teach online courses. Professors often must rely on a support network that includes IT staff to maintain internet access.
  • Quality still looms as a large question for online education programs. Colleges are struggling to manage their online programs in response to surging demand. A number of the survey respondents said that their online programs would be be overhauled within the next two years in a bid to streamline management and introduce new technologies to keep pace with demand.

Tech Support

Of note, is how tech support plays in managing online education. 36% of the schools offer ’round the clock support, which is critical when your student body is located across many time zones, if not around the world.

25% offer support throughout the week during daytime and early evening as well as limited access on weekends. 22% responded by saying that they offer support on weekdays and limited evenings while 17% offer support only during normal business hours which are defined as 9 to 5, Monday through Friday.

Summation

Clearly, those schools who are limiting themselves will grow slower which means that technological improvements as well as policy changes need to be made to welcome more students online. Finally, closing the cost gap is essential if schools want to attract distant learning students. By maintaining a wide open gap, schools will find that other institutions will beat them where it counts: in the wallet.

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