Online Education Upgrades Becoming a Recession Trend

The Hartford Courant is carrying a story about the trend toward additional education during this recession and the role that online classes are playing in it. Both public and private institutions in Connecticut are seeing a rapid rise in online course enrollment by adults seeking expanded opportunities through additional education.

Shirley Adams, the provost of Charter Oak State College in New Britain commented that “Students are afraid of loosing their jobs and want stronger skills…They may have been working in a field for many years, but a lot of times, employers are looking for that degree.”

Many times that degree can be from an online school, where students can transfer valid credits from previous college experience and use them as a base for completing a degree or earning a new one. The trend toward rapid and affordable education is being fed by the proliferation of online opportunities available from an expanding base of educational institutions. Ms. Adams said that about 70% of the students at Charter Oak are taking at least one online course, up from 49% a year earlier.

Online courses are making “blended degrees” a viable option for many careers. Distance learning schools are beginning to develop alliances with health care institutions in some states, so that online nursing students in the area have a place to gain the necessary clinical experience. Adults that are returning to school to complete a degree may find that there are professional choices incorporated into fields of study today that didn’t exist when they first attended college, perhaps a decade ago or longer.

In Waterbury Connecticut, Post University began offering online courses in 1997 and now finds over a third of the students taking at least one online class. The school offers eight week classes, which allows a student to complete six semesters a year. While the level of course work is intensive, “At the graduate level they can complete a master’s degree in twelve to sixteen month’s time. Both Post and Charter Oak offer over 200 online classes.

Post University has also developed an online program for members of the military who are on active duty. There are currently 24 soldiers from the New Haven Army Reserve studying at Post, who are stationed in Iraq. The military is picking up part of the tuition cost.

Distance learning is becoming a mainstream educational option just as more adults hit the glass ceiling associated with the lack of a college degree. The resulting rise in enrollment is sweeping through private online colleges and the more traditional public schools using online courses as an outreach tool.

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