Online all the way
UNO
program is first in Nebraska system to offer an entire degree online
When Lynn Hans goes to class, it
might be at her daughter's softball game or at her desk at the Norfolk, Neb.,
Public Library during her lunch break.
When Alan
Koenig teaches his class in American Civil War and Reconstruction, he does it
from the HQ First Army offices at Georgia's Fort Gillem on the outskirts of
Atlanta.
Whether they are studying or
teaching, Hans and Koenig are making history.
They are part of the distance
education program that is growing at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The
online bachelor of general studies degree offered by the UNO Division of
Continuing Studies (DCS) is the first fully online undergraduate degree program
in the University of Nebraska system, says Kathy Menke, assistant dean at the
College of Public Affairs and Community Service, which houses the DCS.
"There are several online
graduate degrees available across the system," says Menke. "We're particularly
proud because this is the first completely online undergraduate degree."
The online BGS, offered in
collaboration with the University of Nebraska-Kearney (UNK), is designed to
attract adult learners 21 and older whose work schedules, locations or
lifestyles make it difficult if not impossible to sign up for traditional
on-campus classes.
The online BGS is a
125-credit-hour program. At least five online courses are offered every fall,
spring and summer semester, and there is no minimum credit hour requirement.
UNO provides the instruction and materials for the general education and
sociology courses. UNK provides the business and communication courses.
Instructors and students communicate through email, online discussion forums
and chat groups.
This is the second semester the
online degree has been available. Ten students registered, and news of the
degree "has created a lot of interest," Menke says.
"This is a great option for so
many people," she says. "Our biggest challenge at this point is to properly
manage the growth of the program."
The DCS has hired a part-time
distance education manager to act as a point of contact for the students.
Additionally, students are assigned an academic advisor with whom they can meet
in person, on the telephone or through email.
"The quality of advising is just
as high for our online students as it is for our traditional students," Menke
says.
Studies
indicate that more than 2.3 million people nationwide are taking at least one
online course, a number that has increased 35.1 percent from 2002 through 2004.
Menke says the numbers likely will continue to grow as more online courses
become available.
Areas of concentration currently
available online within the BGS degree program include aviation (offered
through UNO's Aviation Institute) and library science (available through the
College of Education). Three others are being developed: management information
systems (MIS), in conjunction with the College of Information Science and
Technology; plus non-profit administration and criminal justice, through CPACS.
The Norfolk student, Hans, is
focusing her studies on library science. "I've always been an avid reader and
had an interest in libraries," she says, "so I got a part-time job at the
Norfolk library. I found what I really wanted."
She took her first online
classes while studying for her associate's degree at an area community college.
Online distance learning requires more discipline than attending regularly
scheduled, on-campus classes, she says.
"An online class gives you the
syllabus for the whole semester right at the beginning and it's up to you when
you get it all done," Hans says. "I fit my studying in sometimes late at night,
sometimes during my lunch hours. But I like books and learning so much, it
doesn't bother me to be doing something like that while I'm eating lunch."
Hans says her 12-year-old
daughter plays softball during the summer, "so the books will go with me to the
diamonds and I'll study at the games."
The online degree is expected to
be attractive to military personnel, especially those who might have taken
classes while at Offutt Air Force Base but then were deployed or transferred, says
Hayley Patton, manager of Offutt and off-campus programs for the DCS.
"The online degree is a great
opportunity for the military community," she says. "We can now give them the
option of taking classes online and finishing them via computer no matter where
they are. They may find themselves halfway around the world, but they can still
finish their coursework and earn their degree from UNO."
Koenig, the UNO adjunct history
instructor living in Georgia, has served more than 20 years in the U.S. Army
Reserve and taught Russian history as well as American military, Civil War and
world history. He started teaching at UNO in 1997 and began teaching online for
UNO in 2000 while stationed at HQ U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany.
"In the seven years I've been
teaching online, I've never met one of my students face to face," he says. "We
still develop good relationships, and since I'm a fast typist I work well in
this medium. Sometimes I feel a little 'out of it' since I haven't spent much
time at UNO and don't exactly know what the students are experiencing beyond
what they see on the screen, but they give me plenty of feedback so I try to
fine-tune the course as necessary."
Koenig says he gets students
busy early to avoid procrastination while staying flexible to accommodate their
often busy schedules.
"Online learning requires
self-discipline, a good work ethic, the ability to meet deadlines, some
patience, reading, a degree of computer-Internet competence and a willingness
to keep the instructor apprised of problems," he says. "In short, it's not too
much different from regular college courses in many ways."
He says online courses improve
UNO's value by offering scheduling flexibility. "Many students work full time
and attend college full time, and while I often rail against that, they will
continue no matter what I say."
As a student, Hans says that if
distance learning were not available, "I'd probably have to move to Omaha."
More information about the
online BGS degree is available by contacting Program Manager Christina Davis at
877-894-8187, 402-554-4833 or email at csdavis@mail.unomaha.edu, or by visiting
the DCS Web site at http://dcs.unomaha.edu/.
Photo: UNO online student Lynn Hans, left, meets with DCS advisor Mary
Zeleny. Photo by Tim Fitzgerald / University Affairs
