Working With a ‘Net – Online Colleges

By Michael Leppert

It is amazing how rapidly the Internet has swept over our daily lives! Just 14 years ago, in 1994, the World Wide Web was an exotic, mysterious concoction of the military-university complex, rumored to be offered to the public free-of-charge in the very near future. At that time, hints of “the Web’s" ultimate value would be tossed around excitedly by tech-savvy university students who came in contact with it in their research work and then told their non-tech or non-university friends about all the things it would make possible. The Web was as remote to daily life as the molecular transporter on the Star Ship Enterprise . . . it made great sci fi, but what did it have to do with the “price of beans"?

Now, in 2008, thanks to the ubiquitous World Wide Web, one can check on the price of beans minute by minute; purchase clothing, CDs, movies, musical instruments . . . virtually anything one could want. What is even more relevant is the value of the Internet to our world of knowledge.

And, to the relief of many prospective students (and parents), the Internet has provided the ability for one to attend college, online. Generally, for the college student, online programs mean no more stress of trying to register for a “required" class and finding it full or having the only open session be at 7:00 a.m; no more struggle to find parking in urban institutions – actually, an elimination of congestion altogether in urban areas! The cost of most online programs is very competitive and when one factors in the savings in gas, time, parking permits, meals, etc., these programs may become very economical.

In this feature, we bring you pertinent information about some of the excellent online programs available for college students. There are courses that require “real-time" attendance online and others that allow complete flexibility (within reason) in the completion time of a course or assignment. Some of these online programs are offered by “bricks and mortar" schools that have added an electronic wing to their institution and other programs are purely electronic in nature. The list of online offerings grows nearly every week and it is virtually impossible to keep up with the rapid changes on the Internet.

Below are a few of the many higher-level educational institutions that offer online courses and degrees. All of the universities mentioned in this article have different rules and policies for online courses vs. non-online courses, so please visit their websites and carefully read the information they provide, before making any decisions or enrolling.

University of Idaho

www.udaho.edu/isi
Independent Study in Idaho (ISI), a distance-learning program, was created in 1973 by the Idaho State Board of Education as a consortium of four accredited Idaho institutions led by the University of Idaho (UI). The other consortium members are Boise State University (BSU), Idaho State University (ISU), and Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC). Independent Study in Idaho offers both online and print-based courses in 25 subject areas with over 100 courses currently online. Courses from the 300- to 500-level are available to anyone in the U.S. or abroad. Courses are self-paced and available anytime, anywhere. One full year is given to complete ISI courses. Although ISI does not offer degrees, credits earned can be applied toward degrees at institutions that accept ISI credits, and can be used for recertification of teaching credentials. Library science courses are available to earn an Education Media Generalist Endorsement for certified teachers who want to work in the school library or in the media department. Students can earn credits toward requirements for Idaho real estate licensure and certification in hotel/restaurant management. Independent Study in Idaho is planning to expand its online course offerings of health care administration. For more information, visit the ISI Web site, www.uidaho.edu/isi/.

Tompkins-Cortland Community College (TC3)

https://www.sunytccc.edu/
Based in Dryden, New York, TC3 offers an excellent Introductory Message from Eric Howd, its Coordinator of Online Services. In it, Mr. Howd provides a short outline of issues one needs to seriously address before beginning a foray into online college-level education at TC3: “Basic skills with computers and the Internet; Strong skills in reading and comprehension; Strong college writing skills; Great motivation and self-discipline and Easy and frequent access to a computer with word processing and an Internet connection." While one can perform adequately without great strength in all of these areas, Mr. Howd’s advice provides an excellent overall guideline for anyone wishing to take advantage of the huge amount of resources available online. As one would expect from a Community College, TC3 offers a very broad array of “vocational" courses online, including 2 levels of Word Processing, 2 levels of Spreadsheets, Web Page Design, etc., as well as Academic courses such as Academic Writing, Astronomy, Intro to Philosophy, Approaches to Literature, Cultural Anthropology and so on. Many of these academic courses fulfill the requirements of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, making TC3 a very valuable resource for lower-level prerequisites.

Brigham Young University Independent Study

http://ce.byu.edu/is/site
BYU IS was founded in 1921, making it one of the oldest distance-learning programs extant. It currently offers more than 600 hard-copy courses and 400 online courses, ranging from 7th grade to college and also a group of Personal Enrichment courses, such as Parenting, Gardening, and Peoples & Cultures of the Holy Land. The University courses include a set of Engineering classes, General Microbiology, a Survey of Spanish Lit and Playwriting. BYU follows a rigorous process of developing and perfecting its Independent Study courses and places a strong emphasis on academic excellence.

If a homeschooling college student wishes to use a cafeteria approach and take a course offered at one university and another course at another university, over a period of years, a very effective knowledge-obtaining program can be achieved – as well as for-credit courses.

