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Online programs help students get degrees, are profitable for school
Monday, Dec. 28, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Kimberly Townsend Little earned a doctorate from UNLV by taking online classes from her home in North Carolina. She learned to use Skype, above, one of several free online services that allow people to talk to and see each other.
Beyond the Sun
Kimberly Townsend Little walked the stage at UNLV’s winter commencement ceremonies this month and picked up her doctorate in nursing.
For her, it was a rare visit to the campus.
She lives in North Carolina and completed her course work entirely online.
For Little, leaving home in pursuit of her doctorate wasn’t an option. She is not only an assistant professor of nursing education at Cabarrus College of Health Sciences in Concord, N.C., but also a single mother of three daughters — ages 17, 10 and 5.
“I’m extremely grateful to UNLV,” Little said. “It’s been a wonderful opportunity.”
UNLV offers five degree programs in which the required classes are entirely online, including a master’s in hospitality administration and a master’s in leadership preparation for educators. A new online doctoral program in nursing practice will be offered jointly with UNR beginning next fall.
Of the 34 students enrolled this fall in the nursing education doctoral program, 17 live out of state. Their combined tuition brings in more than $600,000 in premium revenue: Nevada students pay $8,883 per year while out-of-state tuition is $27,393.
Carolyn Yucha, dean of nursing for UNLV, said the doctoral program is highly competitive, and accepts about eight to 10 new students each year, usually older adults who have jobs, mortgages and families that make a traditional doctoral track difficult to balance.
With a shortage of nursing faculty in Nevada and across the country, UNLV is helping to fill a crucial gap by offering the degree online, Yucha said.
Instead of face-to-face instruction by a professor standing at the front of a lecture hall, online instruction is more flexible in its delivery. Some classes allow students to download lectures and study at their own pace, while others require students to “log on” at a specific time for group discussions or exams.
Distance education has grown at a staggering rate in the past decade at the nation’s colleges and universities, and UNLV is no exception. Eighty-eight percent of four-year institutions offer online classes, up from 12 percent in 1998, said Mark Fink, instructional design coordinator for UNLV.
During the 2008-09 academic year, UNLV filled more than 26,000 online seats in about 400 classes, said Fink, who helps professors with both the technical and instructional development of online classes.
It’s not just out-of-state students such as Little who benefit.
“We have students with a two-year degree from a community college who wants to advance, but can’t leave Tonopah to drive to Las Vegas to attend a class,” Fink said. “We offer them the same access to education.”
Even though students who are bound as much by time constraints as geography benefit from the flexibility of online classes, UNLV’s program holds them to the same academic expectations as their peers in traditional classrooms. Students must complete all of their work by the end of the term, and also participate in regular digital discussions with classmates and professors.
In a bricks-and-mortar classroom, students often only participate when called on by the professor. Online discussions often draw in a broader spectrum of the students and result in richer exchanges of ideas, Fink said.
There were days when Little, at home in North Carolina, wished she had the option of popping into a professor’s office to talk about a project. But she learned to make the most of e-mail, phone calls and video conferencing using Skype, one of several free online services that allow people to talk to — and see — each other. And each fall she spent a week at UNLV, as required by her program, which gave her an opportunity for face-to-face interaction.
She was also required to teach an online course of her own to UNLV undergraduates, with a faculty member keeping tabs on her progress.
In her class on nutrition, growth and development, Little had 40 students “and I never met even one of them,” she said with a laugh.
UNLV President Neal Smatresk said the fact that out-of-state students such as Little find their way to UNLV speaks to the university’s “global brand.” And although she might not put her newly acquired doctorate to work locally, it’s still a boon to the community. UNLV has more out-of-state enrollments than the rest of the Nevada System of Higher Education combined, and their nonresidential tuition helps to keep costs down for local students and improves access to higher education.
One of his big goals for 2010 will be to boost nonresidential enrollment even further, including by offering more innovative programs that attract students such as Little.
“We have a chance to have them participate in our economy,” Smatresk said. “There isn’t a state that doesn’t want that.”
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The vast majority of educational services should be offered through the use of such technologies, particularly pubic education K-12 with the goal of entirely eliminating the classroom environment and its taxpayer sponsorship.
This writ indicated a vast annual cost difference between Nevada students ($8,883) and out-of-state students ($27,393) but failed to reveal the reason(s) for the over 300% difference in tuition.
Additionally, the writ failed to indicate what the return on investment (in dollars) the student should expect to receive by purchasing the educational services as well as whether the services included employment placement opportunities.
Furthermore, the writ failed to reveal similar services offered by competitors (if any) and costs.
There are plenty of grads in today's work force sporting degrees in fields they never were employed in - never directly benefiting from the time and costs associated with obtaining a higher-level education.
FWIW: Back in the early '90s Colorado State University offered televised educational services via satellite known as ME/U (Mind Extension University).
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I do distance education or DE, with unlv and I love it. I feel I learn more in a distance education class. However you do have to go at a fast pace so for some people it doesn't work out. I don't take all my classes DE as I do live in Vegas and enjoy actually going to unlv, but for scheduling purposes it's nice to take a DE class and be able to "go to class" at 3:30 in the morning.
Research by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and others, and available in the minutes to Board of Regents meetings, shows why the costs are different.
Distance education is at least as expensive as brick and mortar classes. Out of state students are not subsidized by Nevada tax payers, thus having to pay the real cost of their classes. Check out the cost of a similar University of Phoenix degree (or other accredited on line school) and you will see.
Distance ed is also great for some students, but not for most 18 year old only-in-college-because-mom-made-them students. It takes a high degree of self motivation and maturity.
