By Claudia Rice (guest blogger)
In these tough economic times colleges and universities have to make changes to increase accessibility and affordability of higher education.
One change these institutions can make is to increase the number of on-line courses offered. Since schools are limited to the capacity of their classrooms, this can allow access to a much higher number of students. Now, not all courses lend themselves easily to success in an online world, for many a hands-on approach in the classroom is essential.
Many colleges could probably bridge the gap by offering hybrid models that have a heavily weighted on-line component but that are teamed with on campus meetings as well. These limited meetings on campus would create a better schedule of space management and once again maximize the number of students served. Utilizing available technology is a must. E-learning (like Blackboard), listservs, online chat programs or Voice Over IP (like Skype) can be options, which would allow students and professors to stay connected and could help make up for the essential interaction component of education normally found in a classroom setting.
From my own experience I can say that this type of technology can work extremely well. While I was at Columbia University for my undergraduate education, I signed up for a literature course where participation on a bulletin board was required. This promoted conversations, which greatly exceeded what could be discussed during class hours. Grant you not everyone participated at the same level, but this actually provided me with some of the most thorough and intense discussions I’ve had during my studies. It became one of my favorite courses and experiences in college.
By providing more on-line education opportunities colleges can make courses available at a lower cost, since producing on-line education is less expensive than the on campus counterparts. This would also assist colleges to save considerable amounts of money. Zephyr Teachout, writes in The Washington Post that colleges will be pushed to further increase on-line models of their courses and this could forever re-shape and revolutionize the college landscape as we know it.
Students not only could find savings through on-line courses when it comes to tuition but they would also see a cost savings when it comes to other expenses, including room & board and/or transportation costs like gasoline.
There are other financial incentives that could benefit institutions including offering courses at a premium during peak hours. A Northwestern community college charges premiums for courses during the 7-9am peak hours. The courses during these hours are the first to fill since many look to take classes before their workday. This college also offers discounts on courses offered during the least popular hours between 2-4pm and thus provides a cost savings to those students who could accommodate this schedule.
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education besides filling classrooms to maximum capacity during regular hours schools have been forced to open courses on weekends and at other strange hours. La Guardia Community College in New York has decided to open their doors for classes at 6am. To help accommodate students Bunker Hill Community College in Massachusetts has offered courses on campus at midnight – 2:30am this semester. I am not sure if midnight courses will be the wave of the future but offering classes at off peak hours will continue to rise, as will a general increase in on-line course options.
If you are looking to retool your skills to reenter the workforce, looking to change careers, or if you are looking to just enhance your education – keep an open mind about on-line courses. Remember, it is essential that you have access to a computer that can handle the technology & programs required for these online offerings. If your computer is not up to speed don’t despair, just check out your local community library where you may find better technology available to you. Oh, and one more thing…remember you’re not alone.
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