FVCC’s online enrollment hits all-time high

(Spring 2011)

By WILL RAPHAELSON

The FVCC online education program now has more students than ever. The number is expected to continue growing in the coming years.

“We’ve experienced a 48 percent growth in the past three years,” said Kathy Hughes, FVCC vice president of instruction. “I think it will keep growing and taking on new dimensions.”

The online Education Program at FVCC was created in 2001 to reach students who would otherwise be unable to receive an education. Twenty-one percent of all FVCC students now participate in at least one online course. Nearly 600 students are enrolled online this semester, which is 55 more than the fall, said Brad Eldridge, FVCC executive director of institutional research, assessment and planning.

Pat Pezelle, FVCC Director of Extended Learning, credits the increased enrollment to the flexibility factor associated with the online education program. With highly customizable class schedules, as well as the ability to learn from the home, people who used to have to choose between supporting a family and taking classes, can now do both. The childcare aspect is particularly relevant, as 73 percent of students enrolled online are female.

“It would be a lot harder to get a degree if I had to come in every day, impossible really,” said FVCC student Rose Hodun.

Some people question the quality of online education compared with traditional face-to-face teaching. Enthusiasts agree though, that the standard of online education is just as high as traditional education.

“The professor gets a semester to learn about how to teach online, and to develop and/or adapt their course to fit the online criteria,” said Pezelle. “After that the course is reviewed for a semester before a student even sees it. FVCC has become the model for online programs in Montana.”

Though the standard is high and the work to develop courses rigorous, the teachers seem to generally enjoy teaching online courses. Hughes said aspects such as graded forum threads provide the ability for quiet or shy students to speak up and participate in a way that traditional teaching frequently lacks. Often teachers and students end up forging relationships that may never have existed without the online connection.

“They just love it,” Hughes said.

FVCC has ambitious plans for the future. Coming this fall, students will be able to earn the entirety of an associate’s degree of science online.

“We’ll never stop improving, there’s no room to say ‘that’s good enough.’ We understand how important this is, and won’t stop,” Pezelle said.

Will Raphaelson is a student in Journalism 101C, News Writing and Reporting