Online coursework can help students complete degrees or supplement in-classroom work
Cayenne Colbert splits her time between her family and the computer screen.
A senior studying communication studies and journalism, she spends most of her day doing homework and studying for her 16 credit-hour workload that she takes entirely online.
But she also spends a lot of her time taking care of Micah, her two-year-old son, along with working 60 hours a week at Chrysler — where she works a 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. shift Monday through Saturday.
Online education offered through Ohio University can provide students the flexibility not found in the traditional classroom.
The online-only approach
Colbert began attending OU’s Athens campus in the fall of 2008, but left two years later because it was too expensive. She moved back home to Toledo and tried attending both the University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University, but didn’t enjoy either campus’ atmospheres.
A co-worker encouraged her to get back in classes — but this time through eLearning at OU.
Colbert’s employer pays for her classes, which typically cost the same as an in-person course.
Online classes through eLearning typically cost $240 per credit hour for Ohio residents and $243 for non-Ohio residents, but can vary depending on course fees. Financial aid is also available.
For students on campus, Athens Online offers classes they can take online in addition to their normal course work.
“Our preliminary fall number is 5,962 for undergraduate students in Athens eLearning,” said Craig Cornell, vice provost for enrollment management, in an email. “This is not all students taking an online course, but the number of students in Athens eLearning and the number we report regarding ‘online’ students.”
Despite these online courses, Colbert said her schedule isn’t easy. After getting off work in the morning, she picks her son up from her mother’s house and returns home around 4:30 a.m. She tries to go back to sleep until 8 or 9 a.m., when she wakes up, fixes breakfast for Micah and spends the day doing homework.
She anticipates finishing her degree during the summer, and plans to attend graduate school and study public relations.
“Overall, for online classes you need to be very disciplined,” Colbert said. “You have to set a daily schedule. When you have so much on your plate, it makes it hard to do schoolwork.”
There are seven degrees that are completely offered online at OU:
Applied communication
Applied management
Criminal justice
Customer service
RN-to-BSN
Technical and applied studies
Technical operations management
All programs are tucked under specific colleges and most faculty that teach them are full-time professors.
eLearning launched its first competition program in 2009 and is always expanding.
“They are all completion degrees. The student coming in would have either finished an associate degree or equivalent hours,” said Linda Lockhart, director of communication and partnership support at eLearning.
Lockhart said that there are students taking online OU courses all across the country in every state except Arkansas and Minnesota.
There are also graduate level programs available online.
A student can take a course remotely without Internet through the print-based option when students receive their materials in the mail. But, one can only earn a Bachelor of Specialized Studies, which is a student-constructed degree. OU also provides those incarcerated a way to earn a print-based degree through the Ohio University Correctional Education program.
According to Lockhart, there isn’t a typical online student.
“We see the entire gamut from recently out of high school, especially students who might have taken dual-enrollment courses, and we have students in their 60s.”
Most online students, though, are between the ages of 29 and 35, she said.
However, most of the students have something in common.
“They often have multiple responsibilities outside of school,” Lockhart said. “Some of the nursing students we have work full time, with 12-hour shifts. Many of them will carry multiple courses, and they’re completing their degrees often times with honors.”
Many of the programs require proctored exams, which can be taken at whatever testing location is easiest for the student. For some graduate programs, students may be required to visit campus for one or two days for certain assignments.
Students who complete their degree online are able to attend commencement — thought it might be the first and only time the student is on OU’s Athens campus.
The supplemental online class
About 300 courses are offered online to OU students per semester.
Tuition is the same for online courses — $499 for in-state students and $941 for out-of-state students, but online courses at regional campuses vary.
Jaimie Jeffers, a sophomore who is undecided about her major, is currently taking a marketing information science course online.
“I took the online course because it allowed more flexibility with my schedule and allowed me to teach myself,” she said in an email. “...I would take another online course but only recommend them for people who are organized and good with short deadlines.”
Faculty members also enjoy teaching online courses because it allows for a flexible working schedule.
“This makes campus more friendly for faculty as well as students,” said Raj Agnihotri, director of the marketing department.
The marketing department is offering six online classes this spring — the most it ever has.
“Online shouldn’t mean an easier load,” he said. “(Those that teach online) say teaching online courses takes more effort to remain effective. There’s a misconception that online means ‘easy.’ It’s not easy, it’s just a different mode of the same rigor.”
A “hybrid” course at OU combines online components and in-person materials.
“Rather than forcing (students) to do three hours of homework before class, we give them the official time to do it,” Agnihotri said. “When the student comes to the classroom, there should be a clear value for their time and effort, and I think hybrid is the way to go.”
@kruseco
sk139011@ohio.edu
