2008 Woodie Awards
No shoes, no shirt, but lots of class
Ashley Winseck
Issue date: 2/2/06 Section: News
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The opportunity was created to make life a little easier for students who do not want to go to class.
"I love online classes because they don't require me to move from my favorite spot in the house," said Ryan Clark, junior, New Rochelle, N.Y.
Online classes have become a recent trend for undergraduates. Instead of just attending class in pajamas, the traditional college student would rather stay in bed.
Kevin Giglio, junior, Berkeley Heights, N.J. has taken four online classes in his academic career so far.
"It's just easier," he said. "Online classes offer me both the comprehensive learning experience while giving me the flexibility of not having to go to a classroom at any set time."
For the Spring 2006 semester, approximately 55 sections of various online classes are offered for undergrads. Of the roughly 4,200 undergrads comprising the student body, 593 of them are enrolled in online courses this semester, and 29 remain on waitlists according to the school's WebAdvisor site.
These types of classes are popular and may even be creating a less hectic lifestyle for current college students, but they also take away a crucial part of being in college: attending class.
The concept of being in a real classroom is important to the University, according to the Director of Instructional Technology, David Demers.
"Keep in mind that the University's educational mission emphasizes 'active and engaged' learning," said Demers. "Our talented faculty is most skilled at creating such a learning environment within the traditional face-to-face classroom."
While the online courses are viewed as more convenient to the students, the University is more concerned about maintaining the in class experience. They also recognize that scheduling can be a problem for many students.
"If scheduling is the root of the problem, I can tell you that the University is currently working to implement a hybrid learning initiative where more of your course offerings will be available in a blended online/in-person format," said Demers.
The goal is to develop a type of class that only meets once a week in person, and follows up with sessions and work online rather than meeting a second time. In this manner, the University hopes to create more flexibility for full time students.