A story in today's New York Times' Education magazine describes the latest trend in public universities' efforts to meet the learning needs of their students:
"....The University of Florida broadcasts and archives Dr. Rush’s lectures less for the convenience of sleepy students like Mr. Patel than for a simple principle of economics: 1,500 undergraduates are enrolled and no lecture hall could possibly hold them.
Dozens of popular courses in psychology, statistics, biology and other fields are also offered primarily online. Students on this scenic campus of stately oaks rarely meet classmates in these courses.
Online education is best known for serving older, nontraditional students who can not travel to colleges because of jobs and family. But the same technologies of “distance learning” are now finding their way onto brick-and-mortar campuses, especially public institutions hit hard by declining state funds. At the University of Florida, for example, resident students are earning 12 percent of their credit hours online this semester, a figure expected to grow to 25 percent in five years....." (Here's the link to the rest of the story.)
Maybe that's the deal at the University of Florida. Maybe that's the trend at other public universities. Maybe it's even happening at private colleges around the country.
But that's not the way we do things at Stephens.
You still have to climb out of that warm, cozy bed at 8 a.m. (OK, maybe 8:40 a.m.) to make that 9 a.m. class - and that's not going to change, no matter how easy or convenient or inexpensive it is to present that lecture or that class session online.
That doesn't mean we don't offer some courses online. And that doesn't mean you can't choose to take one of those courses from time to time, as part of your educational experience (in fact, it's a good idea to learn how to learn in that kind of environment.)
But here at Stephens, we still believe in that real-life, being-there kind of learning. And student interaction. And time with faculty.
It's worth the effort. On your part -- and ours.
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