Record Gas Prices Drive College Students to Online Courses

Thursday, July 17, 2008

With gas prices currently at record highs, many of us are changing our driving habits ... carefully picking and choosing where and when we take to the roads ... some folks have even gone as far as re-routing road trips and summer vacations. Another interesting trend being driven by sky high gas prices – an up-tick in the number of college students enrolling in online courses. According to a recent AP article, while online enrollment has steadily grown for years, college administrators say the recent spike in gas prices – to more than $4 a gallon most places – is fueling a surge in students seeking to take classes without the cost of commuting.

If you're considering enrolling in an online course, a.k.a., "e-learning," here's a little bit of what you need to know before taking the plunge.

E-Learning is a growing trend: About 2 million people are taking college courses, from home, online. In most cases they never meet their instructors or fellow classmates. In addition to high fuel costs, driving the demand for online universities, one word: flexibility.

The traditional college student really has become the exception, not a rule. Fewer than 20 percent of students enrolled in U.S. colleges are full-time undergraduates, ages 18 to 22, living on campus and having face-time with professors. The rest of America's college crowd includes part-timers who likely also hold jobs, are working parents and may be serving in the military – all seeking advance education &/or degrees however they can. Usually, they've got their eye on career changes or advancement.

Popular with moms: Online learning is particularly popular among women. Moms with children under 10 years old are one of the fastest growing groups of e-learners. The most common time for them to log-in, in the evening, between 8pm – 11pm, after the after the kids are asleep.

According to University of Phoenix Online, the average student is 34 years old and the student body is 62% female. University of Phoenix pioneered online learning, establishing their first online campus over 15 years ago. Currently, they have over 150,000 students attending courses online. Stunning stat.

But can you really earn a legitimate degree online? Yes, you can. There are hundreds other colleges and universities offering classes and degree programs online in just about any subject area imaginable. It's the same curriculum you find on a traditional campus. Even prestigious four-year colleges are getting in the game, offering students access to at least a small selection of online classes.

Popular distance learning degree programs include: Graduate and undergraduate business and management programs, followed by information systems and technology degree programs. "Helping careers" such as nursing and education are also attracting an increasing number of online students.

The virtual classroom: Most online classes are administered via distance learning software such as the Blackboard Learning System. (University of Phoenix Online uses its own proprietary software). These secure Web-based software programs serve as electronic bulletin boards, allowing teachers and students to share content, post and respond to lesson plans and assignments, and leave feedback. Some classes use video-conferencing, streaming media, voice chats and have interactive quizzes.

While the bulk of coursework often consists of written assignments and essay exams, other testing can be done via a secure log-in procedure. And uploading files and attachments is the cyber-class version of passing assignments to the front of the room.

Enrolling in an e-learning institution: Online universities offer classes on a "rolling schedule" throughout the year (vs Fall & Spring semesters). Students usually take classes one at a time and they generally last about 5 to 6 weeks each. Some schools offer student orientation, either online or sometimes at a satellite location in your local area. Definitely attend if possible, so you can get your arms around how things will work day-to-day, week-to-week. Also, get the e-mail addresses of your professor and a few students in class ... it doesn't hurt to have a study buddy in the cyber-classroom.

Tuition costs: Tuition cost is actually about the same as in a traditional college or university. Most people are surprised by this (they expect it to be less). But, price is determined by how many credits you're acquiring. You do save money on room and board and there's no travel involved. Also, if you're holding down a full-time job, your employer may help pick up some of the tuition cost if you maintain a certain grade point average. Definitely look into this. I know several people who currently have this arrangement.

Make sure the online university is accredited: Before you enroll in any school, online or offline, do your homework. On the website for The U.S. Department of Education they have a search page where you can type in the name of any college or university and they'll tell you if it's nationally accredited.

Another site worth checking out is ClassesUSA.com. They have partnerships with over 100 accredited schools and they make it easy to request information from these schools re: more than 1,600 accredited degree and certification programs.

What do perspective employers say about online degrees? Some argue it takes more discipline to participate in an online course than a traditional face-to-face course. I've talked to HR specialists about this, and it makes perfect sense. They contend if you're a self-starter enough and motivated enough to take this on, you're exactly the profile they're looking for in a roll-up-your-sleeves & make-it-happen work environment.

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