With the economy ailing, more non-traditional students are taking college classes - some for the first time, some not.
More of these new or renewed academic quests are likely to take place at Ball State starting in the Spring Semester.
Government programs help these students pay for their studies so they can become more qualified to compete for a job. Many students take this opportunity to improve their skill set in the field they've been in for a while. Some choose to go back to school to change their career.
Some people who normally wouldn't have the time to take classes at Ball State will soon have the option to get an accelerated master's degree online. Six programs - elementary education, educational leadership, special education, education studies, public relations and nursing - will be available online. Some students will be able to graduate within a year to 18 months.
The number of non-traditional students has increased throughout the nation. Ivy Tech's enrollment has grown significantly in the past few years as a result. About 110,000 are enrolled for fall classes this year, up about 23 percent from last year.
A push for online classes shows the university recognizes this trend and is trying to accommodate more people who want a Ball State degree but may not have time for a regular class schedule.
While the university hopes to see an influx of people wanting to complete these programs, the experience it offers will be different.
The School of Extended Education stressed it won't let Ball State be known as the place to go for a quick, easy master's.
But with no face-to-face contact, students and professors may have a delay in communication that could be detrimental to the learning experience. Urgent matters may not be addressed right away. Inflections and tones of voice could be misunderstood through e-mail communications. Taking directions from an e-mail, discussion board or Blackboard post could water down the sense of accountability students get from hearing a professor.
On the other hand, these programs are aimed to help those who probably have full-time jobs and/or families to take care of. Online classes allows these students to set their own schedule around other responsibilities. The people to whom these programs appeal will probably be more motivated. They will be here because they want to improve their families' lives, not because it's what people do after high school.
The idea weighs some intangibles of the educational experience against accessibility.
But Ball State is opening up opportunities for people who want to go to Ball State but may not be able to attend on-campus classes. If the trade-off has to be there, so be it. These programs will likely help a lot of people.
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