Funding reductions and enrollment increases have forced campus administrators to cancel all online courses for the upcoming winter session.
The decision to cancel the online winter courses stemmed from concerns of student success rates in online courses versus those in a traditional face-to-face classroom.
“Many students don’t know what to expect. Halfway through the course, they drop. Online classes require lots of self-discipline,” Alice Grigsby learning resources director said. Although faculty stands behind online courses, because winter session is 5 weeks, the decision to pause winter online courses has been made.
History professor Cristina Gold says it’s a shame for the students.
“It reaches out to students whose needs aren’t met by the classroom setting.”
Gold’s History 1B online course was one of 27 online sections cancelled.
Gold has had students with several jobs, single mothers, as well as cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy enroll in her online courses and is an advocate for distance education.
With the already overcrowded campus, students are more disadvantaged with the lack of online courses available this winter. Winter session has always been beneficial for students to be able to catch up on classes.
A memo was sent to all distance education professors on Aug. 31, listing all online sections being canceled and two sentences explaining its cancellation being due to “budget constraints.”
Some professors scheduled to teach their online courses because of the cancellation are now looking into campuses elsewhere to teach during their vacant winter session.
“Online courses are cheaper to run because students aren’t coming on the campus and using the college’s facilities, so I’m not sure why the online winter courses were cancelled,” William Doyle a music professor said.
The online and classroom professor said he is disappointed to see opportunities disappear for students.
This fall, plans for pre-orientation sessions will be available for students interested in online classes to better inform students of online class requirements.
“I think it’s important to offer choices. Online courses are great for some, for others it’s a disaster,” Laurie Houske, political science professor, said.
Online courses have been eliminated only for this upcoming winter session. There are 74 sections of online courses are available this fall and 75 courses will still be available in the spring.