Also, while apparently UNLV is offering nursing via distance ed, would you really want a nurse taking blood who only saw how to do it on video or a doctor cutting out your appendix after learning to do it by playing "Operation" on line?
26,000 seats and 400 classes means an average of 65 seats per class. This seems like an incredibly large class size for an instructor to give proper attention to online.
Is UNLV going to offer more degree programs fully online? 5 programs with only 1 being an undergaduate seems rather pathetic for a division I school.
Oh man, in my opinion, a nursing PhD is NOT a degree that should be offered online! I believe that other majors are fine online, but I don't want a nurse (or doctor for that matter) that did their education online!
In my opinion, it's nice t help the irresponsible single baby mamas out there, but not when it comes to them being involved with my health.
Note that Nursing PhD students have already mastered the clinical basics of nursing from earlier degrees and practice (duh). The online courses are outstanding at UNLV - far greater class participation and opportunity to peer review other students work. I took history, english and arts classes online which was highly convenient as a mother. However, I can't imagine doing any of my economics major classes online, nor calculus! Certainly helped complete the degree sooner.
i realize it is considered "uncool" in our wonderfully modern society to point this out, but how on earth does someone give proper and adequate time, attention and effort to raising 3 children while working a job AND working on a Doctorate? Yikes.
JPC! That is the beauty of online. I finished a second masters in Ed. Leadership online through UNLV and I could "attend" school after work and after my family was fed, laundry was done, house tidied up and kids asleep. Most nights I began class around 10:30 pm. It takes a little more self discipline than onsite programs but it can be done...
I don't have a high opinion of online courses. I believe that a big part of the education is interacting with your classmates & professor. Careers and business contacts are made not only with knowledge, but with connections. 10% is about what you know, 90% is about who you know......you can't do that online.
S711
School of Community Health Sciences
The SAD truth is that UNLV students are paying good money for their programs, but their programs, such as the School of Public Health, are not accredited by any of the nationally recognized commissions, such as:
The Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare management Education (CAHME)
The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
The Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).
This means that employers, such as the V.A. will not hire you with an MPH from UNLV.
After spending $20,000 for a graduate degree, you would think that it would help you get your feet in the door.
Even New Mexico has their MPH program accredited.
RE: MPH
I have been eagerly waiting to hear about UNLV's MPH program's accreditation status, but continue to hear nothing. I even checked the program/school's website, but the most recent info I found was about changing the name for the accreditation process. I hope this isn't something that was dropped due to budget cuts.
Anyone else know anything?
RE: MPH
Accreditation of the UNLV - MPH program would be something that our local news reporters might want to inquire about as a follow up story.
Bill777 said: "Distance ed is also great for some students, but not for most 18 year old only-in-college-because-mom-made-them students. It takes a high degree of self motivation and maturity."
I agree. While some younger students will be able to handle learning online, online distance education is probably a better option for working adults or folks who are deployed.
Here's an article that talks about the kind of mindset needed for success in online degree programs: http://www.aiuonline.edu/online-educatio...
The subtitle says, "profitable for Schools"-- That's why these are offered. This should be used to hone an education, but not build one. I have taken online classes, and they don't even come close to a college classroom experience. In a school you should learn from your peers as well as your professors. And I agree with Nevada, some things should not be offered online.
I have taken online classes because they are convenient and easy, not because the value of education is better.
Travis,
Not all online courses are the same. There are ways that professors can maximize the technology and actually improve your learning experience beyond what is possible in a face-to-face classroom.
Don't forget that the type and quality of instruction varies widely in person too. Some works and some doesn't. The same is true online.
In my opinion, you have to be a loser to go for an on-line non-accredited degree, but then again, a fool and his money are easily parted.
Well, appleslices. You're entitled to your opinion. But the reality is that technology has far outpaced your biases. In fact, there are ways to make MORE of an online degree than a face to face degree. Sure, that's not always the case, but are you telling me that (everything else being equal) you would hire someone with a physical degree from say... CSN over someone who has an online degree from Columbia, Wisconsin: Madison, or Penn State? JUST on the basis that they got a degree face-to-face?!?!
If you would... then would would be exhibiting an old bias. Fortunately, the world doesn't agree with you. Most see the utility in online education. They are willing to address the shortcomings too. The only things holding it back are: a) technological limitations that are being mastered as we speak and b) perceptions of the quality of instruction, usually held by people with either no ... or limited experience online.
Nothing about face-to-face makes it inherently better or worse. It's the CONTENT that matters and the mastery of that content. Online instruction satisfies a particular niche and need. And it can be leveraged in ways (i.e., good pedagogy) to maximize learning. Not all face-to-face classes do this either.
I most likely would hire someone with a degree from Columbia, U Penn, or a "GOOD" university with an on-line degree. In my opinion, a LOSER from UNLV with a NON-ACCREDITED degree, no way, so you can try to talk up your non-accredited, on-line degree from a low ranked university all that you want and that isn't going to change YOUR future job opportunities! Reality check!
It's not my degree, actually. I don't represent the program and I'm not even in the field. I'm just challenging public ignorance about online degree programs.
You'd also be interested to know that some schools (in my field, at least) and highly touted universities have allowed their "accreditation" to lapse. This is primarily due to a growing bureaucracy in federally governed processes.
That, plus a misalignment with goals and objectives of programs, limited academic freedom, etc. has prompted many colleges to go a different direction.
yeah, I get that Columbia, Harvard, and Yale don't need to be accredited, but the rest of the low tier universities should go through the accreditation.