Online college lets students work from home
By Charlene Serra
In a sign that computers continue presenting unique possibilities,
college students can now receive their degrees through the Internet.
Just this semester Jones International University became the
first accredited university in the United States to offer full
degrees through the Internet. A senior consultant for this venture
is Livermore’s own David Mertes, who once served as chancellor
for California’s 107-campus community college system.
While Jones University offers many credential programs, it
currently has only one major — in business communications.
“The majors will rapidly expand,” Mertes said, adding
that future degree programs are expected in data processing,
English, history and literature.
While Jones University students’ ages range from 25 to
69 years, most of them fit a definite profile: They have jobs,
family responsibilities and are “people who simply feel
as though they can’t take time off their work to go back
to college,” according to Mertes.
“They are very highly motivated Ð they knew exactly
what they want to do and this was one option available to them.
If it wasn’t there, they simply couldn’t have gone
to college. I see this as another option available to students
to get their education, but I make no pretenses that it is for
everyone.”
LPC already offers three web-based classes of its own —
in astronomy, health, and physics — and Linda Lucas, Dean
of Academic Services for LPC, shared Mertes’ view that an
online education is for a select group. “You lose that one
on one contact with the instructor,” Lucas said. “It’s
for those students who want the grades and the transcripts rather
than the experience of going to college.”
Without a teacher prodding you to get your work done, online
classes are designed for students who are already self-motivated
and independent, according to Lucas. Even these students may
find the experience frustrating, because communication is done
with a keyboard.
“It’s very difficult to write emotion into a sentence,”
Lucas said. “There’s no inflection in typing.”
Then there’s the question of what education is all about.
Much of the growth students’ gain in obtaining a college
degree is the relationships built with teachers and peers during
years of shared space. “There’s a lot of social benefit
to the campus environment,” Lucas said. “You miss that
kind of interaction doing it all online. It wouldn’t be
for me.”
Lucas said an Internet education is better suited for graduate
students and doubts that it will ever be successfully used for
basic skills courses. Mertes agreed that younger students are
less likely to benefit from going to school from their home computer.
“Those students want to have experiences on the campus in
a classroom environment,” he said.
For busy professionals and housekeepers, however, the Internet
may prove the most logical and efficient way to fulfill a degree’s
— and life’s — requirements. “This is the
opportunity for them,” said Mertes, “so, when they
come home, put the kids into bed and do whatever else they have
to do, then they can do the course work via the Internet.”
While the college Internet revolution has just begun, it may
be comforting for students to know that the option is out there,
especially when life gets too complicated.
The list below talks about the specifics of how on online
university works.
The whats and hows of an Internet education
- A student goes to the Internet and fills out a registration
form. When the student is accepted by an admissions coordinator,
the student signs up for courses.
- Professors communicate with the students through chat rooms,
e-mail, or forums.
- No more than 25 students are accepted into any classes, which
means the courses at Jones International University are highly
interactive, pointed out Sherrie Lotito, marketing director for
the university.
- “There is more interaction in an online course than
you might find at larger classes at a traditional university,”
she said.
- The only requirement is that the Jones students complete
any courses within 8 weeks.