The University of Kentucky

(http://www.uky.edu/DistanceLearning/)
offers a wide array of online courses in undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. In order to utilize the online features, the student must be enrolled in the university and complete a tutorial in the use of the Blackboard software program which is offered through the University’s website. The University of Kentucky Distance Learning has a number of other such unique courses and is very worthwhile for a student interested in animal work or veterinary medicine, for instance, for specialty studies. Among the one-semester courses offered recently, are Equine Management and Feeds and Feeding. The fees for online-only courses are the same as the University’s regular “resident" fees, with the average undergrad cost per credit hour being $216 for part-time students and $2906 for 12 credit hours or more for full-time students. There are a number of other fees and costs, as well, so the prospective student or his/her parents should view the U of KY Distance website carefully before making plans to enroll.

The University of Tennessee Outreach & Continuing Education

(http://web.ce.utk.edu/)
offers two categories of off-campus courses – the Distance Learning division for graduate students, in semester-long segments and for in which enrollment in the university is required and the Independent Study division, which is for undergraduates, high school courses, and career enrichment certificates, which has continuous enrollment (with up to nine months to complete) and for which enrollment in the university is not required. The Independent Study courses are delivered online or through correspondence. A wide array of classes are offered including Anthropology, Agricultural Economics, Astronomy, Images of Jesus (in Religious Studies) and Sociology.

Of special interest to homeschooling families is The Smoky Mountain Field School,

part of the university’s Outreach section, exploring the flora and fauna of the Smoky Mountains, in Eastern Tennessee at http://www.outreach.utk.edu/smoky/family.asp. If you are a fan of field trips and live anywhere near this great natural resource, you will want to investigate the enticing schedule offered from March to November.

Colorado State University Distance Learning

http://www.learn.colostate.edu/distance/
has been offering its courses via distance learning techniques for over 38 years. CSU provides a broad spectrum of courses – credit and non-credit; undergrad and graduate and continuing education courses for certain categories of working professionals, too. CSU’s distance learning classes are also delivered in the full variety of media – some are online, DVD/video, regular mail correspondence courses or televised. If one chooses to use the Correspondence form of learning, an exam Proctor must be chosen by the student and complete a Proctor Agreement Form and file it with the university. The online graduate degree courses mirror the on-campus courses, so there is no difference between the workloads and/or expectations of online Masters programs.

The University of Missouri-Columbia High School,

cdis.missouri.edu/go/nkm6 —Independent learners of all ages, seeking an alternative to traditional school attendance, benefit from MU’s courses. Undergraduate- and graduate-level university courses are offered in more than 40 subjects, as well as a bachelor’s completion program with a variety of component areas from which to choose.

Weber State University, Ogden, UT

http://wsuonline.weber.edu/default.asp
Distance Learning Office, 4010 University Circle, Ogden, UT 84408-4010; 801-626-6600 WSU Online provides over 300 courses online, set in a rigid semester-based structure, just as if you were on campus. The prospective online student has to check the class schedule to see if the desired course is available; then s/he has to be admitted to the university (if not already); then an account has to be set up by logging into a student portal. Then the student orders books and if living more than 50 miles from the Odgen campus, a test proctor has to be arranged for. This proctor can be in a local (for the student) testing center or an educator, librarian, etc. A significant tuition break is granted to those who are enrolled in the Online Campus only and will be taking only Online or ISP courses. Please see the website for the tuition chart. WSU offers an attractive alternative to students living in Utah who wish to complete coursework online or by correspondence. For a homeschooled graduate, seeking college courses, WSU might provide particular online classes that that student wished to take. Please check the online catalog for your particular needs.

University of Colorado at Boulder - Independent Learning Program (High School & College)

Website: http://www.colorado.edu/cewww/contactus.htm
Div of Continuing Education & Professional Studies, 178 UCB 1505 University Ave, Boulder, CO 80309-0178 - Denver: 303-492-5148 Toll-free outside Denver: 800-331-2801

The Economist came out with a ranking of top universities in the world and the Univ. of Colorado at Boulder was ranked #11 of all public universities in the world! Their online offerings are the same high quality, with the same credits, as those offered at the campus. This top-notch university offers an excellent value for the online student, by charging the instate tuition or even less in some instances. Some universities and colleges charge the out-of-state rate, which does not seem logical for online courses. The U of C, Boulder has been offering correspondence courses since 1912, and the transition to the online mode was a natural for them. Besides the traditional correspondence courses, the school now offers two online forms —- a semester based and self-based. In the self-based form, the student has one year from the start date to complete a certain course. A one-year extension can be granted for extra fees and a passing grade must be achieved within the one-year limit.

The University also offers a very popular high school/college concurrent enrollment program, wherein a student with proper permission, can receive completion credit for both levels - high school and college. Interested parents should contact Ms. Catherine Tisdale, the Advisor for Continuing Ed, at 303-735-5456 to gain information regarding any testing requirements, etc. Recently, the school has been increasing its focus on homeschoolers because they tend to be well-motivated and so many are college-bound. A university does not achieve the impressive ranking mentioned above without being aware of what makes for an excellent academic candidate and how to attract him/her to the school. The University currently has 4,000 online students enrolled in both undergrad and graduate divisions. For details, please visit the website shown above.