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Online Courses Allowing More Freedom in College Learning

Photo Provided Online learning is growing at West Liberty University. Pictured is Sean Ritner of Pittsburgh.

WEST LIBERTY — Over the past several years, more college students have embraced online classes, which in some ways is changing the way students learn.

West Liberty University Director of eLearning Lucy Kefauver said the greater availability that online courses provide is a boon to student learning.

“It’s allowed students an opportunity to experience the same content they would in class, without the barriers of time and space,” she said.

The courses still have weekly expectations and deadlines, she said, which occasionally breaks expectations of prospective learners.

“There are still deadlines. In the beginning, some places had courses that were completely self-paced. ‘Eveything’s due Dec. 15. Good luck.’ We don’t do that. … By giving deadlines during the week, you can center your plans around deadlines.”

Kefauver said the up-front knowledge of deadlines, and the expectation of internet access, means that students are still expected to get their assignments done on time, which can be an uncomfortable experience if deadlines coincide with vacations or other plans.

She said that while online courses have opened the door to adult learners who may have family obligations, nearly all ages of students have other commitments in their lives which benefit from the online structure.

“All students have something else going on,” she said. “They have jobs, families, some are parents, and can’t get to campus as easily.”

Kefauver said her office will frequently consult with professors to design lesson plans, including ways to fit specific parts of physical class work into the online structure.

“The outcomes are the same, and the activities and things can be a little bit different…” she said. “(We) will ask, ‘What do you want to do? What do you like about your class?’ and they’ll say, ‘Well, you can’t do it online.’ Sure you can. We can figure out a way to do something just like it if we can.”

Jesse Gipko, Dean of Academic Affairs at Belmont College, said an increasing number of adult learners are turning to online course programs, which enable greater freedom in working alongside the schedules of their daily lives.

“We have a lot of students who work full time or have families,” Gipko said. “It’s a way for our students to get access to an education.”

Even for those students who might not have internet access at home, a greater availability of internet access in public allows work to get done. No longer just the domain of public libraries, restaurants such as Panera Bread and Starbucks offer Wi-Fi for students, Gipko said.

With the increase in adult learners taking their lessons online, Gipko said college campuses themselves have seen a slight shift in demographics, with the average student tending to be younger, with most in their early- to mid-20s.

“We have more adult learners who take online classes, so we have more younger students now,” he said.

An increase in technological literacy among students, he said, has been a boon both for flexibility in scheduling and in providing a more effective learning environment. More importantly, though, the more clearly defined expectations and deadlines allow students to learn at their own rate, he said.

“They are technology more literate, but they also need a little more structure, which online classes can provide.”

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