LCC leads state in online enrollment growth
Monday, August 4, 2008 12:32 AM PDT
By Carrie Pederson
Printable version
E-mail this articleWayne Nichols, 52, is looking to find a career he's passionate about after he retires from Weyerhaeuser Co. in a few years.
Thanks to the availability of online courses at Lower Columbia College, he's been able to pursue a degree in human services while continuing to work full-time as a piping inspector in the maintenance department.
"For someone in my station in life it would be almost impossible to earn the degree without the online option," Nichols said.
With a 216 percent increase in online enrollment this summer over last summer, LCC is leading the state in online course growth. The college now has 235 online students, 110 more than a year ago.
The growth increase is "absolutely unheard of," said Cable Green, eLearning director for the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges.
"(Online) course numbers typically go up 15 percent each year."
"The big question people are asking is, 'Is it the gas price?' The answer seems to be 'yes,'" Green said, based on a recent survey by the state board.
Saving gas may be especially helpful for students who live in rural counties, such as Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties, which have less access to public transportation, said Scott Dennis, eLearning manager at LCC.
Sheila Vanderford, 52, of Clatskanie says going to LCC online helps her save gas. The cost of the classes is the same as going to school in person, but both Vanderford and Nichols say they like the flexible schedule of online education.
"The time availability is a huge thing," said Nichols, who is limited by his job to taking classes at night.
Students with jobs and families especially appreciate the flexibility of an online schedule, Green said.
Nationwide, online course enrollment has been growing, especially in community colleges, Dennis said. The Sloan Consortium, an organization that promotes the expansion of online learning, reports two-year colleges account for over half of all online enrollments in higher education the last five years.
Academic leaders say the most critical ingredient to online learning is the need for extra discipline on the part of students, according to the Sloan Consortium report.
"Distance learning courses by their nature require the student to be more self-motivated and disciplined than most on-ground courses," Dennis said. "Consequently, many advisors will not advise students into distance courses if they think self-motivation may be a problem."
Ideally, an online student will take a more active role in their education, Dennis said. "The online instructor goes from being the 'sage on the stage' to the 'guide on the side.' "
Dennis said LCC's faculty has risen to meet the demand for online courses. At LCC, "a lot higher portion of faculty are engaged or trained in online learning," he said. Unlike many colleges, LCC offers biology labs and language courses online, he said.
Getting comfortable with online learning is "a steady progression," Dennis said. "A professor might be resistant and next quarter more comfortable."
The college offers some degrees completely online, like a program for registered nurses, but most students take classes partially online, Dennis said. Such "hybrid" courses require students to go to the classroom part-time and take classes online part-time.
Vanderford takes a "hybrid" human relations course and said she regrets not meeting her online classmates face-to-face.
Alleviating feelings of isolation on the part of the students and making sure they have good pathways of communication is a big concern, Dennis said.
Going to school online has required Nichols to bridge the generation gap in technology.
"We didn't even have computers until I was in my 30s," he said. "It's not intimidating like people think. ...ANGEL at LCC is extremely straightforward."
ANGEL is an online learning management system introduced at the college with the help of a recently-expired, five-year federal grant.
This year an online system shared by 34 colleges statewide switched to ANGEL. Having adopted it four years ago, LCC is ahead of the curve in learning the system, Dennis said.
The federal grant also helped the college get ahead in updating classroom technology, training faculty, and eliminating student fees, Dennis said.
In community colleges, "technology is typically paid for with student fees," he said. "When technology is paid for with student fees some faculty are less likely to adopt it to save the students from being assessed the fee."
Though the federal grant has expired, Dennis said the college plans to continue to pay technology fees through its regular operating budget.
"If it wasn't for this option I wouldn't have a chance," Nichols said. "This way I can get my next career in line before I retire."
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