Picture an online classroom and you might think of monitors flashing or keyboards clicking, as if computers were doing the learning. Some online universities, however, make an effort to feel downright human.
Brian Mueller, president of the Apollo Group which includes the University of Phoenix University, recalls that early criticism of online learning came from faculty members at traditional universities who saw content developed by star faculty members leveraged across huge audiences. "I think faculty thought their positions would start to be diminished," he says.
However, some online schools developed learning models with class sizes smaller than traditional universities. "We're not teaching 500 students in a lecture hall," Mueller explains. "We're teaching 11 students at a time."
A Different Kind of Student
Offering a college education online should take into account the generally older online student, who may have several years of work experience and a family.
"People don't realize that online education is not just, 'I take courses online,'" says Mueller. "It's really a complete student experience, available to students in a way that, for many adult students, far surpasses what they would get if they were at a traditional brick-and-mortar institution."
Virtual Student Lounge
Working adult students don't have time to hang out in the student union. They "get off work at 5, drive like crazy to the classroom, sit in the back and when [they're] done, sprint out and try to get home and get the kids fed," says Mueller.
But in the online world, they can log on to share their experiences. "We have a student lounge that really acts like a regular student lounge," says Mueller. "Students meet to discuss job openings, which companies are doing well, economics and what's going on in the world. There's a faculty lounge where faculty members gather to talk about challenges they're having teaching certain courses."
Real-World Caps and Gowns
What about graduation? The University of Phoenix Online has been conducting in-person graduation ceremonies since 1992. Mueller likens a UOP graduation ceremony to a traditional university's graduation. The big difference: Although UOP's online students have been working together almost every day for years, they've never met in the flesh. The older student body makes for a unique attendance. "Typically, there are three generations represented because you have, on average, 35-year-old students who are very proud to have completed their degree, and they have their children there and, many times, their parents too," says Mueller.
Of course, no graduation would be complete without a speaker. In 2003, computer security guru Howard Schmidt gave the address. Schmidt, whose credentials include chief security officer for Microsoft, head of cyber-security for the US under the Bush administration and, presently, chief security officer for eBay, also lists a bachelor's and a master's degree from the University of Phoenix's campus-bound schools.
"Being able to read his bio before his speech at graduation was a real boost to students," says master of ceremonies Mueller. Attendees, he notes, like to see "graduates like them, who have gone out and accomplished tremendous things in the world."
Other online universities with graduation ceremonies include Capella University, which has a real-world ceremony at its Minnesota base, and Jones International University, which hosts a virtual ceremony.
Perhaps the most important human factor is the sheer number of students turning to online education. The University of Phoenix Online debuted in 1989 and has seen tremendous growth in enrollment.
Add to this the growth of other online universities and online programs now offered at traditional universities, and the human scale of online learning takes on new meaning -- all those students and no dorms or cafeteria food.
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