SCS online enrollments jump 90 percent

By Lisa Denlinger

The rate of enrollment in online courses outpaced the rate of enrollment in print-based distance education courses. This growth reflects a national trend in distance education, as more and more students demand the ability to access education, as well as information, products and entertainment on the World Wide Web.

An article in the June 13 edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education cited figures for several institutions whose enrollments in online courses have doubled, tripled and even quintupled. The article predicted that online education will continue to flourish as adult students seek a flexible means of completing a degree or increasing their earning potential.

"The Web is not a passing educational fad," said Larry Onesti, executive director of the SCS Office of Academic Programs. "It is proving its power to extend the university’s resources to students who would not otherwise be able to pursue a higher education."

One such student is SCS graduate Kathi Lyle of Rowlett, Texas. She signed up for an online course, she explained, "to see if I could cut some time off my start-to-finish time." Lyle’s experience in the course was positive, so much so that she wishes she had had the option of taking online courses all along. "If I had to start my degree from scratch," she says, "I would do it entirely online. The online format is interactive and dynamic, and it helps engage and encourage the student. There are so many new tools online, whether it’s the complete text of a Shakespeare play or access to scholarly journals, artworks or music—all at four in the morning if that is what you need."

SCS accounted for 48 of the 133 undergraduate online courses that IU offered in spring 2003. SCS enrollment figures are expected to continue to increase as the school puts more of its courses online. Currently, the school offers online undergraduate courses in subjects ranging from anthropology and business to religious studies and sociology. Students can earn an IU associate degree and bachelor’s degree by taking only online courses. Eventually, all the school’s undergraduate courses—almost 200—will be available online.